Why do people bid at the last moment?

StaffsSW

DaveAshton wrote: »

Wouldn't work on my auctions, I tend to stop them a minute or so before the end time, just to inconvenience snipers and the like. Might cost me a few pence (as in it sells for less than it may have, not that I have to pay to close it...), but at least it's fair on the bidders that use ebay properly, and don't use unfair tactics.

SE

I'd be VERY careful about making a habit of ending your listings early. eBay keep the link obscured for good reason - they are potentially losing revenue, the item is potentially being sold "off-ebay" and therefore with no protection for the buyer or seller. If you have ended more than is likely to be expected, you can reasonably assume that you are "on the radar", and somebody will be watching your trading habits.

Besides, where are the rules that say I must bid early, or I must bid late? I'll bid when I want as long as the listing is open.

If you are not happy with the potential finishing price, then you need to either consider raising your insertion price or improving the quality of your listings so they attract more bids and higher prices.

aqueoushumour01

If I sell an item I want it to go for the best price. By ending a listing early, you're not losing out on pence, but quite a few pounds potentially. Who cares if somebody comes along and bids at the last moment. In an auction, the highest bidder wins. Why should this matter if such a bid occurs in the very last second? I can't see anything morally wrong with that.

gazzak_2

DaveAshton wrote: »

Wouldn't work on my auctions, I tend to stop them a minute or so before the end time, just to inconvenience snipers and the like. Might cost me a few pence (as in it sells for less than it may have, not that I have to pay to close it...), but at least it's fair on the bidders that use ebay properly, and don't use unfair tactics.

SE

If you could post where any rules are broken in any way please feel free. It's a very fair tactic IMO.

[Deleted User]

I bid last minute every time. I set my max and walk away and don`t get involved in any bidding war

luvvlyjubbly

DaveAshton wrote: »

Wouldn't work on my auctions, I tend to stop them a minute or so before the end time, just to inconvenience snipers and the like. Might cost me a few pence (as in it sells for less than it may have, not that I have to pay to close it...), but at least it's fair on the bidders that use ebay properly, and don't use unfair tactics.

SE

Don't you realise what keeps ebay going....it's the buzz/adrenaline rush that people get from last minute bidding
I pressume you mean using bid snipers....I don't think there are too many people who use these....if you want a fair auction be sure to end your listings at popular times like Sunday evenings

gmc_3

stevew8975 wrote: »

I tend to bid with odd amounts, such as £10.10 - just gives me an extra advantage over someone who bids round figures.

Not any more!

£10.15 for me!

globalds

gmc wrote: »

Not any more!

£10.15 for me!

Foolishly you have given away your advantage ....
From now on it will be £10.16 for me every time ...I can't lose..:)

postingalwaysposting

I love watching the end of my auctions :rotfl: but when i am bidding i never bid at a round number :rolleyes: i dont really bid last min anymore either :rolleyes:

tomstickland

JoeyG wrote: »

But assuming the other person has played by the rules, they will have already set their max bid to £10.10 (or £12 or whatever)... so it shouldnt matter if you bid £10 in the last 10s, they will always win.

If they're not playing by the 'rules', they probably wont bother putting in a bid until the last 10s either!

Not everyone works this way.

If they set their bid at the highest amount they are prepared to pay and find they have been outbid then they will often increase their bid. ie: their expectations of what they are prepared to pay can be pulled up by other bidders. If noone else has bid higher early in the auction then they won't increase their bids.

Last minute bidders usually put in a few bids to get a feel for where the existing maximum is.

Even if they do then the bidding war can all happen in the last 30s.

There is no "rule" that says you can't bid in the last few seconds.

MGTF_2

i always use a sniper site (auctionsniper.com) and won some bargains.

I often set silly low bids to be put on 3 seconds before the end. OK 9 times out of 10 i'm outbid but there is generally plenty of items being advertised at the same time of a given item.

Its also handy if an item is due to finish during the day while i'm at work. A bigger plus point is it takes the temptation away to up your bid if you are out bid 10 mins before the end, i have fell foul of the last minute auction auction frenzy in the past !!!

And as per other posts always bid with an odd amount i normally go 17p above the max i want to pay