Ebay

phelim21
phelim21 Posts: 49
edited February 2020 in All eBay listings
Just thinking how do ppl get what they want on ebay when you bid near the end 99% of the time you dont win. I've tried to bid on two bikes over the past 3 weeks and left it to 10 secs before submitting a bid but still joy with getting the item. It's just so frustrating🤯

Comments

  • Mad_Malx
    Mad_Malx Posts: 4,993
    Stuff is worth what someone is prepared to pay for it - in your case someone else.

    You know you set your maximum bid, rather than actual bid, don't you?

    I've missed somethings that I regret not bidding more for, I've paid over the odds sometimes because I'd missed out previously and got fed up waiting for something similar to reappear at a low price. I've also bagged a few bargains.

    Auctions ending at weird times (midweek, middle of the night etc ) can be good because less people are sniping.
  • joe2019
    joe2019 Posts: 1,338
    If I really want something I just put in an astronomical bid 1 second before the end of the auction. I then win the item for £2 more than the highest hidden bid, and there is no time for a counter bid. Works every time.

    Having said that, I think that eBay is weighted too much in the favour of the buyer. There is literally no point in bidding before the last few seconds, all it does is increase the price. eBay doesn't reflect a proper auction when there is always time for a higher bid.

    A better system, for sellers, would be to extend the auction time by 10 seconds following a late bid, thereby giving everyone a chance to bid again, and the seller a chance to make more money. When 10 seconds finally passes without a counter bid, the auction ends.
  • lesfirth
    lesfirth Posts: 1,382
    Decide how much you are prepared to pay for the goods.Put that bid in with 10 secs to go. If you win ,great,smiles all round. If you didn't,no problem. You did not want it a that price.
    Alternative strategy. Put your maximum bid in as soon as you see the goods. When others see that they are not going to get the goods for next to nothing they will lose interest.
    You must remember that in any auction common sense does not apply. Used goods often sell for more than you could have bought new.
  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    Troll?
    If you don't win, you haven't bid market price?
  • No troll. Next time I'll go at my highest price that I'm willing to go to. The other day when I was outbid I would've paid an extra £50 above what the item went for. I live and learn
  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    I always add 69p to snipe the bidders who go with round numbers :smiley:
  • j1nxh
    j1nxh Posts: 16
    joe2019 said:

    If I really want something I just put in an astronomical bid 1 second before the end of the auction. I then win the item for £2 more than the highest hidden bid, and there is no time for a counter bid. Works every time.

    Having said that, I think that eBay is weighted too much in the favour of the buyer. There is literally no point in bidding before the last few seconds, all it does is increase the price. eBay doesn't reflect a proper auction when there is always time for a higher bid.

    A better system, for sellers, would be to extend the auction time by 10 seconds following a late bid, thereby giving everyone a chance to bid again, and the seller a chance to make more money. When 10 seconds finally passes without a counter bid, the auction ends.

    It's called a Dutch auction. It allows items to converge to their true value. It more accurately reflects what people are willing to pay (rightly or wrongly).
  • phelim21 said:

    No troll. Next time I'll go at my highest price that I'm willing to go to. The other day when I was outbid I would've paid an extra £50 above what the item went for. I live and learn

    I always put in the maximum im willing to pay, then eBay bids automatically upto that point anyway, if someone wants to snipe me at the last minute then so be it.

    Always worth bidding with 99p added to whatever your max is to stop some opportunistic sniping.