Why do people bid on items with days of the auction to run?

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:16

Pug said:
the biggest issue with laying down a max-bid early is that people will get their mates to push up the auction to increase the bid as high as they think it will go

proof?

Or just guesswork? and will get your account suspended from Ebay.

If something is worth a value chances are someone will bid it unless your selling something very obscure and hence you just wack a decent starting amount.

Pug · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:17

Proof? Everyone i know who uses ebay when they sell big ticket items?

And i'd wager a good few of the other millions of users.

EDIT: Regarding getting banned - don't be so naive; you'd have to be pretty dumb to get suspended - higher bids are in the interest of ebay as they get more fees, and more payapl fees. WHilst they say one thing, they'll be doing something very different. Conflict of interest tbh.

The point I'm making is there is absolutely NOTHING to lose from whacking your highest max bid in late, and the small potential to lose for whacking it in early.

Vonhelmet · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:19

Pug said:
everyone i know who uses ebay when they sell big ticket items?

So your friends are scum, good good.

Raymond Lin · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:19

Well ths amp I want is listed with a starting bid of £500 ( was a £1,000 amp), no bids at the moment and I would love to get it for £500 to £550, £600 being the max.

Question is do I bid now?

Pug · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:21

Vonhelmet said:
So your friends are scum, good good.

haha, yeah, lets leave it at that generalisation. I'd say "real-world", but scums fine. Most surgeons and GPs by default are scum. :rolleyes:

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:22

Pug said:
everyone i know who uses ebay when they sell big ticket items?

And i'd wager a good few others...

If its big ticket it will get there anyway surely?

Ive actually seen someone do similar yes but he got caught after he mistakely got a mate to win and tried to cancel the bid, somehow ebay linked the bidding probably on other items.

I suppose if you have a million mates you can never get caught but theres a big difference between odd big ticket items and cheaper small items.

I still think the main difference comes down to decent things that are fairly unique and will attract genunie wanters compared to the general tat that has lots of similar price similar items on ebay. The similar items are much more likely to be won sniping as people just go for the next item. If you were after something properly rare that you wanted, leaving bidding to the last second comes back down to your valuation against the valuation of everyone else who wants it and it matters little when you bid.

touch · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:22

Raymond Lin said:
£600 being the max.

So bid £500 now with a max bid of £600
Doesnt matter if you bid now or in the last 3 seconds, if nobody else wants to pay £600, you'll win. If other people bid more than 600, you'll lose.

Vonhelmet · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:22

Pug said:
haha, yeah, lets leave it at that generalisation. I'd say "real-world", but scums fine. Most surgeons and GPs by default are scum.

So rather than attempting to better the "real world" they engage in scummy behaviour, thus perpetuating the problems, yes? I'm glad we agree.

Surgeons and GPs? Wha?

Vonhelmet · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:23

touch said:
So bid £500 now with a max bid of £600

You mean enter a max bid of £600.

Pug · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:23

rob - i appreciate your much less inflammatory response

No doubt you may be right, but the point is:

there is absolutely NOTHING to lose from whacking your highest max bid in late, and the small potential to lose for whacking it in early.

Pug · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:25

Vonhelmet said:
Surgeons and GPs? Wha?

My friends Von, being a Dr they are my circle of friends, not people typically being described as being scum, which is why i found it intriguing.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:26

Raymond Lin said:
Well ths amp I want is listed with a starting bid of £500 ( was a £1,000 amp), no bids at the moment and I would love to get it for £500 to £550, £600 being the max.

Question is do I bid now?

well its up to you old chap

What do you really think its value is, and the number of people likely to be bidding on it?

If you think £600 is fair and pretty reasonable then go for that, don't forget someone will have to beat your bid, applying the minimum bid amounts so would have to jump a chunk higher if they bid later than you.

wannabedamned · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:27

I understand where OP is coming from with this. And it annoys me too.

It doesnt matter what a bidders max bid is, As once they're outbidded generally they'll up it.

If someone is going to beat me by 51p, I'm going to try and go a quid above that, and then so will they, and then so will I.

If all this happens 10 days before the bid is due to end, then the price is already going to be sky high, and it'll no longer be a bargain.

If it all went down with 60 seconds to go, then people wouldnt be amending their max bids as often, due to time constraint and the item would go cheaper.

touch · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:28

Vonhelmet said:
You mean enter a max bid of £600.

Either way, its the same.
If the auction starts at 500, you can bid 500 and enter a max bid of 600.
Or you can enter a bid at 600 which will put £500 against the auction and keep a 600 max bid

Raymond Lin · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:29

touch said:
So bid £500 now with a max bid of £600
Doesnt matter if you bid now or in the last 3 seconds, if nobody else wants to pay £600, you'll win. If other people bid more than 600, you'll lose.

Actually. Going to bail out on that one because his listed postage method is Royal Mail Second Class...not risking him says he has posted it and then lost in the post for that much money.

Too risky.

Mercenary Keyboard Warrior · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:29

wannabedamned said:
I understand where OP is coming from with this. And it annoys me too.

It doesnt matter what a bidders max bid is, As once they're outbidded generally they'll up it.

If someone is going to beat me by 51p, I'm going to try and go a quid above that, and then so will they, and then so will I.

If all this happens 10 days before the bid is due to end, then the price is already going to be sky high, and it'll no longer be a bargain.

If it all went down with 60 seconds to go, then people wouldnt be amending their max bids as often and the item would go cheaper.

So what your saying is you dont want an auction site but you want a lottery site.

Maybe you should go and look up the term auction.

POB · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:30

Raymond Lin said:
Actually. Going to bail out on that one because his listed postage method is Royal Mail Second Class...not risking him says he has posted it and then lost in the post for that much money.

Too risky.

The risk is all his. The seller is always liable for delivery.

Unless they can prove delivery with a signed tracking number PayPal rules in the favor of the buyer.

Also chances are its too heaver for second class.

touch · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:30

Fair enough, if i was spending that much money i would want to buy in person.

touch · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:31

POB said:
The risk is all his. The seller is always liable for delivery.

Unless they can prove delivery with a signed tracking number PayPal rules in the favor of the buyer.

Not at that price they dont?
Paypal dont offer protection on transactions over £500. (or is that only seller protection they dont offer?)

SciNeT · 18 Nov 2011 at 13:31

The cold hard logic on the early bidding scenario does work in theory but people are not machines, if outbid early on they will reconsider, think on it, sleep on it, or at least are given time to do so. The guy who has his heart set on the XYZ that he's prepared to pay £300 for has a chance for a second bite of the cherry if he finds himself outdone by £5 with 3 days to go, hit him with that same deal 3 seconds before the auction ends and you remove his option to do that.