I been getting SNAKED on fleabay

[buck]

Twice in as many days I'm watching the countdown and 1 or 2 seconds before the end someone strikes with a marginally higher bid and I lose.  Once broke my heart on an alox and the other was a good price on a used SOG PowerLock.

I'm going to have to change tactics.  I'm either going to have to snake myself which won't matter if no other snakes are about or wait and not be the high bidder down the stretch and wait to snake some other poor bugger.

[Lynn LeFey]

Yeah. I just had this happen to me a week or two back. I finally had to bump my max bid 5 seconds before the end of the auction to finally win after two failed attempts. Good luck in the future! 

[Mr. Whippy]

These are bidding programs that put in a bid at the prescribed time.  There is no way to really beat them except by having a higher max bid.

The user puts in their max and the time that they want the bid to go in and then let the bot do the bidding.  Not every one uses them but when items are in high demand, they start showing up pretty regularly.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I usually just put in my max bid and the next day when the wine wears off hope that someone outbids me.   

Def

[Demel]

Twice in as many days I'm watching the countdown and 1 or 2 seconds before the end someone strikes with a marginally higher bid and I lose.  Once broke my heart on an alox and the other was a good price on a used SOG PowerLock.

I'm going to have to change tactics.  I'm either going to have to snake myself which won't matter if no other snakes are about or wait and not be the high bidder down the stretch and wait to snake some other poor bugger.

That's why if I can't out right buy it, I don't even bother. I've bid once or twice but now I just avoid them all together

[kosmo]

Bid high and bid often.  Seriously, I usually bid my maximum bid in the last seconds.  It doesn't give someone else as much time to react, unless they bid high.  I see no ethical problems in this kind of bidding.  Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't.

[buck]

Gunbroker if someone puts in a last second bid it sets the clock back 15 minutes.  It can go on awhile until 15 minutes elapses from the last bid.  Better for the seller, better for the auction site if they work off of percentage.

[Demel]

Gunbroker if someone puts in a last second bid it sets the clock back 15 minutes.  It can go on awhile until 15 minutes elapses from the last bid.  Better for the seller, better for the auction site if they work off of percentage.

That's a good idea. Kind of like bidding overtime.

[detron]

I usually just put in my max bid and the next day when the wine wears off hope that someone outbids me.   

Def

I have hoped to be outbid on about half the time   

[kirk13]

I usually just put in my max bid and the next day when the wine wears off hope that someone outbids me.   

Def

I have hoped to be outbid on about half the time   

Oh good,it's not just me then

[sawman]

I usually avoid auctions and go for buy-it-nows. I refuse to make a date with my computer and watch some auction until the last minute hoping to save a few pennies. I don't seem to have any trouble with this method.

[SAK Guy]

I bid ridiculously high and the wise and sober bidders finally give up when they realize they are up against a complete fool.....

[trigger]

Twice in as many days I'm watching the countdown and 1 or 2 seconds before the end someone strikes with a marginally higher bid and I lose.  Once broke my heart on an alox and the other was a good price on a used SOG PowerLock.

I'm going to have to change tactics.  I'm either going to have to snake myself which won't matter if no other snakes are about or wait and not be the high bidder down the stretch and wait to snake some other poor bugger.

Do you mean sniped? LOL..I use Jbidwatcher on the PC and Myibidder app on my phone.Have pretty good luck.Just make sure you dont set a max bid on both of them for the same item

[Lynn LeFey]

I usually just put in my max bid and the next day when the wine wears off hope that someone outbids me.   

Def

I have hoped to be outbid on about half the time   

Oh good,it's not just me then

And remember, everyone... friends don't let friends bid while intoxicated.

"Where the.... WHY did I buy a decapitated barbie head covered in purple marker?!?! WHY did I spend $75 for it?!??!"

 

[Yadda]

I usually just put in my max bid and the next day when the wine wears off hope that someone outbids me.   

Def

+1

[Aloha]

Ahhh the art of sniping  .  I admit I've sniped my fair share of goodness off fleabay.  I have also been sniped on some great stuff as well.  I haven't been as active on fleabay but I do like a good snipe . 

[Lynn LeFey]

Ahhh the art of sniping  .  I admit I've sniped my fair share of goodness off fleabay.  I have also been sniped on some great stuff as well.  I haven't been as active on fleabay but I do like a good snipe .

It was YOU!!! 

 

[ColoSwiss]

Figure out what the item is worth to you, and then put in a bid for that amount. Figure on losing most of the time. Sometimes you'll get lucky and pick up a rare item for a bargain price. Sometimes you'll watch a pair of idiots with more money than brains bid it through the ceiling. All part of the fun.   

[Aloha]

Ahhh the art of sniping  .  I admit I've sniped my fair share of goodness off fleabay.  I have also been sniped on some great stuff as well.  I haven't been as active on fleabay but I do like a good snipe .

It was YOU!!! 

 

Glad you outbid me on that barbie tho......... whew I dodged a bullet on that one.   

[gregozedobe]

I'm going to be brutally unsympathetic and say I don't see you have much to complain about. 

The way I look at it you put in your bid which is supposed to be the maximum you are prepared to pay, so if someone else bids higher than you (regardless of whether they outbid you immediately or seconds before the auction ended) then they will win - and so they should.

If you are saying you would have been prepared to bid higher then you should have bid higher in the first place.  The highest bid always wins, regardless of when it was placed.  So if you bid the highest you will win, it doesn't matter if there is one or one hundred snipers, bidding 'bots etc.

If you were hoping for a bargain by bidding low then there is always the chance someone will come along at the last second and out-bid you and that is the risk you take.

Different strategies suit different personalities, and sniping certainly increases your chances of winning an item for a lower price because it doesn't give other bidders much chance to "have a rush of blood to the head" and bid too high in response to your bid, but if you bid higher than anyone else you will win, regardless of whether you are a sniper or an early bidder.

A good rule for auctions is to know your limit and do not exceed it, regardless of other bidders.

I mostly just bid high a day or so before the end, but sometimes I'll snipe if I happen to be home at the time the auction ends.

[Noa Isumi]

People have a habit of thinking in patterned numbers and the ebay's bid system uses a pattern as to next minimum bid to win.
 So instead of bidding an even dollar or half dollar interval I use odd change at the end. Thirty seven cents is a personal favorite. I have won a number of times by a few cents this way even though the minimum bid system is supposed to prevent penny bidding. If you both hit your proxy max but you have that few cents built in the system automatically sees that as a valid bid because it was placed before the bidding war or snipe attempt.

Bonus; if it fails early it irritates everyone bidding after because now they are forced to bid in weird numbers for the rest of the auction.

The app on my phone pushes notifications for if I get out bid and want to up it, but I usually use it to obsess over the shipping tracker instead
 

[Reinier]

I bid ridiculously high and the wise and sober bidders finally give up when they realize they are up against a complete fool.....

Same here. Problems arise when fools like us are bidding against each other 

Oh, also, I often read stuff like I was outbid by only a dollar. Isn't that complete nonsense? In a situation like that, the winner's highest bid may have been a lot higher

[dks]

Yes, it is a shame that you never really see how much the opponent was willing to pay.

Unless I am going crazy bidding, I usually look at completed listings, Chinese, US and European etc. sites to check the actual going price of the item and then bid a reasonable amount that will enable me to get the item at a good price.

Unless I really must have that specific item, there is no point paying, on eBay, the same, or just a bit less, than I can pay to a regular online dealer or even a proper shop to get the item.

Always know the going prices and wait. There are always bargains going around.

still, it is fun to go on a bidding war, up to the last second...... the rash   

[Reinier]

still, it is fun to go on a bidding war, up to the last second...... the rash   

Are you allergic to stress?

I like the rush too 

[dks]

I used the american spelling 

[Aloha]

Patience is also key.  I bought a Spirit for my roommate very cheap after I bought several for myself at "market"  value.  I waited and waited till the right one popped up and jumped on it.  I recall a few members also snagging some great deals on Spirits as soon as a member posted about them. 

Looking at previously sold is a great way to gauge "market value" so you can try to avoid overpaying.  I also get a rush/rash from the process.  I have bought a lot of tools from the bay and all were at or under previously sold prices. 

[buck]

Another annoyance with eBay is sellers who lie.  I'm currently having difficulty getting a seller to pay for return shipping for what she represented as "excellent" and "near mint" which to my mind do not belong in the same conversation describing an old multitool that has rust and a broken tip.

[Aloha]

Another annoyance with eBay is sellers who lie.  I'm currently having difficulty getting a seller to pay for return shipping for what she represented as "excellent" and "near mint" which to my mind do not belong in the same conversation describing an old multitool that has rust and a broken tip.

The descriptions of tools on the bay are in a league of their own.  I've seen descriptions of: excellent, nib, perfect, and such when the accompanying picture show otherwise.  Good luck with this. 

[ToolJoe]

I stick with what I know best: buy it now.

[Lynn LeFey]

Another annoyance with eBay is sellers who lie.  I'm currently having difficulty getting a seller to pay for return shipping for what she represented as "excellent" and "near mint" which to my mind do not belong in the same conversation describing an old multitool that has rust and a broken tip.

The descriptions of tools on the bay are in a league of their own.  I've seen descriptions of: excellent, nib, perfect, and such when the accompanying picture show otherwise.  Good luck with this.

The West Marine tool I recently got was marked as 'new'. It had rust, and crud on it. I knew what to expect.

I bought a Climber once when the owner said it was 'carried once'. Except maybe he forgot to mention the 'and buried in the sand' part.
 

But I'm used to all that now. I go by the pics as best as possible, and ASSUME something's wrong with the tool that I can't see. Then, occasionally, I get something that says 'used' and turns out to be in excellent condition, so...