Ebay tips? Lost a handle to a snipe (I think)

[Teppanyaki]

I have recently begin using ebay after shying away from it for . . . a decade or more? I'm not sure if it's been around that long.

The story - I saw a really nice handle from a pocket Gillette set (http://www.ebay.com/itm/231041321453?ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1435.l2649). It wasn't floral or single scrollwork, but some intertwining vines with embellishment towards the ball end and on the ball end itself. I put a bid in, and in the last 20 minutes I saw someone else bidding higher than my max. I rebid with my max at what I was willing to spend. They then waited until the last 5 seconds and outbid my maximum, thus winning the auction. I assume this is "sniping" (outbidding someone in the last moments).

In retrospect, I wonder if the best way to buy things on ebay is to literally not bid until the last minute or less, preferably the last 15 seconds, and to then place your maximum price you're willing to pay for the item. By bidding early on, the price was driven up which set the stage for me being unwilling to pay more. If I could do it over again, and I knew that I would be able to bid during the last minute of the auction, I would have not bid until 10 seconds before the auction closed and hope to not be out-counterbid by the other person(s) watching the auction.

Is there a practical list of tips anywhere on other strategies to help 1) win an auction for something you like while 2) not driving the price up besides the above?

 

[BRITD]

Is there a practical list of tips anywhere on other strategies to help 1) win an auction for something you like while 2) not driving the price up besides the above?

Ebay is a field of landmines and shill bidding is rampant. Its simple, always use a snip and put the maximum price in that you are willing to pay. Its the only way to buy on ebay today IMHO and avoid's driving up the price and overbidding. gixen.com is the one I use.

 

[Face Bannon]

Just use bid sniping software/website. I shop for all sorts of things on ebay and I don't have time to wait around and check back. I load in my snipe and go. Doesn't drive the price up and I get my best price automatically.

I use myibidder.com . It doesn't required the installation of any software on your computer. Your account at myibidder just maintains your snipes and does them for you, 6 seconds out. There's a Chrome extension that puts an ibidder "Snipe It" button on every ebay auction you visit.

 

[Mike H]

Regardless of when the bid is made, the highest bidder wins.


The advantage of bidding at the last second is that you can sometimes keep others from second guessing their maximum bid. Thus getting it for less.

 

[cb91710]

Bid once, bid high, bid late.

Looking at the bidder's list, there were two that started running the price up at the beginning.
While you can still win an auction doing that, you are effectively bidding against yourself, and in the excitement of the closing moments, you may end up paying WAY more than you feel it is worth.

So place only one bid, and place it for as much as, but no more than you are willing to pay for it. If you feel it is worth $105, then even if the current bid is only $20, so ahead and bid $105. You can't pay more, but you may pay less. Best case, someone comes in and starts bidding up, and gets tired of bidding in $0.50 increments by the time it hits $40 and you get it for $40.
Worst case, someone increments it all the way to $104 and you pay your max.
Or you get sniped.

Sniping also serves a purpose of keeping sellers honest. It's against the TOS, but sellers will still use a 2nd account to act as a "shill" bidder. They see someone bid, they really want to get $105 for it, so the shill bidder goes to work. The seller doesn't know that you bid $105, so he is risking outbidding you, so he will work in smaller increments, but doing that will draw the interest of other bidders who will help him run the price up.
Worst case for him, he ends up winning it and he has to pay the eBay fees... he loses money, and draws eBay's attention if he relists it.
Snipers deprive the seller of the opportunity to run the price up, unless he has placed an earlier bid that is as high as he really wants to sell it for... in that case, you might see the high bid at $24, but the sniper takes it at $75 with no bids between... but that rarely happens, because you ALWAYS get two inexperienced bidders going back and forth every 30 seconds running the price up 3 days before closing.

I ALWAYS snipe. If I can't do a BIN (which is what I normally do), I will snipe it during the last 3-5 seconds.
I've only lost 3 auctions in the last 15 years.


In your case, e***d was gradually running the price up until he got ahead of you, but you would have lost anyways since u***i came in with 6 seconds left at something above $100 (he may have bid $120+, we don't know).
Had you placed one bid at $105, e***d may or may not have run up past $100. u***i may or may not have beaten you (he may have bid only $104).... but the fact remains that it is VERY difficult to win an auction featuring a desirable item without sniping.

 

[Face Bannon]

Regardless of when the bid is made, the highest bidder wins.


The advantage of bidding at the last second is that you can sometimes keep others from second guessing their maximum bid. Thus getting it for less.

And this behavior (inexplicable) is the best reason to snipe. Some people hold back for some reason. Can't explain why. But sniping doesn't give them a chance. And it doesn't draw early attention to the auction.

I use ebay's "subscribed searches" function -- I receive email notification each day if an item I've searched is newly placed for sale. If you tweak the search criteria to a really good, narrow search, this is a great feature. Then if a promising item hits ebay for the first time, I snipe on day one and forget about it.

 

[Mike H]

Is it just me or did that razor go for 3X what it should have?

 

[cb91710]

Is it just me or did that razor go for 3X what it should have?

I agree... at least double if not more.

 

[Marsman]

I agree the snipe is the only way to go without paying to much and stressing over those last few seconds.

 

[Christian_V]

Snipe. Use software. I use myibidder on my Galaxy Note 2. It's free but you can set your snipe.

Sometimes in order to beat them, you must join them.

 

[Teppanyaki]

Thanks everyone! After doing a bit of research, I guess there are only 2 real options -

1) "Manual" sniping - log on to ebay a few minutes before the auction ends and enter a bid say, 5-20 seconds before the end of the auction. Not automated, doesn't involve my giving my ebay name and password to anyone

2) "Automatic" sniping - use a free/paid website or app to automate sniping. Automated, works for groups of auctions, but involves giving out my name and password so presumably a reputable site is critical.

 

[Face Bannon]

Thanks everyone! After doing a bit of research, I guess there are only 2 real options -

1) "Manual" sniping - log on to ebay a few minutes before the auction ends and enter a bid say, 5-20 seconds before the end of the auction. Not automated, doesn't involve my giving my ebay name and password to anyone

2) "Automatic" sniping - use a free/paid website or app to automate sniping. Automated, works for groups of auctions, but involves giving out my name and password so presumably a reputable site is critical.

I've been using myibidder for about 8 years. It's reputable. Just do it and a year from now you'll wonder that you ever checked in with auctions.

 

[Nomad1600]

I use Gixen, or the few things I have bid on in the past.

 

[dcobranchi]

Thanks everyone! After doing a bit of research, I guess there are only 2 real options -

1) "Manual" sniping - log on to ebay a few minutes before the auction ends and enter a bid say, 5-20 seconds before the end of the auction. Not automated, doesn't involve my giving my ebay name and password to anyone

2) "Automatic" sniping - use a free/paid website or app to automate sniping. Automated, works for groups of auctions, but involves giving out my name and password so presumably a reputable site is critical.

Manual is risky, as most sniping software defaults to bidding 6 seconds before the end of the auction. If you're going to try to out-snipe the machines, you're going to need to time it a few seconds after they all bid. That's an awfully narrow window to try to get a bid in.

 

[jb4647]

I havnt bid on anything in 12 yrs on eBay. I use it as a source for items not sold in stores anymore such as old cameras, books, and yes razors.

When I browse eBay, I set my search preferences to only show "Buy it Now" items. If the buy it now price seems reasonable, then I buy the item. If not then I don't.

Figured out long ago that my time is worth more the waiting to win some bid on the Internet.

 

[Chaloney]

Manual is risky, as most sniping software defaults to bidding 6 seconds before the end of the auction. If you're going to try to out-snipe the machines, you're going to need to time it a few seconds after they all bid. That's an awfully narrow window to try to get a bid in.

No, you just have to bid higher. The sniping services place the bids at the end to avoid bidding wars--people getting out bid then raising their max bid above the other guy back and forth until someone gives in and quits and the other bidder pays what may be more than anyone would reasonably have paid. Sniping forces buyers to place their max bid and that's it--the way ebays automatic bidding was intended. Whether its done with a manual bid during the last few seconds or an automatic gixen bid. The advantage of the sniping service is that you can set it up ahead of time and forget about it. Gixen logs you in and places your max bid 6 seconds before the auction closes. If yours is highest you win. If someone out bid you, at the same time, 2 seconds later, or 4 days earlier, you lose.

 

[cb91710]

Manual is risky, as most sniping software defaults to bidding 6 seconds before the end of the auction. If you're going to try to out-snipe the machines, you're going to need to time it a few seconds after they all bid. That's an awfully narrow window to try to get a bid in.

Not really. Remember, the sniper software is not a collection of live bidders. You are still bidding against someone who placed a bid hours or days earlier based on what he feels the item is worth, or what he is willing to pay.
The sniper software DOES benefit everyone because it doesn't result in four idiots running the price up 4 days before the auction closes.

I manually snipe, but I have nothing against those who use the software, and honestly, I'd rather be up against them than a live sniper who might have 2-4 windows open with 2-4 progressively higher bids ready to send.
It IS possible to bid, see the confirmation you are not high, and get a 2nd bid off in the last 6 seconds.

 

[mrb7]

I ALWAYS snipe. If I can't do a BIN (which is what I normally do), I will snipe it during the last 3-5 seconds.
I've only lost 3 auctions in the last 15 years.

[... ] but the fact remains that it is VERY difficult to win an auction featuring a desirable item without sniping.

Only three is pretty good. I have certainly lost more than three, but it is because another sniper wanted it more than me.

I have started trying to use my phone to snipe, and that's fraught with latency trouble.

 

[cb91710]

Only three is pretty good. I have certainly lost more than three, but it is because another sniper wanted it more than me.

I have started trying to use my phone to snipe, and that's fraught with latency trouble.

Ya, I wouldn't try a 3-second snipe on a mobile device.
Of the 3 I've lost, one was outsniped, one was my snipe was not high enough to cover the existing, and one was because of software.
Everything was running fine on my end, something was jacked in eBay... my bid did not go in (in time), and looking at the bidding list, NO bids were logged during the last 10 seconds.

 

[Gary H]

I used to feel the same way but was schooled here to go all in on your first bid that way you will have no reason to feel bad if you get sniped.