Guest antic Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Though the topic title might be a little confusing, the thing I wanted to ask is rather simple. Some of you use eBay to buy music. I'm trying to do it for over a month now. eBay advises, that the best way to buy stuff is to type your maximum amount you're willing to spend on the item and wait till the end of the auction. With psytrance CDs however it looks totally backwards from my experience. In many cases I was the one and only bidder for several days. But then suddenly, 15 seconds before the auction's end 5 other guys pop up and rise the price. Now it's hard to react on this, because it takes like 5 seconds to refresh the page... So, what kind of technique you use? I combine both of those, meaning I place my initial bid below my max amount and wait till the end of the auction to rise it if necessary. It works with mixed luck so far I also heard there is a software that bids for you - do you use it? Is it any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majoony Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Though the topic title might be a little confusing, the thing I wanted to ask is rather simple. Some of you use eBay to buy music. I'm trying to do it for over a month now. eBay advises, that the best way to buy stuff is to type your maximum amount you're willing to spend on the item and wait till the end of the auction. With psytrance CDs however it looks totally backwards from my experience. In many cases I was the one and only bidder for several days. But then suddenly, 15 seconds before the auction's end 5 other guys pop up and rise the price. Now it's hard to react on this, because it takes like 5 seconds to refresh the page... So, what kind of technique you use? I combine both of those, meaning I place my initial bid below my max amount and wait till the end of the auction to rise it if necessary. It works with mixed luck so far I also heard there is a software that bids for you - do you use it? Is it any good? 496335[/snapback] I generally, "watch this item" and then go on to it, just before the end and put in a high bid. That whole eveyone waits till the last minute thing is usually how every item sells. All the stuff ive lost, through not being at a computer when they ended, was in the last 1-2 minutes of the bidding. Tis the e-bay way im afraid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abasio Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 I live in Japan and the auctions always end for me either while Im at work or in bed. So I put in a high maximum bid and hope that nobody beats me while Im sleeping. The last CD I won was bumped upto 50 pound (my exact maximum bid) in the last second of the auction. I didn't see it happen and I could quite as easily have been beaten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reger Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 i simply dont bid but just buy it now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTP Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 I don't buy stuff from ebay. But if I would, my bidding technique would be just to bid 1 Euro higher than the previous bid, but I'd type in a max amount below - the highest price I would be willing to pay for the item - up to which the script shall bid up automatically if anybody bids more than my actual bid. I'd never type in the max amount as actual bid itself initially, because if in the end it turns out I could have had the item for less I'd want to punch myself in the face. Furthermore I think it's better not to bid at home: psychological tests have shown that people tend to bid higher than they might want to at home, because the comfort of being at home lets take them greater risks ... so I'd place my bids while I'd be at school at the comp or somewhere else. And in addition to that I'd also teach myself to never ever get upset because somebody else has won the item for 1 Euro more than me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest antic Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 I don't buy stuff from ebay. But if I would, my bidding technique would be just to bid 1 Euro higher than the previous bid, but I'd type in a max amount below - the highest price I would be willing to pay for the item - up to which the script shall bid up automatically if anybody bids more than my actual bid. I'd never type in the max amount as actual bid itself initially, because if in the end it turns out I could have had the item for less I'd want to punch myself in the face. Furthermore I think it's better not to bid at home: psychological tests have shown that people tend to bid higher than they might want to at home, because the comfort of being at home lets take them greater risks ... so I'd place my bids while I'd be at school at the comp or somewhere else. And in addition to that I'd also teach myself to never ever get upset because somebody else has won the item for 1 Euro more than me! 496561[/snapback] I'm not sure you know how eBay bidding works. Right now there is an item with initial price of 3$. There was no bids and I placed my bid there, being in fact my max bid but if I was the only bidder, I'd won the CD at 3$. When you bid, eBay takes of your bid just as much as it is needed to beat other bidders... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louis 8D Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I always wait till the last minute and I think this is the best way. If you bid earlier and put your maximum amount, it may result in a pricewar with other bidders and at the end, you'll just have to pay a higher amount for the item. Just before the end of the item, try to evaluate how much you think you need to pay to win and for example, if you think that it will be won at a price around 50, you should put an amount like 51 or 51,50, just to make sure that you won't lose to someone who put 50 just a second before you do, and generally, most of the people are more likely to bid 50 than 51. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Journey Man Project Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I've found a coupla stores I like that sell at a set price and are generally reasonable... other than that I always wait until just before the end of auciton and bid... heard there was a program than will constantly monitor auctions for you even when you are not logged onto ebay and alert you when it is about to end... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vancbc Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 There are sniping programmes I use that let you set your maximum bid days/weeks ahead. It does the rest and drops your maximum bid in the last 2 seconds before the auction closes. You fill up your snipe account with points that you purchase and depending on the selling price it deducts a few points. It does the bidding for you automatically and then confirms your win, so you don't need to be online. It's always worked perfectly for me, and I've always gotten what I want unless the price is beyond my maximum bid. Using the sniping programmes is free for your first few purchases and then for the pay-off, the purchase price of the points is next to nothing. P.S. the beauty of these programmes is that the seller doesn't know you're watching the item. You just copy the ebay number and paste it into the sniping programme and it does everything else for you without ever letting anyone know you've even looked at the item. I think a lot of sellers see who is watching the item and then have friends or associates start to artificially raise the price by starting to bid. Bidding early is a fatal mistake. In my early days of ebay I paid an unholy amount for Transwave - Helium because I started bidding several days early. I'm convinced that someone on the other end kept up the bidding to artificially raise the price to a level so ridiculous I'm ashamed to even admit what I paid. It was either that or someone else was just as reckless as I was and was determined to get the album no matter what the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatsu Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Deleted some off-topics comments (I'll try die you and stuff), it's not necessary to spam the general forum with that stuff. Thanks guys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technosomy Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 Deleted some off-topics comments (I'll try die you and stuff), it's not necessary to spam the general forum with that stuff. Thanks guys... 496651[/snapback] depends on how much you want it. if you really want it then wait till the end type in $20 higher than what it currently is, then with 1 minute to 30 seconds to go type another 10, while watching if it is going up if it is, someone else wants it just as bad type in 20-50 more by the time they realise whats going on you win!! works for me every time, i very rarely lose many auctions these days , you sometimes have to pay alot, but like i said how bad do you want it, if someone else wants it you are going to pay alot anyway. trust me it works Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest antic Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 depends on how much you want it. if you really want it then wait till the end type in $20 higher than what it currently is, then with 1 minute to 30 seconds to go type another 10, while watching if it is going up if it is, someone else wants it just as bad type in 20-50 more by the time they realise whats going on you win!! works for me every time, i very rarely lose many auctions these days , you sometimes have to pay alot, but like i said how bad do you want it, if someone else wants it you are going to pay alot anyway. trust me it works 496693[/snapback] yeah, that would work but why bother watching the auction and getting all nervous? just place 500$ bid and you'll definitely win - eBay will only use as much of the amount that is needed for you to beat other bidders, so you might even get it for the initial price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTP Posted March 22, 2006 Share Posted March 22, 2006 I'm not sure you know how eBay bidding works. Right now there is an item with initial price of 3$. There was no bids and I placed my bid there, being in fact my max bid but if I was the only bidder, I'd won the CD at 3$. When you bid, eBay takes of your bid just as much as it is needed to beat other bidders... 496569[/snapback] oh ... yeah ... that's what I meant ... hehe ... lol, I'm unexperienced with ebay Anyway, I'd probably enter my bid at whenever time, even way before, if somebody would place a bid above my max amount then I'd just shrug. I might be unwise to bid early and experienced ebayers wouln't do it, but still. I mean, even if I lose, it's just an auction. Even if the items are totally stunning and such, I wouldn't be that hardcore and sit in front of the screen just because I need to bid a second before the end (although that bidding program thing sounds neat)! And if I lose a bid war with one other user I'd at least have made the winner pay a lot more than what the item would have cost without me bidding, harhar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 I wish there was some way that you could tell how serious the other bidders are. For example I'll see an item with one or two bids and give it a try only to jack their price way up and still not win. I've thought about this but still can't come up with a solution. Maybe some voluntary 5 star rating that you could enter with your bid, 1 if you just casually wanted & 5 if you'd kill for it. I'm sure everyone would always put 5 though. I don't know something would be nice though. Obviously ebay is tipped to benefit the seller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
technosomy Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 yeah, that would work but why bother watching the auction and getting all nervous? just place 500$ bid and you'll definitely win - eBay will only use as much of the amount that is needed for you to beat other bidders, so you might even get it for the initial price 496732[/snapback] true but that takes the fun out of it. is it just me or does no one else get an adrenalin rush when you are bidding on a rare c.d, you are winning it and there is only a minute to go, and you know every man and his dog want's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I usually bid in the dying seconds and quite enjoy the bidding frenzy that occurs during the final minute of an auction. Saying that if it's something I really want then I use a sniping program but even then I'm sometimes outbid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jikkenteki Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 I'm convinced that someone on the other end kept up the bidding to artificially raise the price to a level so ridiculous I'm ashamed to even admit what I paid. It was either that or someone else was just as reckless as I was and was determined to get the album no matter what the cost. 496624[/snapback] More likely than not it was the later. When I put my extra copy of I.F.O. up for sale several months a couple of people got in a bidding war for it and it sold for about $60 USD. However the winner didn't read the auction (I only accept payment via Paypal) and couldn't pay for the auction so we mutually cancelled the sale. Then I sent a second chance notice to the second place winner. They waited till after the offer expired and then sent some email basically accusing (in a round about way) me of trying of jacking the price up, but then turning around and saying that they still want the CD and would I accept a price significately less than then bid. Needless to say I took offense to this and never returned their email and my second copy sits happily on my CD shelf never to be put up for sale again. I mean really do some people think going "I didn't take your offer because I think you are trying to rip me off and are breaking E-bay rules by artificially raises prices, but if possible I'd still like to buy the CD for a lot less." is going to work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest antic Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 More likely than not it was the later. When I put my extra copy of I.F.O. up for sale several months a couple of people got in a bidding war for it and it sold for about $60 USD. However the winner didn't read the auction (I only accept payment via Paypal) and couldn't pay for the auction so we mutually cancelled the sale. Then I sent a second chance notice to the second place winner. They waited till after the offer expired and then sent some email basically accusing (in a round about way) me of trying of jacking the price up, but then turning around and saying that they still want the CD and would I accept a price significately less than then bid. Needless to say I took offense to this and never returned their email and my second copy sits happily on my CD shelf never to be put up for sale again. I mean really do some people think going "I didn't take your offer because I think you are trying to rip me off and are breaking E-bay rules by artificially raises prices, but if possible I'd still like to buy the CD for a lot less." is going to work? 497753[/snapback] So, how much do you want for that IFO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowball Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 More likely than not it was the later. When I put my extra copy of I.F.O. up for sale several months a couple of people got in a bidding war for it and it sold for about $60 USD. However the winner didn't read the auction (I only accept payment via Paypal) and couldn't pay for the auction so we mutually cancelled the sale. Then I sent a second chance notice to the second place winner. They waited till after the offer expired and then sent some email basically accusing (in a round about way) me of trying of jacking the price up, but then turning around and saying that they still want the CD and would I accept a price significately less than then bid. Needless to say I took offense to this and never returned their email and my second copy sits happily on my CD shelf never to be put up for sale again. I mean really do some people think going "I didn't take your offer because I think you are trying to rip me off and are breaking E-bay rules by artificially raises prices, but if possible I'd still like to buy the CD for a lot less." is going to work? IFO ALERT !!!! for how much are you selling it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jikkenteki Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 IFO ALERT !!!! for how much are you selling it? 497918[/snapback] I'm not. I'm bitter after that experience, plus it's just one of those discs I'd like to have an extra of "just in case" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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