Bidding on ebay

[xrongor]

well like i said, i think you need to rethink your process.

a search of completed items speaks volumes and is all you need to do. it tells you the actual going rate (vs the sellers reserve which only tells you what the seller wants for it), if the price is rising or falling, how often such items come up, and it takes about 2 minutes.

bottom line, if you dont know what the actual real going rate for an item is, you cannot make an informed decision about what to bid. the sellers reserve is meaningless except to the seller.

randy

[xrongor]

gary summed it up nicely. if you are prone to getting caught up in a bidding competition you are going to pay too much. the ONLY way to get the best prices on ebay is to determine the fair market value via your own methods and ignore the reserve. the worst that will happen is you will lose the auction, but at least you wont be overpaying based on some sellers arbitrary reserve price.

if you know what something is worth, and make an informed decision on what to bid, the reserve price is meaningless.

randy

[Unisaw A100]

Absolutely and without a doubt no problems there. The trouble is, after you'd written what you'd written (below) I asked a question and it was that very question that went unanswered. As a matter of fact, a couple of others also asked and their questions went unanswered.

Actually Ard, what I was wondering, and the gist of what I was asking, that part that hasn't been answered was, why is this "moral" and how is it unfair to other bidders?

Simple question really. Care to ponder it a minute and get back to us on it? Please take your time.

UA100, who is wondering, if Ard's panties bunch up any tighter she'll be squealing...

[Paul O.]

clean looking. Have no idea how old it is. Finally a couple more bids showed up so I upped my (final) bid to $30.00. Still reserve has not been met. I have seen planes before for around $35.00, so think I'll let this one go on. If anyone would care to look at it and tell me what they think, the # is

3287862712 . Might give me some clue for the next time. Thanks all.

[AArDvarK]

woohoo ... an attack of a reply as unwarrented. Sorry but you seem not to be the shit worth replying to ... lower than shit? OOPS! Sorry I replied asshole ...

Alex

[Glider Rider]

Another suggestion: Check the auction end time. Some sellers list their item during an afternoon...which means the end of auction is in the afternoon. Alot fewer people are watching auctions during this time period and unless they prebid - there are some deals to be had.

[Mitch Berkson]

So do SELLERS who have MORALS reveal the reserve to every BUYER who asks?

Mitch Berkson

[Mitch Berkson]

Admittedly I may be overvaluing my time, but, to tell you the truth, it's not even worth the time it takes me to submit a bid if there's a chance it will be lower than an undisclosed reserve. I don't need to spend my time helping a seller do market research.

Mitch Berkson

[bridger]

alex.

you don't get it, do you?

[Unisaw A100]

So what you're say is, you don't know?

Thanks.

UA100

[B a r r y]

The problem is that eBay extends auctions. The ending times of mine seem to change on a regular basis.

Also remember, afternoon in the Eastern US is morning in the Western US, and evening 'cross the pond.

Barry

[LRod]

THIS reply from someone invoking a morals aspect?

How about just answering the question, "how does revealing/not revealing a reserve amount involve morals?"

- - LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

[Howard]

eBay doesn't extend auctions. The individual sellers can extend their auctions under certain circumstances.

There are *other* auction sites that will automatically extend an auction if there is a bid placed in the last few minutes. This discourages 'sniping' by rendering it ineffective. I'm a bit surprised that eBay doesn't do this, because it would probably increase their income (final value fees).

[e-mail]

[B a r r y]

Actually, they do. Sometimes a system problem will occur and they'll add hours to auctions. It's happened to me as a seller on several occasions.

Barry

[B a r r y]

Check this out:

Barry

[xrongor]

after eliminating people that wont bid if shipping is too high and people who wont bid on reserve auctions, no wonder i get such good deals on ebay

randy

[Unisaw A100]

LRod,

He can't because he doesn't know.

UA100

[LRod]

You're probably right. But his panties are definitely in a wad.

- - LRod

Master Woodbutcher and seasoned termite

Shamelessly whoring my website since 1999

[AArDvarK]

crap, any moron can figure out what I said ... SO simple...

[bridger]

yep. you said it was immoral for a seller to reveal his reserve to just one buyer.

care to explain?