| The Breakroom > The Water Cooler |
| Mad Ebay prices |
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| GordonL:
Lately the automatic computer bidding makes it just an exercise in frustration. You can be high bidder with five minutes to go and some software program makes five bids which keeps probing until they found out how much to just barely outbid you. If you look at bidding history you will see two bids in seven days and then five bids in the last five minutes. Frequently by the same bidder using a third party with high speed connections. The only thing which limits the frustration is to bid what you think the item is worth and just forget it until in the end you either win or loose. The biggest problem is if you are looking for some specific item and there are several of them available with similar end times you may end up with more than one if you bid on more than one. |
| seadog:
I've never relied on a bid engine. I like the thrill of the chase, so to speak. I will wait until 3 or 4 seconds before the end and then bid. I've won lots of stuff this way, especially items with few bidders. Also, time of day makes a lot of difference. As already said, decide what you want to pay and bid that amount. What I don't agree with, though, is placing a bid early on. It just brings out auction fever in others. |
| S. Heslop:
I'm not sure how I feel about the new automatic bidding system. In the past people used third party software to snipe ebay auctions. I feel like everyone waiting for the last 5 seconds effectively makes it a silent auction so it'd make sense to just make it work that way so you can bid and forget, instead of having to set an alarm clock 10 minutes before the auction ends. For a more 'authentic' auction it'd make sense for any bids to increase the time limit by 30 seconds or so, but that'd always lead to the scumbag with the deepest pockets always winning. I hate using ebay, especially in the way that it requires you to act like a scumbag to win them, but it is unfortunately the cheapest way to get ahold of certain items even if it is a hassle. I'm trying to assemble a high vacuum system on the cheap. Right now i'm trying to get ahold of some high vacuum pressure gauges but they're a hot item going for high prices. It's really despairing assembling a list of potential auctions and having them all go stupidly high in the last 5 seconds. |
| awemawson:
I use Auction Sniper almost exclusively these days. Means I don't forget to bid, and only bid up to a considered sensible limit, without danger of getting carried away with auction fever. Their charges are modest and so far they've been reliable. |
| NormanV:
I don't know what "Auction Sniper" is. I just wait and bid in the last few seconds. I certainly miss some because I forget the finish time. Last year I somehow bought a car £1000 below market price because nobody else bid. Other times items that I really want go for stupid high prices. I don't understand the logic behind it. but it is fun. |
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