What is your eBay strategy?

[Johnny K]

People use sniping sites because they can get that bid in at the last possible millisecond, faster than you can do it "in person."

I'm aware of that, of course, but the site is inherently limited to the maximum amount authorized by the bidder. Besides, it doesn't matter if another individual or a machine bids in the last second - previous bidders still do not have time opportunity for response.

I'm actually much more concerned about a new, or emotional, bidder that bids the minimum increase amount every time someone else bids early on than I am snipers, human ar machine.

[The70judgeman]

Snipe or BIN if reasonable. I have noticed though...sometimes a seller may have identical kits, both BIN for different prices. I did manage to get 3 kits in a row (sniping) within minutes of each other from the same seller once. 2 vintage Blazers and a Jimmy for very reasonable...less than the price some sellers are selling 1 of those kits for (all 3 and shipping).

[Jon Cole]

What is your eBay strategy?

Avoid it!

[sjordan2]

People use sniping sites because they can get that bid in at the last possible millisecond, faster than you can do it "in person."

People use sniping sites because they can get that bid in at the last possible millisecond, faster than you can do it "in person."

A maximum bid offering on eBay can do it faster than an outside sniper (I think). It's automatic on eBay.

On another note, I once was bidding on an original parts catalog for a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing. The seller was not reaching his reserve price. I contacted him via eBay e-mail and told him that if he relisted his offering at the price I wanted, as Buy It Now, I would immediately buy it. He did so, and I got it at the price I wanted, all within eBay rules.

[brad4321]

Wow. I obviously don't analyze this to the degree that some of you do. If I see something I want, I bid up to the amount I'm willing to pay. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't. Not so sure why so many allow ebay to get their panties in a knot. I have found some great deals and have had zero negative experiences to date.

[Harry P.]

A maximum bid offering on eBay can do it faster than an outside sniper (I think). It's automatic on eBay.

Right. But that's assuming your maximum bid is enough to win the item.

[Casey]

If I see something I want, I bid up to the amount I'm willing to pay. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't.

Exactly. It's when people decided they "must" have it, and increase their bid that things get complicated. Bid your max and live with the results. Exercising restraint and sticking to your max bid amount is the key.

Doing some research via a Completed Items search for the particular item(s) you are thinking of bidding on gives you a pretty good idea of what the item sells for, based on condition.

I am a huge fan of The Buy It Now and Best Offer features, as if I want something, I am usually willing to pay for it now and "get" it, rather than wait until the auction ends.

[martinfan5]

Exactly. It's when people decided they "must" have it, and increase their bid that things get complicated. Bid your max and live with the results. Exercising restraint and sticking to your max bid amount is the key.

Doing some research via a Completed Items search for the particular item(s) you are thinking of bidding on gives you a pretty good idea of what the item sells for, based on condition.

I am a huge fan of The Buy It Now and Best Offer features, as if I want something, I am usually willing to pay for it now and "get" it, rather than wait until the auction ends.

I had a best offer work for me last week, seller had a revell c6-r vette listed for $35 BIN free shipping, kit was missing the tires, I offered $12, that was declined, I came back with $14.99, got it.

[High octane]

Mine is very simple as I've never been on Evil-bay and still get pretty much everything I want.

[sjordan2]

Right. But that's assuming your maximum bid is enough to win the item.

Assuming you are hungry enough to want to win the item. The maximum bid should be the maximum you are willing to pay.

[Guest]

My strategy is very simple. If it's a kit I really want, I put the maximum I'm willing to pay for it (including shipping costs) in the bid box. Click confirm and walk away. If I win it,great! If I don't,no big deal. There will always be another one come along. I've won several kits just by being the only bidder. I once won four kits in one day and I only did an opening bid on all of them. That was a couple of years ago. That never happens now.

[martinfan5]

My strategy is very simple. If it's a kit I really want, I put the maximum I'm willing to pay for it (including shipping costs) in the bid box. Click confirm and walk away. If I win it,great! If I don't,no big deal. There will always be another one come along. I've won several kits just by being the only bidder. I once won four kits in one day and I only did an opening bid on all of them. That was a couple of years ago. That never happens now.

I have it happen a few times, but thats rare

[Bernard Kron]

I use e-bay for price discovery. If what I want is commonly sold cheaper than locally I will use BIN for stuff I want immediately (not just modeling stuff - for example printer supplies, home items, etc.). I also keep a list of searches that notify me when stuff I'm on the lookout for comes up. If the price, time of day, bidding, etc. seem promising I will put a reminder in Outlook that comes up immediately prior to bidding close. If the price is still OK I snipe, entering my max bid in the final few seconds. I had never heard of the expression "snipe" before seeing this thread, nor new about the sniping robot services. Seems like they might be appropriate for the way I use e-bay... And yes, sellers who construct their desired price by low-balling the asking price and jacking up the shipping price far beyond the actual shipping costs annoy the heck out of me. I think sellers should add something on for materials and handling but some sellers really abuse that.

[GrandpaMcGurk]

I put the items I'm interested in on my watch list...when they get down to the last day (if the price hasn't gone over what I'm willing to pay) I'll make my max bid on a sniper program. I never raise my max bid as that's is all it's worth to me.

It's far too easy to get caught up in a last minute bidding war. It morphs into a contest where the item takes a back seat to winning the auction.

[Casey]

And yes, sellers who construct their desired price by low-balling the asking price and jacking up the shipping price far beyond the actual shipping costs annoy the heck out of me.

eBay eliminated that loophole a year or so ago. They used to only charge a final value fee based on the actual item's final value, and not the item and shipping. Now, they charge the final fee based on the total of the item and shipping, so anyone still selling items for $.01 with $34.99 shipping is paying the same fees as someone who sells an item for $30.99 and charges $4.01 for shipping.

You're right, though. eBay is a great resource for many different things, not just bidding and buying. I can't even begin to count the number of things I've found there which I never knew existed.

[martinfan5]

You're right, though. eBay is a great resource for many different things, not just bidding and buying. I can't even begin to count the number of things I've found there which I never knew existed.

Isnt that the truth, or can get better price's on a lot of things

[Johnny K]

I once won four kits in one day and I only did an opening bid on all of them. That was a couple of years ago. That never happens now.

Still happens regularly. It's all proportional. I usually enter a lot of low opening bids the first day or so an item appears. Kind of goes in cycles - maybe only a dozen or so one week, then a dozen or so a day for a while. True, most of them I don't win with my opening bid (if I'm really interested, I go back in as the item ends and bid again, but do not take a chance on running the price up before that), but I do average picking up one as the only bidder maybe 5% of the time. I've won 5 or 6 in a week that way, but it's usually more like 5 or 6 a month.

If a person were to do this as a business, full time, one could get a few kits every day. Like the old adage: if you throw enough mud against a wall, some of it's going to stick.

[sjordan2]

Strategic Rule #1: Don't drink and bid

[gtx6970]

Depends on what I'm after.

If it's just a casual item I would like to have but could live without. I'll put a bid on it and let it go. Some I get, some I don't.

If it's something I really want, Usually I'll snip it at the last few seconds,,, I don't have a sniper program.

I open 2 windows and have my max bid already to go on one, then watch the auction ending on the other, when the 2nd gets to about 5 seconds left , I'll hit confirm bid on the 1st.

I win some and I lose some. But I don't pay over what the item is worth to me. There is nothing out there I absolutly have to have.

When something gets to crazy money. In most cases it draws out several more over the next few weeks that will rarely bring anywhere close to the final bid on the 1st did.

I always ck to see what postage costs are and bid accordingly.

[Mr. Moparman]

[Edsel-Dan]

First thing I do is ask the seller if they take US Postal Money Order as I do not have pay-the-bay.

If they say No, I do not watch that item, or any of their others ever again.

If they say yes, I will bid. I ususally put the max I can afford then.

But if I am first bid, I may put a low bid in. I may later go and increase my bid if I really want it.

I have 3 Aurora ALF kits I got for under $40.oo shipped.

[jbwelda]

>Mine is very simple as I've never been on Evil-bay

oh i totally love it. never been there but its "evil". nice logic. i laugh out loud when i hear this sort of reasoning.

this latest scam though of ebay charging a cut out of shipping is for the birds. that means you have to charge more for shipping to get back the fee ebay is taking out if you want to cover your actual shipping cost. between this jive and all the push to make it more or less a retail outlet (buy it now) is just going to eventually eliminate ebay as a viable marketplace. or at least make it a whole lot less attractive to me anyway. why is it someone starts making money and they just want to make more money instead of sticking with what attracted people in the first place? silly question: greed is the answer. and as Ms Whitman showed in california recently, money dont buy everything.

[2002p51]

The whole point of eBay, to me anyway, is different than a live auction. In a live auction the highest bidder wins, on eBay the LAST highest bidder wins. There is absolutely no point in bidding before the auction is almost over. There are some kits over there that I'm watching right now and one of them already has 10 bids on it and there are still FIVE DAYS to go! All those guys are doing is running up the price. Stupid.

I never bid on an item until at least less than a minute to go, then I will go up to the maximum I'm willing to pay. I win 90% of the auctions I go after that way. Of course, you live by the sword, you die by the sword. I once lost an item by .50 in the last second or two. That's fine, it happens.

I do like By-it-Now items and will get them when I can and yes, like most of you, I take the shipping charges into account before I decide if I want to go for an item or not.

Overall I like using eBay to find stuff I want, stuff that you just can't find anywhere else, and I can't say I've any real bad experiences.

[route66modeler]

12% ebay fees and 4% paypal fees are making it hard to sell run of the mill kits. Steve

[1272148]

When it comes to eBay I have found that most of the kits I want are auctions so I try to bid at the last second, also I use two computers I use my pad to bid and my laptop for watching the auction. I really hate it when people bid on an item with most of the time left, they make themselves look like a joke when they bid like ten times in a row with five days left. I think they are trying to intimidate other bidders and make them not bid.