Just did a quick look at John Loc's auction since many of use know of his auctions. His auctions right now are ending on Thursday or Sunday at 8PM. He has one ending on Friday at 8PM. I also saw one ending at 7 on Thursday, I think.
Sniping on eBay...There must be tricks I don't know.
- Thread starter Chan Eil Whiskers
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- #62
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I've noticed that, too, but there are still opportunities.
This isn't exactly about sniping on eBay. I bid on an item that already had a low bid, several minutes later I was outbid, so when I look at the bid history, it says five bids 0 bidders. Can somebody explain what's happening with this?
Is this like hidden bidders or something?
- Thread starter
- #65
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
I might consider calling eBay and asking them. That's just too weird.
You know I had a buddy to look on his computer and it came up as it should with the bids and the buyers both. And then after I looked on my Android about the fourth or fifth time it was correct, like it hadn't updated itself in 3 hours. I don't know next time I think I'll go to desktop mode if I'm on the phone and see what it looks like. So I guess the situation is back to normal. Thank you for the reply
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- #67
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Probably you were seeing your cache.
Oh oh alright, so maybe if that happens again go into the application clear the cache ?
THIS EXACT THING HAPPENED TO ME TODAY ON A CARBOMAGNETIC I WAS BUMMED...$1 MORE THAN MY HIGH BID AT THE LAST SECOND. I hope whoever the dude is that got it enjoys it, he had the upper hand with whatever slight of hand he pulled good on him and congrats...
I just usu the buy now option when available.
There are no shenanigans going on. That's the way eBay works.
Let's say you bid $100 on a razor 1 second before the end of the auction, and I bid $200. How much will I get it for? $101. You will ALWAYS lose the item by $1 if you're the second highest bidder. The $200 is not my bid, it's my max bid, and I only need to beat you by one bid increment ($1) to win.
Let's say we both bid $100 but my bid goes in a microsecond before yours. I'll win the item at $100.
I don't know if this even applies. They say when you're in the woods with other people and the bear gets after you you don't have to outrun the bear you just have to outrun the slowest runner, sad but it sounds true to me.
Back to eBay, yes it won't take my maximum bid only as much of it as needed to top the highest bid, so it could save you money in the long run like that. We all know this hobby doesn't save us money though.
I see said the blind man to his deaf dog! Lol! Well that's still kinda a slickly boy way of winning lol! Anyway I still came out ahead with the seller he's a great guy to do business with!
- Thread starter
- #74
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
From the information in this thread and the other reading I've done I now understand more about how to win the auctions I most want to win without getting into any bidding wars.
Rule #1: Use a sniping service.
I'm now using Gixen. I'm going to reveal here exactly how I win with Gixen.
It's possible to win every auction by using Gixen at 3 seconds and by being the highest bidder (neglecting the bid increment rules). If you bid for instance (using Gixen) a thousand dollars over what you think a razor is going to sell for you're likely to win every auction at the lowest possible price. You will also avoid bidding wars as your bid is visible to others only at the last moment.
I don't want to win every auction, but I also consider what it will cost me to not win any given auction. Some auctions I've lost because of a failure to bid just a bit more have caused me some grief; I realized later how much I wanted that item. Is it worth $5 to lose the auction?
Rule #2: Know yourself and what you want but don't buy junk.
I sometimes have conversations with my buddies about items I'm interested in. I get their input. We often agree not to bid against each other on items one of us is interested in. We tell each other about items we think the other guy might like. We share our homework.
My understanding of this process and method is good enough so that it works for me. I hope I've explained it well enough that you can win items you want. I also hope you'll share any tips I've failed to mention or haven't yet learned.
There's no substitute for studying the item carefully, doing your homework, and asking questions.
Happy shaves,
Jim
Rule #1: Use a sniping service.
I'm now using Gixen. I'm going to reveal here exactly how I win with Gixen.
- I paid the $6 to Gixen. This gives me the mirror site (so I have a much better chance of my bid being entered). It also allows me to adjust my bid entry times (both of them) to three seconds. I've found that three seconds works just fine. Gixen has never failed me.
- Most items I find myself interested in close in a few days so I have days after my initial bid to watch them.
- Watching the item also means exploring the eBay sales history to find similar items. I want to know the range within which items like the one I am looking at have sold. Sometimes there are many such items readily available. Sometimes I have to dig. Sometimes there's no information.
- When I see something I like I enter a bid. That bid is low. It's my fantasy price for the item. That gives me more time for homework. Sometimes I cancel my pending Gixen bid because I decide I don't actually want the item.
- I make notes on Gixen concerning the item and my impressions of it and how much I want it, etc.
- If I'm thinking about an item but not yet sure I want to bid I put the item on my eBay watch list and make notes there about the item.
- None of my Gixen bids have been entered into the eBay system (they're not entered into the eBay system until the very last second of the auction with my offset times of 3 seconds). Thus nobody but me knows I have any interest in the item.
- Several hours before the auction closes I look at the bids and the bid history including automatic bids and determine as best I can who is bidding and how much it looks like they want the item. For instance, is there an automatic bid that occurs every time someone else bids? If there is there's someone with a high automatic bid entered already into the eBay system. Do I want the item enough to compete with these people? Not always!
- At about 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 hours before the auction closes I look at the price. What I've noticed is the price at that time is about 50% of the final price in many auctions (We'll call this Price X).
- Thus by doubling that price and then adding a bit more I can usually guess the item's selling price. If I want the item I have to bid at least that much. If I'm not willing to bid that much I don't have much chance of winning the auction, but I can usually win by bidding this amount (We'll call this bid amount Price X times 2 + $1).
- If it's an expensive item or an item which I really really really want I might bid an extra 25% (We'll call this Price X times 2 + 25%) which almost guarantees I win the auction, usually at the lower price (Price X times 2 +$1).
- I have in mind exactly what razors I want and why I want them. Also I know what I am able and willing to spend. I stay within these parameters. I have both limited means and an observant SWMBO. I'm picky. Just because something's a good deal doesn't mean I want it. Just because I want it doesn't mean I should buy it. Most everything is available again next week and in better shape than this item, and next week's item will sell at a price lower than this vendor's opening bid. I'm looking for great stuff and great deals.
- My agenda is to try razors I want to try and to improve my collection. Enlarging my collection is not on my agenda.
It's possible to win every auction by using Gixen at 3 seconds and by being the highest bidder (neglecting the bid increment rules). If you bid for instance (using Gixen) a thousand dollars over what you think a razor is going to sell for you're likely to win every auction at the lowest possible price. You will also avoid bidding wars as your bid is visible to others only at the last moment.
I don't want to win every auction, but I also consider what it will cost me to not win any given auction. Some auctions I've lost because of a failure to bid just a bit more have caused me some grief; I realized later how much I wanted that item. Is it worth $5 to lose the auction?
Rule #2: Know yourself and what you want but don't buy junk.
I sometimes have conversations with my buddies about items I'm interested in. I get their input. We often agree not to bid against each other on items one of us is interested in. We tell each other about items we think the other guy might like. We share our homework.
My understanding of this process and method is good enough so that it works for me. I hope I've explained it well enough that you can win items you want. I also hope you'll share any tips I've failed to mention or haven't yet learned.
There's no substitute for studying the item carefully, doing your homework, and asking questions.
Happy shaves,
Jim
So the app bid even if you are in a no internet situation at the moment, as long as it's set for your bit amount, time to bid 3 sec etc..?
- Thread starter
- #76
Chan Eil Whiskers
Fumbling about.
Yes. Once you've entered a bid on Gixen your bid will be entered by Gixen unless you cancel the bid. It doesn't matter if you're online when the auction closes. It's a proxy bidding service and a sniping service.
Of course you have to register with Gixen but that's an easy enough process.
Information on Gixen may not update very often, so I check the current bid price on eBay. It's all very easy once you've played with it for five minutes and bid a few times. The hard part is deciding what to bid on and not bid on, and the homework.
That would be great for those actions that end when a person needs to be asleep, and it ends at an odd time.
I might have to check it out.
Before you read my comment, know that I deal with cyber-security every day, and this makes me a bit wary of other sites' security practices.
Since Gixen is a proxy service, what you're doing is giving them your eBay credentials so they can bid on your behalf. Do you trust them, and that includes all their employees, disgruntled or not? Do you trust their security in protecting your confidential information? If the answer is yes to both, enjoy! It's a great way to buy razors.
PS, what's the opposite of disgruntled? Gruntled? Not-disgruntled?
You got me, had to check with Merriam Webster.
Which Came First, gruntle or disgruntle?
The verb disgruntle, which has been around since 1682, means "to make ill-humored or discontented." The prefix dis- often means "to do the opposite of," so people might naturally assume that if there is a disgruntle, there must have first been a gruntle with exactly the opposite meaning. But dis- doesn't always work that way; in some rare cases it functions instead as an intensifier. Disgruntle developed from this intensifying sense of dis- plus gruntle, an old word (now used only in British dialect) meaning "to grumble." In the 1920s, a writer humorously used gruntle to mean "to make happy"—in other words, as an antonym of disgruntle. The use caught on. At first gruntle was used only in humorous ways, but people eventually began to use it seriously as well.
dave
OMG! I thought the only people that used this saying were my family! Are we in some way related?
However, our version goes, "'I see', said the blind man to his deaf dog as he picked up his hammer and saw."
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