My first ever eBay bid

[Adam]

Well, I lost my eBay bidding virginity this afternoon...and before the age of 40, even. I did buy my first eBay item this summer, but it was a "Buy it now" item...and it was on a guest account.

I'm so excited. Okay, not really, but I do hope to get this thing. I've got a question for you hard-core eBay'ers. The "maximum bid" box - I'm pretty sure that it'll do what I think, but I want to verify because I'm not 100% sure. If I put in a maximum bid, it doesn't put in that bid right away, correct? It should just increment my bid by enough to stay in front until I hit that maximum bid?

Thanks in advance for any insights on this!

Adam

 

[Nomo]

I'm far from hard core, but you are correct. It will only give your max amount when needed.

Careful, there's alot of junk out there and a lot of A-holes selling it.

 

[Adam]

Thanks, Nomo! I'll try it out, then.

This item is from a power seller with darn near 100% positive feedback, so I think it's a pretty safe purchase (if I "win").

EDIT: Now it shows up as another bid by me (but at the same amount as before) - so, it does what I wanted...except make me look like a nimrod who put in two bids at the same amount.

 

[Adam]

Uggg. Somebody outbid me, and now the war has begun. I was hoping to get a good deal, but we'll see how it all works out...

 

[tcarcio]

If you deal with people who have good feedback you should be fine. I just bought 3 amps from ebay and saved a ton. Good luck.

 

[j_garcia]

I have never bid on an item either, despite having an account for a long time.

 

[tcarcio]

Uggg. Somebody outbid me, and now the war has begun. I was hoping to get a good deal, but we'll see how it all works out...

I usually try to wait until 30 seconds left and then bid. It has worked for me a couple of times.

 

[Adam]

I usually try to wait until 30 seconds left and then bid. It has worked for me a couple of times.

That's what I should have done, but this person might have just bid before me, then. With this maximum bid option, I just put in what I'm willing to pay...and if I get it, great - if not, oh well. At least I found out what the other person's initial maximum bid was.

 

[tcarcio]

I usually do a search of what I am looking for and then put all that I might bid on in the my ebay page and wait to see what the interest is.

 

[Adam]

I usually do a search of what I am looking for and then put all that I might bid on in the my ebay page and wait to see what the interest is.

Is that what the "Watch This Item" button is for?

 

[tcarcio]

Is that what the "Watch This Item" button is for?

Exactly......

 

[Adam]

This other bidder is not going to go away quietly, and there are still several days left on the item. I think that I'll let him/her feel good for a while, then smack them back down. If they wanna play...let's play.

[Ahhh, even I can muster up some fake bravado. I am way too cheap to compete in a bidding war. ]

 

[jamie2112]

Adam you can do a number of things to amuse yourself but be careful ebay is as addictive as AH......

 

[Adam]

Adam you can do a number of things to amuse yourself but be careful ebay is as addictive as AH......

Not for me. AH = free, eBay = not free.

Then again, I am considering paying five times as much as I had originally planned for this item...oh, no! eBay has claimed another unsuspecting victim!

 

[jamie2112]

Not for me. AH = free, eBay = not free.

Then again, I am considering paying five times as much as I had originally planned for this item...oh, no! eBay has claimed another unsuspecting victim!

Good point! The ebay bug has caught me a few times and I try to stay away when I get some cash to spend......

 

[Guiria]

Also do a completed listings search and see what other similar items have sold for. You don't want to be the one auction that paid 1.5 times the going rate because you got caught up in the "I'm going to win this auction" moment. (Been there done that)

Like someone mentioned earlier, wait for about 30 seconds(constantly refreshing your browser) left in the auction then lay down your MAX bid and hope the other guy runs out of time scrambling trying to put in one more amount.

I've won plenty of auctions resisting the urge until the last possible moment.

 

[Adam]

Like someone mentioned earlier, wait for about 30 seconds(constantly refreshing your browser) left in the auction then lay down your MAX bid and hope the other guy runs out of time scrambling trying to put in one more amount.

That's my plan, now. I shouldn't have done it with so many days left! Live and learn, right?

Besides, if this person puts in a max bid higher than what I have in mind, then that person deserves it. Well, and they're definitely going to have to pay for it, too!

 

[Alex2507]

I try to stay away when I get some cash to spend......

Use the Credit, Luke. The item will pay for itself after you win it.

 

[The Dukester]

Good luck with your bidding, Adam. I have had mostly a good experience on the Bay, but have been burned a couple of times. I have snipped a couple of auctions and gotten a good deal, but if it's a really good deal, sometimes I get snipped at the last possible second.

It depends on how badly I want the item, when it ends and how much time I'm willing to spend on watching it as to how and when I bid. On almost every occasion, whether I bid early or snipe, I bid the max I'm willing to pay and if I get it, fine, if not, fine. As previously mentioned, it's easy to get caught up in the bidding frenzy and overpay. I've been both the victim and the beneficiary of said event.

At any rate, have fun, don't overspend and be as careful as you can as to whom you buy from. If you have the least bit of suspicion or any questions, be sure and ask the seller before you bid!

 

[Djizasse]

I agree with Dukester.

First of all define a maximum price you're willing to pay for the item, your maximum bid will be that price, with postage charges deduced.

Now, put the item on your watch list and don't bid right away. Save your bid (the maximum bid calculated earlier) for the last 10 seconds. If the item is really important to you, don't wait as much, sometimes glitches happen and you lose the auction.

There are some things you can do to improve your success. First of all, be sure that you're logged in and you've ticked the checkbox to keep you logged in. I've lost one auction cause my session expired in the last minute. To make the actual bidding in the last seconds open two windows with the item page and put them side by side. Leave the first one for refreshing the timer and in the second put your maximum bid and go to the confirmation page.
In the last seconds you just have to press the confirmation button on the second window.

There are a couple of reasons why you should not bid before the last minute.
First of all it tells all your opponents that you're interested in the item (if the auction reveals the identity of the bidders). They can check your past purchases and if you're bidding on similar items. They can even profile you to understand what kind of bidder are you. If they see you're a sniper, they will most probably try to outsnipe you. Sniping a sniper is very satisfying

Secondly, it reduces the chance for a bidding war and improves your chances on getting a cheaper price for the item.

Don't forget that an auction is a game and people can buy an item just to make you the loser.

There are a lot of articles and books on ebay strategies and techniques, just check google:
http://www.google.pt/search?q=ebay+early+bid&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a