Another unsatisfying Ebay experience |
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Tas
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience  Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:45 am |
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Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 10:01 am
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Location: Sydney, NSW
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Well, its happened once again...but I guess I shouldnt be suprised.
I was outbid on more than a dozen different items, all within the last 10 seconds. That is more a than a little vexing. What makes it worse is that these were auctions of epic stuff in Oz, which are rather rare, where I can save on not paying for international shipping across the world.
So my hope for some Goliath mega-cannons, Squiggoths, Moles, termites and Leviathans (for VSF naturally) are dashed once again.
I freakin hate ebay.
It brings far more tears and than smiles
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Tas
My General blog: http://tasmancave.blogspot.com/
My VSF Blog: http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/
My ECW Blog: http://declaresir.blogspot.com/
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Legion 4
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:10 am |
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Joined: Thu Feb 13, 2003 5:13 pm
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Location: Ohio - USA
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Sorry to hear your up-arming for world domination has been momentarily put on hold ! 
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Legion 4 "Cry Havoc, and let slip the Dogs of War !" ... "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
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Jimbo
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:29 am |
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Location: Wessex
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Tas
How do you bid?
I usually decide how much I want to spend, my real maximum, bid that amount and then leave it.
For example if my maximum bid was AU$20 and the current bid was AU$9, eBay would raise the bid to only AU$10.
If someone comes along near the end and snipes at AU$11 I would still win the auction.
Just bidding AU$10 could mean I could lose the auction.
Only a thought.
_________________ Jimbo
Felix's Gaming Pages
Felix's Gaming Pages Blog
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Tas
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:00 am |
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Location: Sydney, NSW
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I try to do exactly that Jimbo,
but using your example it jumped from $11 to $20.01 in the last seconds.
On all of them.
More than slightly peeving eh?
I guess I was getting excited about getting some models which nobody here has had spare to trade. But losing for a matter of cents is bloody annoying
_________________
Tas
My General blog: http://tasmancave.blogspot.com/
My VSF Blog: http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/
My ECW Blog: http://declaresir.blogspot.com/
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Justiniel
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:37 am |
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Location: Holywood, Northern Ireland
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Jimbo
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:46 am |
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Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2003 11:01 pm
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Though remember that though the final bid may be $20.01, the actual final bid may have been just that or it may have been much higher.
Commiseration though, I have lost out on many an eBay auction in the same way.
_________________ Jimbo
Felix's Gaming Pages
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Chroma
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 2:04 pm |
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| Quote (Jimbo @ 22 Feb. 2006 (09:46)) | | Though remember that though the final bid may be $20.01, the actual final bid may have been just that or it may have been much higher. |
One of the things I tend to do is not set my max bid to a round number: If my "max" for an item is $20.00, I'll often actually set it to $20.56 or $21.07. That way, if some one "creeps" it up, I might just be able to edge it as most people bid in $.50 increments minimum
Just a thought... and I hope we never bid against each other!
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jfrazell
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 2:36 pm |
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Also watch the "Second Chance" routine where the shipper will bid up the price via a different user. After the bid closes you suddenly you have a "second chance" to rebid. If you decide to rebid, just make sure its the amount you're happy with.
Personally I only win ebay bids about 20%. But when I win I am not annoyed at the price I actually paid.
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"Advance to the Rear!"
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Moscovian
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 3:37 pm |
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Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2005 6:32 pm
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Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania USA
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Tas,
I feel your pain, but if your maximum bid is $20 then that's your maximum bid. If you would pay $21.57 then bid that amount, not $20.00. Snipers are good at what they do on eBay, but they still have to pay what they bid.
Ultimately you are losing your auctions because
1. You are bidding too late and playing the sniper game.
2. Not bidding what you'd really pay.
If some fella wants to pay $5.98 for a stand of Chaos Androids 10 seconds before the auction ends, let him. I bid in the last hour my maximum bid and just let it sit. If I win I got a good deal - if I lose then I know I didn't get robbed.
Kotrin and I were in a discussion where I was complaining that there are only a finite number of OOP models. Kotrin's response was, "Finite... like oxygen on the planet Earth."
He's right. There will be plenty of other opportunities and better deals. Chin up, amigo!
_________________ author of Syncing Forward and other stories...It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I've got my Milkbone underwear on.
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Dwarf Supreme
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 4:21 pm |
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Location: Canton, CT, USA
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Tas,
I feel your pain, brother. Getting outbid in the final hour can be really annoying, but as others have said, set your max bid and live with it and just because someone outbid you by $.01 doesn't mean that his max bid was only $.01 higher than yours. I got outbid yesterday for all those Titan heads that were up for auction. Yes, I want them, but I'm not willing to shell out big bucks for them.
However, something has occurred to me. Since you have some Titan bits I want and I don't currently have anything you want, I can try to win something off ebay that you're looking for and use that for trade. Sound like a plan? 
_________________
"I don't believe in destiny or the guiding hand of fate." N. Peart
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firestorm40k
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:49 pm |
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I can appreciate your frustration, Tas, it's happened to me many times. But I've recently started using a site called www.auctionsniper.com, which basically puts a bid in for you up to 3 seconds before the auction ends. I've won several auctions lately doing this. I've been using it for about 6 months, I was reluctant at first, thinking of the security implications (you do have to input your ebay username and password), but I know other people who use it and have had no probs with it. I don't use it much, but lately I've used it it and have been successful. Another thing that's good about it is that you have to input a maximum bid price when you enter a 'snipe' (as they refer to these last minute bids). The positive thing about this is that you can say at the outset 'I will pay no more than xxxx ammount', and you have to stick to it. Oh, and they do charge a pifflingly small percentage fee on the winning bid - but IIRC, the first few are free.
Having said this, it's probably annoying people like me using this service that are outbidding you - but if you can't beat them, join 'em!  
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CyberShadow
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 8:59 pm |
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| Swarm Tyrant |
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Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2003 6:22 pm
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Location: Singapore
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My attitude to EBay has changed over the last six months or so. It no longer represents a place to get what I want for a bargain. I will sometimes put in a bid to see if I get lucky on something, but if there is something that I really want, then I have to be prepares to pay real money for it. This is why I rarely buy stuff that is not OOP - I would often prefer to pay the market proce. At least you know what you are getting and most of the time the final price is not much cheaper anyway.
_________________ https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond. https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.
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MaksimSmelchak
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:14 pm |
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Location: Sacramento, California, USA
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Hi Guys,
E-bay has its limits.
Bid Sniper works, but I've never been too fond of it.
Bid your maximum on something and then be prepared to lose. That's the way to do it.
If you want it bad enough, bid very high.
Oh, and never bid against Doug...
Seriously, E-bay is an auction, once you realize that, it isn't too bad a deal.
Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
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Chroma
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:18 pm |
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| Quote (firestorm40k @ 22 Feb. 2006 (19:49)) | | The positive thing about this is that you can say at the outset 'I will pay no more than xxxx ammount', and you have to stick to it. ?Oh, and they do charge a pifflingly small percentage fee on the winning bid - but IIRC, the first few are free. |
Why not just do this with normal eBay? I don't understand why you'd need this other service to help: you can always place your maximum bid, but eBay only bids what's "needed" unless you're out-bid.
Someone sniping over your max-bid is the same as someone doing it the day before. Simply decide how much you're willing to pay for an item and always bid that amount, if some one outbids you days or seconds, what difference does it make?
I find the most "peace of mind" way of bidding is just put in the maximum when I find it, and let it go until it's done.
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Now living in Boston... any EPIC players want to meet up?
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primarch
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Post subject: Another unsatisfying Ebay experience Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 9:19 pm |
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Location: Edmond, Oklahoma USA
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| Quote (Jimbo @ 22 Feb. 2006 (02:29)) | Tas
How do you bid?
I usually decide how much I want to spend, my real maximum, bid that amount and then leave it.
For example if my maximum bid was AU$20 and the current bid was AU$9, eBay would raise the bid to only AU$10.
If someone comes along near the end and snipes at AU$11 I would still win the auction.
Just bidding AU$10 could mean I could lose the auction.
Only a thought. |
Hi!
This is my approach. If I get outbid, so be it. I bid the most I am willing to pay. If the winner eeked it out by a minimum good for him. I wasnt willing to pay more than what I bid.
Primarch
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