Why do people outbid at the last second

Hintza

I would agree with kriss on this but here is my question.

If there are three identical items for sale all closing at the same time which one do you bid on?

I know there will be a few seconds or more normally between them all and that can make a big difference.

GabbaGabbaHey

lilmiss wrote:

I just bid the lowest amount, i guess i'm not very good at bidding!.

eBay uses "Proxy Bidding", which is very different to traditional "Going, Going, Gone" type auctions. You really do need to understand how eBay works if you are going to be in with a chance of winning auctions.

In the meantime, you won't go too far wrong if you follow 3 rules:
1) Only ever bid once on any auction
2) Bid the maximum you would be willing to pay for the item (taking into account any postage and packing charges)
3) Bid as late as possible

(Also, I would be wary of most of the sniping programs available on the Internet, as you need to give them your eBay username and password. Personally I use JBidWatcher which is free, but most importantly runs on your own PC, so you never need to risk giving your password away.)

gazzak007

What you also have to realise is that some people are not actually bidding live they are snipping the items using one of many snipe sites , They put a max amount willing to bid on the item and the site bids automatically for you 5 secs before the end auction time

kriss_boy

Hintza wrote:

I would agree with kriss on this but here is my question.

If there are three identical items for sale all closing at the same time which one do you bid on?

I dont let myself get caught up in bidding wars liek that. Remember to look for items which end at unsociable times.. middle of the night or during 9am till 5pm when most people work and dont have access to ebay.

I constantly see phones go for say, 300 quid in a sunday nite, and the same phone will sell for £250 the next afternoon while Im at work having a sneeky look.

Trust me.. Xmas day/Bocing day/New years Eve/Day are te best days for bargians

Hintza

GabbaGabbaHey wrote:

(Also, I would be wary of most of the sniping programs available on the Internet, as you need to give them your eBay username and password. Personally I use JBidWatcher which is free, but most importantly runs on your own PC, so you never need to risk giving your password away.)

Problem with PC ones is if your connection goes down you are stuffed.

I use powersnipe costs $20 per year and is fantastic.

Contains_Mild_Peril

kriss_boy wrote:

middle of the night or during 9am till 5pm when most people work and dont have access to ebay.

My observations seem to indicate that many customers do have eBay access during office hours, and the lowest prices are often on items ending during commuting time (approx 8-9am, 5-6pm).

Hintza wrote:

Problem with PC ones is if your connection goes down you are stuffed.

That's what would worry me. I've never heard of a bidder using a web-based sniper programme losing out because of techical failure (though that doesn't necessarily mean it never happens, but I suspect they have more safeguards in place than I have on my home PC).
I was dubious about the merits of sniping, but I once set Auctionstealer to bid on the 3rd of 4 identical lots of photographic film while I was out, and I paid £16.50 for mine while the others all went for £20+.

lottee

sarahlouise210 wrote:

I always bid at the last minute ...I have not heard of auction sniper ..I just do it myself. I do it for 2 reasons ..I get the best price and also it is exciting to be bidding against someone else and win...I know...I should get out more!!!!

I'm exactly the same sarahlouise!!! You'd think I'd just won the lottery when I 'win' something on ebay. My OH is always reminding me that I haven't actually won anything - I have to pay for it !

It get's me that people bid with days still to go until the end - making the item more expensive ! (but I s'pose that's why ebay works!)

sultry33

lottee wrote:

I'm exactly the same sarahlouise!!! You'd think I'd just won the lottery when I 'win' something on ebay. My OH is always reminding me that I haven't actually won anything - I have to pay for it !

It get's me that people bid with days still to go until the end - making the item more expensive ! (but I s'pose that's why ebay works!)

i get a real buzz from jumping in at last min, sometimes i just look at numerous items with few mins left and lots of bidders, then wham im in there:j

love it!!

competitive i guess

however once bought trading card<<<<< which to me is useless:rotfl:

greeneye

Contains_Mild_Peril wrote:

That's what would worry me. I've never heard of a bidder using a web-based sniper programme losing out because of techical failure (though that doesn't necessarily mean it never happens, but I suspect they have more safeguards in place than I have on my home PC).
I was dubious about the merits of sniping, but I once set Auctionstealer to bid on the 3rd of 4 identical lots of photographic film while I was out, and I paid £16.50 for mine while the others all went for £20+.

Justsnipe fails to execute bids occasionly. I've had 3 failures in the last year but that's out of hundreds.

catkins

I always bid at the last minute. I cannot understand why people bid with days left to go