Why Bid Early..

[jrpilot]

Im sure you have at some point in your life have placed a bid on EBAY.

[legoalex2000]

yeah it's stupid, people will place last minute bids just so the original bidder will lose out. now the latest i heard is that this person isn't selling the item, but they have a friend make a ultra high bid just so others loseout. mean stuff people do.

ramos

[Alphajet_Enthusiast]

I dont buy off ebay, a lot of this stuff is second hand and probably defunct, ever wonder why they're getting rid of it?  ;D

[ozzy72]

I use eBay quite a bit, I have to say it is a good source of things. A lot of people are selling stuff either they don't want/need anymore or some relative has died and they are clearing out. I've got some great bargains and hard to find parts for Binky at good prices.
Occassionally I've been stiffed in the last few mins of an auction as well... such is life

[C]

I find it very frustrating when someone posts an auction with no reserve, and then it gets closed early a few days later and reappears with a reserve as it seems someone has been very kind to them and told them how much their item is worth, or made an offer outside the auction. I find this a lot with aviation art (paintings), where people post them without having done their research and not knowing what they are worth.

On a couple of occasions I've thought i was on to a winner before the auction's have mysteriously close the day before they were due to end...

[Saitek]

I'm terrible for stealing at the last minute! I know how awful it is watching something for 3 or 4 days and then someone nicks it! I never bid on anything more than 3 days and usually prefer to bid on something within the last 24 hours. You can "Watch" an item and then in the final day start to bid. As with all my items though in the final 15 mins I am there refreshing the button ready to take action. But even then I've had folk take items in the final 2secs. Thing is I never know what to put as the highest bid...  ::)

[C]

[quote]I'm terrible for stealing at the last minute! I know how awful it is watching something for 3 or 4 days and then someone nicks it! I never bid on anything more than 3 days and usually prefer to bid on something within the last 24 hours. You can "Watch" an item and then in the final day start to bid. As with all my items though in the final 15 mins I am there refreshing the button ready to take action. But even then I've had folk take items in the final 2secs. Thing is I never know what to put as the highest bid...

[ozzy72]

Sometimes it isn't a bad thing to put in an early bid. I discovered something quite by accident at work one day when I incorrectly typed in a word (different keyboard layout) and found some bits I needed but they were listed with incorrect spelling, no-one else bid and I got some bargains. But normally I leave it until the last 12 hours before approaching, the watch thing is so incredibly useful

[Saitek]

Quite right Mark - people careless enough to misspell pay hard... if one searches  for a general search though i.e sony rather than the model no. there is more to see - if you can be bothered to search through. Lots of people just type in very specifically and I think those items go for more.

[Tweek]

Is there no system where a bid will be extended by another 5/10 minutes when a last minute bid is placed, thus giving the original bidder a chance to bid again?

Pretty crap if not...

[Saitek]

Nope. And I like it that way.

[TSC.]

What I can't stand is when someone jacks the bid straight up by

[Felix/FFDS]

[quote]What I can't stand is when someone jacks the bid straight up by

[ozzy72]

True enough Felix! I still think my finest moment was winning a bid for Dave on some software by getting up at 6am to do the last minute bidding ('cos he was in bed at that hour like most sensible New Yorkers), the price came in including postage at exactly the maximum Dave had told me to go unto! I was well chuffed and so was Dave..... mind you I had to mainline coffee at school all day but for a friend you do those sort of things
Does anyone else here do intravenous Nescafe? Or even snort it?

[Saitek]

I'm bidding on an MP3 player at the moment... doubt I'll get it though, but I'm interested to see what they go for.