Cutthroat Bids on Ebay

The final amount may be more than I'd ever pay for one, but the process looked like typical sniping. Go look at

Ed

Could you explain why this sort of S/W is needed? Ebay will automatically bid upto your limit if you get outbid so I don't see the point of using a third party program to do exactly the same thing for you.

What if two bidders have the same software?

Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see: Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs

Then the first one who sets the matching limt wins.

In the 89 catalog they are listed at $715. I wouldn't sell either of mine for $232.50.

-- Clif Holland, KA5IPF AVVid Authorized Kenwood and Icom Service Center

Unless someone has already made a higher bid using the normal method.

I don't see how this S/W helps you win at a lower price? Therefore it's useless isn't it?

If everyone looked rationally at an item the first time they saw it, bid their maximum price, and then left it alone, you'd be right. However, ....

People often get caught up in the process think "Hmm, I said $10 was my limit, but it's gone to $11, $12 isn't that much more than $10" ...

If you bid in the last few seconds, this stops people rethinking.

People who use it successfully would argue. If your maximum bid is in there and I have time to mess with you, I can just bid up a buck at a time until I exceed your max. The "it's only another buck" mentality will cause me to bid higher than I might have otherwise. And you have time to come back and outbid me by a buck.

If I use sniping sw, I can set a high max that guarantees I get it in the last few seconds and you have no time to respond. And the number will likely be lower than if we kept outbidding each other. And I don't have to get up at 4AM to bid at the close.

The bad news is that when two snipers want it bad, things can get out of hand. But they did bid what they were willing to pay.

My solution...avoid EBAY. mike

Unless I personally know the condition of the equipment, I only bid scrap value. Usually, my opening bid is my only bid.

In article , snipped-for-privacy@cox.net mentioned...

Didja notice that your money buys only a year of their product? I won't buy it if it's good for only a year. That's as lucrative as the tax prep software which is auto-obsoleted every year!

Amen. Ya got that right. It can be another form of gambling.

In article , snipped-for-privacy@ev1.net mentioned...

I take it you mean you would want more than that for one of them.

The dual outputs are only a half amp each, and you can buy a brand new dual PS with more current and more accurate digital meters for well under that price. I'd be the first to say that the HP PSes are excellent PSes, well made and perform well. But you have to remember that the PS the bidder got was likely 15 to 20 years old; but more importantly the same HP PS could probably be bought at another auction for much less than the $236 he paid for it.

-- @@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@ ###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###

in

Another reason for using a sniping program is to allow an auction to proceed to near its completion without attracting undue attention, and a subsequent bidding by people who are influenced by bid action. It's the old psychological trick of assuming that, if nobody has placed a bid on some item, there must be something wrong with it, and so you better not bid on it yourself.

Sniping doesn't work in a live auction, since the closure will be extended by the auctioneer to allow for counterbids. But on eBay, with its absolute closure time, sniping can sometimes give you an edge. You can argue about the ethics of sniping, but examine how many times a winning bid is placed just seconds before a closure.

I suggested the Isnipeit site as a place to learn about sniping software simply because I have a copy of Isnipeit. (I bought my copy quite a while ago, when the cost was lower, and there was no time limit. So far, I have been able to download all the updates without any additional cost. OTOH, I almost never use the sniping software anymore.)

Ed

An interesting exchange of comments.

Has anyone tried the LabX auctions? There is an auction overtime feature that continually extends if there is active bidding. It basically allows buyers to interact back and forth until the final bid is drawn out. There is no last second sniping, and the bid is raised incrementally to avoid wasting too much time going back and forth by a dollar (unless you are bidding on $50 items). Also, all auctions close during the day, so you don't have to worry about staying up until 4 AM.

It really keeps confusion to a minimum and people don't feel thwarted by a last second program.

Also, no final value fees on any auction ads. It's worth a look.

In article , snipped-for-privacy@cox.net mentioned...

This sniping has led me to conclude that you should always:

Do your homework and determine what's a fair price for the item. Never wait to the last minute to bid.

Never overbid; always approach the auction with the attitude that there will always be another of the same item up for auction later. Always be a Vulcan and never let your emotions interfere with your common sense.

Ignore the last few minutes of the auction. It's the best way to avoid becoming a casualty of overbidding.

In article , snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com mentioned...

You can't do that with an international auction. Somewhere in the world, your day is my night. It would work okay if the autcion is just local.

Problem is that Ebay has such a large volume and huge variety of items that it's the only game in town for most sellers and buyers.