bertram31.com

Missed again. Second time in two days. Drat! And even with a fairly high reserve in the bow-chock case I missed by two bucks. How do it know? Got to get some inside poop on the Ebay bidding before I do it again.
U.V., I know you haunt Ebay and are successful, am I missing something? I know now to wait until the last minute and have a nose-bleed reserve if I really want something but what else do I need to do.
Hope whoever got the chcok returns it to the bow of a Bertram.

Mikey
That last minute thing is refered to as "Bid Sniping" and thats what I do if the auction ends at a time that I can be around a computer.

The way I see it........there is no need to keep running the bid up for days before the auction ends.......in fact I believe that if you put a bid in early, people that are not really interested in the item can and will run your bid up higher just as long as you are willing to play along.

About 3 or 5 minutes before the auction ends I place a bid to see if other bidders have placed a proxy bid or not. If they have I will continue to bid until I have figured out the other guys max bid then I will place my proxy bid based on the max that I am willing to pay. I think that my method cuts right to the chase. I think that most of the time the other bidders are bidding by the bid increment and by the time they figure out my max bid the auction has ended.

You gotta wait to the last few seconds and be fast............

Harry Babb

Harry,
Thanks. I did part of that right and part wrong. I did bid early, oops. But I only bid once. I was told sometime back about this crap. Now I was the high bid (unfortunately) until the end, but also had a max high bid that I thought was high enough. Not! Thing that gets me is that in both cases I thougt I had a max high enough to get the item and was taken out by a bid that was just a hair above my high. Once again, I ask, How do it know? There is still something I am missing. Maybe you said it already and my thick Irish skull hasn't let it in yet. I'll re-read your post.

Mike

Yes you fell victim to "bid sniping". In the past if there is anything I really wanted on Ebay I would use esnipe. I have no affiliation with them nor have i used it in a while but had good results last time I used them. It is a fee based "bid sniping" program that tracks the item you want. I know that there are other programs out as well. Do a search on "Ebay bid snipe software" and you should fine some others as well. Below is a link to Esnipe

http://www.esnipe.com/

Jon

Sorry Mikey! I hav troubles with that all the time on Epay too!! Damn sniping programs! Well, if you can't beat them, join them!

well, as Rawleigh says, if you can't beat them . . . kick'em in the things!

Mikey,

Remember, Russ offered you his bowchock; and I asked for it ONLY if your deal came through on ebay. Since your ebay deal flushed, go with the one Russ offered (it was a better deal anyway, and the Board benefits from the transaction). The great thing about this Board is we all work together, not against one another. I've gotten snookered on ebay plenty of times, but I've sort've learned the game now.

Tommy

I buy a lot of stuff on eBay, mostly sterling silver, and the trick is to know how much you are willing to pay, period. I ususally watch an item until an hour or so before the bidding ends, then pop my max bid and forget about it. I get some good deals but eBay has become more or less a retail outlet. Another trick is to always email the seller and ask what their reserve is if there is one, and if there is little activity, make them a "buy it now" offer even if there are other bids outstanding. It works a lot more often that you'd think.

Mikey, if push comes to shove, I have an original un-chromed one on my desk at the office that maybe we could come to terms on......like your good knee.....

UV

Bidding on ebay is simple as far as I'm concerned. I determine the maximum I am willing to pay. Not what is a "great deal" or "fair" or "top dollar". I then place my bid with 5-10 seconds remaining (bearing in mind that placing a bid is a two step process). This method generally leave me without regrets one way or the other.

Mikey,

When there is an Item I want on Ebay, I will watch the item for about 30 minutes before the end of the auction. I even look at the feedback on other bidders to see what they have purchased in the past to determine if they are serious, or just shills, used to bump up the price of an item. Then I will open a second page from ebay, put in my maximum bid and click the place bid button. This will take me to the second bidding page where you will confirm and actually place your bid. I usually hit the confirm button with about 8-10 seconds left to go. Meanwhile, i am checking the original page I opened and watch to see any other late bids and for how much time is remaining. Bearing in mind that most bidders try to just outplace the last highest bid, I will usually make sure my bid is way over what everyone has been bidding. For example, I recently purchased an International combo consisting of a 50VSW and 2255ARA tuna stick. Everyone was 5 and 10ing the bids and the price was around $430. I placed my bid for $600 and actually won the auction at $510. Well within reason taking that the value was realistically around $800. I followed the same process the same day and got another tuna stick (same model) with a 30VSW for $410 both from the same seller. He commented how it was "cool that I snatched them at the last minute". Mind you that this process is not fool proof as sometimes, I don't make my bid high enough to win, but then again, if that's the case, it was out of my reach anyway.

I like your twin screen idea Harv. It has the added benefit of a backup browser if one should lock (which recently happened to me w/ about 30 seconds left).

Tommy, Thanks for the offer, but the deal with Russ as I remember was if I decided to take it instead of bidding. You got it. I will talk to Uncle Vic about his.
Harv, I thought I knew some internet stuff but I need a third-graders instructions as to what you do. Sounds like a different way to skin the Tabby. Now, as John Wayne said, "Talk slow, talk low, don't say too much."
Vic, Hadn't thought about just coming out and asking the offerer to give me a 'buy now' price even though they weren't offering it that way. Didn't know that was Kosher. Screw Kosher, I'm going Coonass in the future. Is your paper weight a solid-top or one with holes? I really want the solid top as I probabaly won't use the lights. Can I run two sets of lights? Didn't think so.
Thanks for the advise guys, keep you posted on future success.
Happy New Year!