Posts: 960
From: Churchton, MD
Registered: Oct 2012

posted 11-15-2015 09:21 PM               

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I wanted to gauge everyone's opinion regarding eBay Private Bidders. I was under the impression that eBay went away from that "practice" and mask portions of the ID.

The reason I ask is that I was in a "bidding war" and had to back off for the sake of my bank account. I'd love to hear your stories and advice to "be a smarter bidder." Thanks again!

Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005

Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 11-16-2015 05:23 AM               

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Agreed. I use esnipe. Many times open bidding will escalate the price unnecessarily and if you really want the item end up paying way more than its really worth.

Using these tools, the "bidding war" doesn't start until a few seconds before close. I've often gotten something for a much lower price this way than the item would have gone for had it been open bidding.

It's often useful if you put in an open bid and you find someone wants the item too and starts bidding against you. At that point, just stop bidding to keep the price from going up and go to your sniping tool. Set your price there and let it go.

Posts: 452
From: Malvern, Ohio
Registered: Jun 2011

Posts: 263
From: Michigan
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 11-16-2015 09:41 AM               

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quote:

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Originally posted by Gonzo:
It's often useful if you put in an open bid and you find someone wants the item too and starts bidding against you. At that point, just stop bidding to keep the price from going up and go to your sniping tool. Set your price there and let it go.

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This is a great strategy. Placing one bid helps to show the seller than at least one person is interested, and they are much less likely to pull the item down. I've seen many instances when clearly all bidders were waiting to snipe at the last second, and the seller just took the auction down thinking it wasn't going to sell and everyone missed out, or they just sold it to someone who emailed them with an offer outside of the auction.

I also highly recommend winning auctions using a sniping program. Consider web-based solutions that do not rely on your personal internet connection as they can offer an added benefit. The low initial purchase cost for a lifetime membership, has paid off for me, immediately with lower ending prices for auctions.

Setting the snipe time to something less than 5 seconds is key to prevent manual bidding intervention, resulting only in snipers right at the end.

Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 11-16-2015 12:17 PM               

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Esnipe is web based too. Best way to go since it takes nothing on your part. Their "fee" is based on selling price of your purchases, but I bought $15 worth of their points a couple of years ago and still have points to use, so it's pretty cheap to use too.

Need to add too that if a seller lists something and then receives a bid, they can't take it down or raise their reserve, if they even set one. Nor can they add a reserve at that point if they didn't. So once they've received a bid, they're locked in unless their pre-set reserve doesn't get met. That's the reason for an initial bid, not to let them know somebody is interested so they don't take it down. At that point they can't according to eBay rules. As long as there's no bids, the seller can do a lot of things. But once a bid is in, they're locked in.

Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 452
From: Malvern, Ohio
Registered: Jun 2011

Posts: 3218
From: MA, USA
Registered: Sep 2002

Posts: 977
From: Michigan
Registered: Jul 2006

Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 11-16-2015 01:47 PM               

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Sorry, I was going on what I've read as for ending a listing early. So I just went and looked at the current rules. Twelve hours is key. Before twelve hours (more than 12 hours to closing), a seller can end it with no bids. If there is a bid, or multiple, they either have to cancel all bids and not sell the item, or end it early and sell to the current highest bidder.

If there are less than 12 hours left, they can only close early with no bids or to sell to the current high bidder.

Current rules as of today. Hope this clears it up.

So I'd still put in a minimum bid because then, according to the rules, they must take the consequences for canceling a legitimate (assumed) bid if they want to close early beyond the 12 hour mark (feedback). Once inside 12 hours, they must sell. "By the book."

Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999

Posts: 596
From: Lansing, MI, USA
Registered: Mar 2012

Posts: 960
From: Churchton, MD
Registered: Oct 2012

posted 11-16-2015 04:34 PM               

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Thanks guys! This is all very useful tips and advice. I'll have to look into the snip program and also look into Myibidder Auction Sniper for the computer.

I did have an email correspondence with the seller a few days before the end of the auction and I felt kinda uneasy, less confident with the seller. Maybe it was because I really wanted the item.

Posts: 911
From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A.
Registered: Feb 2007