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Mates,I am by no means the most experinced Ebayizerator- I only just earned my "50" feedback purple star after four years, but I do enjoy watching the way people bid- and the carelessness with their- and especially MY- money.
1. Silly Early Bidding: The thing that strikes as me most stupid is how often bidders act against their interests. Here, I'm referring to the way some people have to maintain their position as high bidder through the whole auction period. I see auctions for something that have 6 or 8 bids from each of three people but with 5 or 6 days left. If they are outbid, they keep bidding until they see the magic "congratulations- you are the high bidder" screen. Who are they trying to impress? I saw once someone who bid 15 times in small increments at one session- these bids were 30 seconds apart until they were the top bidder- and there was 5 days to go. That person did not win the auction either- just doubled the price. It's just stupid to do this continously as the bidders are only spending their own or others' money needlessly- and possibly spurring a bidding war and piquing others' interest in the item.
I understand the commonality of shills, but these are suprisingly easy to spot and I avoid the auction further unless it is some $10 thing.
2. Annoying late bidding: I feel it is civilised to make a -that's "A" and only "A"- bid at some point earlier in the auction to establish interest and having a bid in sends Ebay notices of the auction end and tracks progress in "My Ebay". But, we've all probably suffered to watch something for days and have someone with a name like "snipemaster2000" bid $.50 more in the last 8 seconds and win the auction. This seems really petty to me, cheap, and sneaky.
Of course, there is no recourse except to snipe it on yourself. When I've had a low interest auction and I'm the only bidder until near the end, I add four or five bids in the last minute so snipers do not have time to enter many new bids. This works as snipers are so cheap they will increase their bids by only $1.00 to try and keep the price lower. I did this recently on an item i had bid $10.00 on and was the only bidder the whole auction. I entered my little series in the last minute and sure enough when the aucton ended I had paid $13.00 and in the middle of my protection bids was a new name. Thanks "sphincterlad23" for spending my $3!
3. Non-serious bidding: I don't understand those who bid once on something as it is a 95+% probability that you will not be the only bidder. I have won perhaps 2 auctions unopposed in the bidding and this was for something relatively obscure like a 6BE6. When someone casually bids it raises the price for others needlessly. If these bidders are just studying the market, I wish they would just add the item to their "watch" list.
4."Hot" items: The perponderance of early bidding can often create an intense interest in something that is not warranted. I'm amused by how many times in the tuner information site when referrin gto prices the reference to "naive" or "misguided" bidders driving prices well above reason with this technique. But, by "hot" itemIm also thinking of how discussion of certain items creaes a temporarily increased interest in something particular. Someone here recently commented on the sudden interest in the RCA "cleartop" 12AU7 due to a few posts somewhere and I found that was true- prices for these are lower generally than a couple of years ago as the interest subsided. I think we are going through a continuing Tesla ECC803S "hype" still. There is no sense that a 1994 mass-produced $11 tube should be offered for up to $50 now. These are nice, but there are millions of them even if a Hong Kong dealer says there are only 4 left in the World- every day for two years. And, look at the orginal of that one the Telefunken ECC803S- a year ago or so a pair of NOS on Ebay was something like $1200! Not today!
So, my only real friends, mark you turf with a bid during the auction, protect against the last 5-second artists, bid only when serious, and avoid trendiness. Whatever you're after, no matter how "rare" it's proffered to be, there are thousands and thousands!
See you in the Pit- I have three more things to buy before I'm done.
Cheers,
Bambi B- Now the new and imporoved Bambi B with 50!- 100% positive feedbacks. Very rare!
Follow Ups:
Hi Bambi,'ells bells. The name Sphincterlad23 is worth the $3.00 just for hilarious name, but I know what you mena, it is very frustrating to be ambushed in the last few secs on a bid. I've lost several that way too.
By the way, I've read many of your excellent posts, being a fellow ARC fan and user.
I've long suspected that many of the incremental price increases over a short period are the work of the seller trying to up the price (I think this is what 'shills' refers to). You mentioned that you can recognize this, and I would like to know how, rather than waste my time with a seller that is engaged in what I believe is an unethical practice. Are there signs one can look out for?
I've reached my 50 stars on ebay also, but at a price. I was lucky enough to have encountered honest sellers in the beginning, but have since been ripped off to the tune of almost a thousand bucks (mostly on speakers). It would have been a great deal more but I was savvy enough to recognize the blatant consters that expect payment via Western Union, can barely speak English, are unavailable by phone because they are in Timbuktu and have never seen let alone heard the item they are supposed to be selling.
Cheers Mate
Ebay is no Christies or Sotheby, why rush? No matter how rare the seller said, there are many fishes in the sea. Keep cool and keep calm, it will pay in the long run.
The buyers' "weapons" on Ebay are flimsy namely, sniping, or backoff(not recommended) against sellers' weapons of shill bids, high reserved price, withdrawal plus add-on cost, non-shipping.So, don't try to fool yourself by saying that you're an experienced bidder and be able to buy something cheap with good confidence.Irrespective what bidding strategy you can think of, Ebay is not a fair game to buyer(sorry, the rules are fixed) except on a few rare occasions, some sellers put the items on buy-it-now with lower prices. I don't know why and there should be no point to sell good stuff cheap, or are they so badly in need of money by a few days?
Maybe one out of 20 buy-it-now occasions, you can buy it cheap, seldom on bidding race. I bought a quad of metal base EL 34 at $100 and a quad GZ 32(British) at $50.
nt
I agree that handling/packing fees need to be included but all you need to do is email the seller BEFORE you bid. Not really that hard to do and then you can find out the person's policy if it isn't already stated in the ad.
It's bad enough with the number of sellers who say " will ship to US only". Don't make it worse.
nt
.
I usually state $7 air parcel post overseas.
Am I doing something wrong? I'm a small time seller on E-bay, about 250 sales, mostly telescope items, but word is spreading and friends are dropping off their cr*p, like Porsche gages. Anyway, here's an example: I calculate shipping at www.usps.com for overseas packages and the cheapest I get for 1/4 pound to Italy is $14.00. If I'm selling something for under, I dunno, $50, it isn't worth it to split shipping costs. Is there a cheaper way to do it?Also, the US post office acts as a customs agent. I investigated shipping outside the US via Fedex or UPS and discovered I needed to get a customs agent-it quickly became too arcane, time consuming, and expensive to even bother figuring out. I'll ship smaller items overseas but that's one reason why amatuer's and small fry won't ship outside the US. The 'system' favors big fry.
Anyone know a resource, book, website that explains how to do overseas shipping I'd appreciate it.
you don't know that?
Grins
and the hidden packing and handling fees?
There are a few possibilities for that one. One is the seller taking a way around the 'seller is not supposed to charge to use Paypal'. So, if I did not feel like eating the ~4% tax on a Paypal transaction, I'd word the shipping/handling charge carefully.There is no way I am going to feel forced to pay for the buyer's convenience of using PayPal. I usually do it, but don't absolutely have to.
you seem to be concerned with a lot of things.
regards,
Douglas
Beware the man who behaves deceitfully towards others, for there is nothing else to save you from his deceiving you
Somewhere the sellers could be bluffing about selling some old unknown tubes for $50 and $100 within a few minutes...
3 seconds, long enough for ebay to book your bid?
now here is the thing about super late sniping....at 10 sec, that's late enough, and if the 3 sec. lad/lass has the same bid as you, by being an earlier bid, it is the one which is the winner...and if two folks decide they have to have it, the end price will be jsut as high as if they were standing side by side at a live auction.
regards,
Douglas
!
Beware the man who behaves deceitfully towards others, for there is nothing else to save you from his deceiving you
nt
but mind you, NEVER snipe at a ridiculou price as there could be another snipper bidding this way
$999.99. They were within seconds of the end of the bid and within a second or two of each other.ja in clear and sunny, Tucson, AZ
The Elaborate DAC=55/76 or 27 Balanced Preamp=Balanced Six Pacs=Newform Research 645
Many good points here but also some major misconceptions and illogical conclusions here. First, "silly early bidding" I agree 100% with your main point, that placing a high bid early on is only attracting unwanted attention to an item. Serious ebayers get to know the monikers of folks who only buy the best items very quickly, and respond by bidding themselves, which leads into the issue of sniping. Sniping is a wonderful thing to be embraced wholeheartedly. It's benefits are MANY; your moniker does not appear on the bid list at all until the auction is closed; this defeats those who suspect that you really want a given item and bid it up accordingly. Sniping is a valuable tool that is often essential in getting high-demand items. Why shouldn't a buyer use ANY means possible to get said item at the lowest possible price? There are no "gentlemen" at ebay auctions; it's about getting what you want as cheaply as possible, period. Whether you have the advantage of a 3megabaud cable modem that can fire off bids in rapid succession or use multiple sniping services to essentially bid against yourself and thus block other bidders, this simply is not a Miss Manners affair. Also, if you bid high, a sniper will run out of time using 50 cent increments as most sniping services begin the autobid at anywhere from 9 to 1/10th of a second. A sniper who wins an item for 50 cents more than your bid DID NOT "take" your item away from you; he was merely willing to pay more for it, and it was never yours to begin with. He may win by 50 cents, but his max snipe bid might be $100 more than your max bid. He is using available tools and is bidding higher; this isn't shady-- it's how you do ebay!-- and he is the winner, whether by 50 cents or $50. I don't understand your point about single bidders at all-- they bid what they would pay, got outbid, and that was the end of it. This does not "drive the price up," it's someone doing EXACTLY what you say is the "right" thing to do in your 1st point!!! (" Enter "A" bid, and I mean one, etc)COME ON! Your next point "Hot Items" is even sillier-- ebay is based on what the market will bear, plain and simple. Yes, I long for the days of $200 Telefunken ECC803S... but there are few of them and many buyers who want them at any cost. The Tesla version has been "hyped up," but so what? You pay what you want to pay and don't buy if an item is "overpriced." Basically, if ya can't beat 'em, JOIN 'EM! Snipe away! You also forgot the single most important ebay tactic--- patience! You do not need to win a given auction at all costs; wait and you will see it again; often a smudged logo, listing error, or (for example) Telefunken ECC83 labeled for Fisher will come along for reasonable money.
I don't have time or energy to review and hunt shills -I'll just snipe at what I want to pay -
If I want to pay more than someone else, I'll get it.
If I don't, I won't get it.
Regards
I like to sell tubes on eBay & for the most part Audiophiles are well educated, no problems at all. I also feel great on how appreciative audiophiles are when they receive tubes. 100s of transactions, no issues.Now, lets look at ham radio operators:
1) 200-lb burst rated box is partly crushed. Tubes are still ok per buyer, but I receive a neutral feedback. Oh ya, the two 6AU6WA tubes sold for $1.
2) Advertise pair 6LQ6 tubes as used. Feedback is positive but states one was not in original factory box & worried the tube would not work. Yes, both tubes were NOS & sold for less than 50% of market value. I never sell as NOS if box is missing.
3) Latest ham states 6JS6 tubes were dusty & would blow up their transmitter (Yaesu FT-101). Buyer contacted eBay Square Trade & also stated one is not Japan manufacture as advertised. I am a dishonest seller. Both tubes clearly state Made in Japan & tested as new.
Guess what. No more ham radio based sales nor advertising in the ham radio section. I collect audio tubes, but ham receiver & transmitter type show up. I'll just pack these type tubes away & sell at a ham swap someday.
'specially when met at a 'fest and run out with all those worthless audio valves at next to nuthin'...
regards,
Douglas
!
Beware the man who behaves deceitfully towards others, for there is nothing else to save you from his deceiving you
Ham fests are cool. Ever visit ham internet sites? Tubes are more expensive than eBay most of the time by a good margain.
keep movin'
regards,
Douglas
!
Beware the man who behaves deceitfully towards others, for there is nothing else to save you from his deceiving you
Hams above? 6 sales in last 4 months. Audiophiles & musicians? Perhaps 500 sales in last 4 months.
You Wrote:"1. Silly Early Bidding"
But, then you wrote:
"2. Annoying late bidding:"
LAST SECOND sniping is the ONLY valid bidding strategy and for two reasons (it appears that many people don't get #2):
1. It gives you the best chance to win.
2. You pay the MINIMUM amount in order to win.
It's not just about "winning", it's also about not paying any more than necessary (but still win the auction).
Gerry
...Hides your interest in the item and prevents bid wars. Use a snipe service to really get the emotion out of it. The dynamics of epay just about demand sniping if one is to be successful at it. Just remember that the high bid (almost)always wins regardless of how or when it's placed AND as has already been mentioned, epay is not generally the low priced place to buy...you're there for the broad and deep inventory.
I think you've got the sniping all wrong. THe sniper bid is only going to show enough more to beat you. I bid for an OPT. I bid a ridiculous price with my SuperSnipe10000 site. I paid a reasonable amount. I was going to have it, Period.Sniping only keeps your interest out of sight until it is too late to get your blood pressure up into a bidding frenzy. If you don't bid more than me, and my sniper site, you're not going to get it.
Anyway, for purposes of entertainment, I may do any of the other things which upset you so badly, it is only going to cost me my own money for purchasing the item.
live long and prosper,
Douglas
!
Beware the man who behaves deceitfully towards others, for there is nothing else to save you from his deceiving you
Most sniping services work by submitting your maximum bid ONCE in the last seconds of the auction.If you set a "ridiculous price" and someone else uses the same logic... you have just bought something for a "ridiculous price".
:)
be careful
I didn't say it was rational or reasonable, just that I was going to have the item come hell or high water. Fortunately nobody else decided the same thing, you are absolutely correct on that one, my high-gain, low-noise friend.
regards,
Douglas
!
Beware the man who behaves deceitfully towards others, for there is nothing else to save you from his deceiving you
If you really, really want something on eBay it's foolish not to snipe. Because all buyers are not in the same room at the same time, as with a traditional auction, and there is a time limit on bidding, the only sane approach is to determine the maximum you are willing to pay and then wait until the last second to bid. Any other approach is almost guaranteed to loose the deal.
I think people bid at the very end to give the impression that not many people are interested in the item since there aren't any bids yet, or if they bid early then someone might bid on top right away rather than waiting and the price might 'inflate' too early. In theory, just bidding your absolute highest amount should work and if someone 'snipes' at the end with +50 cents, that just means he/she was willing to pay 50 cents more than you were. The one advantage of at least throwing a decent bid in early is sometimes a seller will end an auction early at the current bid just to move the item, for whatever reason. I missed out on a nice pair of NHT speakers once because the seller ended early to the current high bidder and they got it for about 2/3 the price that I was actually willing to pay. The disadvantage in bidding your highest amount right away is having a nicer item show up at the same time for a great 'buy it now' price, but you're still locked into that first item that you may not win anyhow. I just purchased a Vandy sub that doesn't work from ebay when beautiful newer version showed up on A-gon a day or two later for the same price. If I'm lucky I'll get my money back, minus about 150 bucks for the shipping each way, but I haven't heard back from the seller yet. :(
In fact, I'll always look for closing items before newly listed ones. I simply don't have the time or patience to continuously monitor stuff for 4 or 6 days. I know some people treat the whole bidding process as some kind of hobby, and spend hours a day doing it for pleasure. I don't. I see nothing wrong with waiting to the end to offer as much as I'm willing to pay. Often that is not fifty cents or a dollar over the high bid - but what I am willing to pay. On occasion that has been double what the old "high bid" was. I wait to the end becuase if the numbers get silly ($250 for one old Fisher receiver cabinet comes to mind), I have nothing "invested" in it in any sense. If someone else tops my bid, by proxy or otherwise, then they get it.I don't view Ebay as a bargain hunter's resource, but a place to find hard-to-find and unusual items, at market prices.
When I hear someone complain about a sniper, it's usually over the "steal" or "score" they had taken from them. Had they offered a single fair price (which creates a continuing proxy bid to the end, by the way), rather than micromanaging the purchase of a $400 instrument to within fifty cents, they probably would have gotten it.
But if everything there were buy-it-now priced, that would be fine with me.
It makes the fun of auctions more exciting and usually results in better prices. As for sniping my items for sale? Great, you are bidding aren't you!
Only if you have something I'm interested in. ;)
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