Bidding on Ebay is pointless !!!

[SteamWake]

I have tried on several occasions to bid on various items on Ebay as of late.

Every time when I think I have a winning bid I am out bid by a dollar or so at the last second. I mean literally at the last second, so fast you will never have a chance to put in a higher bid.

I later learned that it is being done by 'bots' automated bidding programs. Often by the very person selling the item.

So... I just dont bother any more. If it has a buy now option with a decent price I might consider that but bidding... pffft you cannot compete with a machine.

Ebay has made statements on the practice and since they cant really control it they have decided its okay

Bidding... LOL more like price adjustment.

[Sailor Steve]

The only time I ever use Ebay is if they have something I want for the right 'Buy It Now' price.

[Tchocky]

Depends on relative maximum bid settings, actually. Stick in the maximum you want to pay, and you *could* win it at the last second. Have done it myself and had it done to me

Efficient allocation of goods, I say!

[SteamWake]

Yea I agree Steve its just that it always seems that the items I want (vintage radio gear) are bid only.

Its just aggrivating I mean what is the piont. If you want to set a price point put in a freakin reserve.

Ebay is for suckers. I know no one who has ever had a winning bid.

[FIREWALL]

I use Amazon. I understand SW's problem with wanting old radio gear.

Can't help you there. All I can suggest is keep trying. It doesn't cost you anything to bid.

[Weiss Pinguin]

Originally Posted by The Third Man

Ebay is for suckers. I know no one who has ever had a winning bid.

Heh, my parents got very good a sniping bids Dunno if they've used for a long time though...

The last time I got something off Ebay, it turned out to be in Russian... so now I prefer just to get the games in person.

[Skybird]

Could be that you were bidding for items that were really in demandd by many. but you should know that it is common tactic to bid just once - and 1-3 second before timeout is reached. The bid should be your maximum. I also add shipping costs and then plus 10% for my absolute limit. I never bid earlier than 1-3 seoicnd beforte timeout, and I never place more than one bid. I have won almost all bids I placed by doing so, mainly old chess computers.

If you place a bid earlier, you just give others the chance to get their psychological mechanisms working, resulting in others to eventually finding excuses why they suddenly want to exceed their former limits, and then placing higher bids. By placing early bids, you just drive the price upwards.

Place one bid only, but if you really want that item, make sure you place your bid at the last chance possible, and make it a total overkill bid. Your internet connection is a factor, if it is reliable and fast, hit the button only 1-2 second before timeout. Every bid you place earlier than 3 seconds to timeout, is premature.

Believe me, I now own several very rare and precious old chess computers that are in high demand by collectors. On chess computers i never lost one bid.

but I tend to avoid ebay these days, using it only rarely. It has become a professional sales platform for pro traders. I tend to agree with Steve.

Ebay is like sword fighting. you aim to swing for just one strike - but that single strike should cut your opponent into to equal halves from head to - well, you know what.

[Platapus]

Ebay used to be really great when it first started. We got some real bargains, but I have to agree that these days, it stynks with the bots.

One more good thing ruined by greedy people.

I was in the Goodwill Store the other day and there were folks using scanners to pick the best books for sale in their own stores. So now even the Goodwill is part the bidding war.

[Tchocky]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Ebay used to be really great when it first started. We got some real bargains, but I have to agree that these days, it stynks with the bots.

One more good thing ruined by greedy people.

Ah, more people buying and more people selling. You couldn't pick up spare parts for consumer electronics *nearly* as easily in the old days of ebay.

Swings and roundabous, Platapus

[FIREWALL]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Could be that you were bidding for items that were really in demandd by many. but you should know that it is common tactic to bid just once - and 1-3 second before timeout is reached. The bid should be your maximum. I also add shipping costs and then plus 10% for my absolute limit. I never bid earlier than 1-3 seoicnd beforte timeout, and I never place more than one bid. I have won almost all bids I placed by doing so, mainly old chess computers.

If you place a bid earlier, you just give others the chance to get their psychological mechanisms working, resulting in others to eventually finding excuses why they suddenly want to exceed their former limits, and then placing higher bids. By placing early bids, you just drive the price upwards.

Place one bid only, but if you really want that item, make sure you place your bid at the last chance possible, and make it a total overkill bid. Your internet connection is a factor, if it is reliable and fast, hit the button only 1-2 second before timeout. Every bid you place earlier than 3 seconds to timeout, is premature.

Believe me, I now own several very rare and precious old chess computers that are in high demand by collectors. On chess computers i never lost one bid.

but I tend to avoid ebay these days, using it only rarely. It has become a professional sales platform for pro traders. I tend to agree with Steve.

Ebay is like sword fighting. you aim to swing for just one strike - but that single strike should cut your opponent into to equal halves from head to - well, you know what.

Good advice.

[Wolfehunter]

Ebay used to be good back in the late 90's early 2000's. Then there changes and policy changes I didn't like them and abandoned ebay.

I remember the openness of the bidders. Sometimes you could deal off there posts. If your lucky you could get great deals.

But for me when they changed there rules many years ago I disagreed with them. They've closed my account. Good riddance.

[Zachstar]

Rare that I agree with Steamwake but I agree.

The issue is these bots of often controlled by get rich quick schemes where suckers shell out cash for a program that "Finds and buys items for quick sell and PROFIT!" These programs then bid on everything in sight fully expected that half the bids will be beat by bots sitting right on the backbone within a few ns at worst.

It is completely rigged and sellers there know it. I automatically skip any without Buy It now because I know then the seller is buying time for the bots to show.

I dont know how much money my parents had to waste to outbid the bots limit in order to get old radios for restoration. I saw it personally when I asked them to bid on an ATI 550 tuner card. They thought my limit was 45 for some reason and it took that to beat the bot for a 20 or 15 USD card.

BTW I may be wrong but isnt it unlawful in many areas to bid on your own sale?

[Zachstar]

Originally Posted by The Third Man

I was in the Goodwill Store the other day and there were folks using scanners to pick the best books for sale in their own stores. So now even the Goodwill is part the bidding war.

Goodwill is a different situation. Even if someone is buying for resale it is still money going into jobs for the handicapped. Also I would rather that happen anyway as if they were not around thousands if not millions of precious historical items would have ended up crushed in a garbage truck.