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

[FoxEye]

Er no it is an auction. It works in exactly the same way as any other auction the highest bidder wins.

<snip>

So in reality ebay works as if the only bid method was commissioned bids.

So nothing like a proper auction, then.

Basically, the way eBay works (the way you use it anyhow), you might as well use a ballot box. Everybody secretly puts their maximum bid in a box, then the box is emptied and the person with the highest max bid wins.

That's not an auction. I don't know what that is, but an auction is not it.

 

[franco_22]

People are stupid /thread.

 

[G-MAN2004]

Why wouldn't you? You enter your max bid so you don't have to come in at the last minute.

Because it's nearly always beaten... Plus the fact that the bids I see on items with a lot of time left are usually only small like £1 or something equally as stupid. What's the point?

I always see it now. A few idiots will keep outbidding each other with a bloody week left and then when it finally gets down to the last minute, the price is beyond worth it. Usually the two idiots end up losing anyway.

If everyone left it until the last 10 seconds to bid, one person would win the item for far less.

When I'm bidding on something, I usually put in an early bid during the early stages, but not a maximum. Then push it up with individual bids as other bidders beat me.

Why on earth would you place the initial low bid knowing full well that 99.9% of the time you'll be outbid fairly quickly?

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Basically, the way eBay works (the way you use it anyhow), you might as well use a ballot box. Everybody secretly puts their maximum bid in a box, then the box is emptied and the person with the highest max bid wins.

I regard myself as an ebay noob but even I know that the max bid could be £500 but the next highest bidder could be £390 so the winner gets it for £400 (or whatever the increments are), so your analogy is majorly flawed.

 

[FoxEye]

I regard myself as an ebay noob but even I know that the max bid could be £500 but the next highest bidder could be £390 so the winner gets it for £400 (or whatever the increments are), so your analogy is majorly flawed.

Your reply makes me sad. I don't get how people can be so blind to the obvious and simple truth that eBay is not an auction, and does not work like an auction. Also what I posted was not flawed at all. You pointed out that the highest bidder doesn't pay the full amount of his bid, instead paying the full amount of the second highest bid, plus a token amount. Which changes nothing.

The ballot box analogy is valid, and not flawed.

Ye gods, I feel I'm wasted here.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Your reply makes me sad. I don't get how people can be so blind to the obvious and simple truth that eBay is not an auction, and does not work like an auction. Also what I posted was not flawed at all. You pointed out that the highest bidder doesn't pay the full amount of his bid, instead paying the full amount of the second highest bid, plus a token amount. Which changes nothing.

The ballot box analogy is valid, and not flawed.

Ye gods, I feel I'm wasted here.

Your reply makes me sad even more.
You need to go back and read what you wrote.

You said the one who puts the highest max bid wins but it has happened time & time again where their highest bid did not win the 'auction' but a more lower bid won.
Your analogy is flawed because the highest MAX bid isn't always the one that wins and you know it.

This is where you now reply 'Oh yeah'.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Thread of epic failure.

 

[FoxEye]

You need to go back and read what you wrote.

You said the one who puts the highest max bid wins

Very true. As I wrote:

....the person with the highest max bid wins

but it has happened time & time again where their highest bid did not win the 'auction' but a more lower bid won.

The person with the highest max bid always wins. Always. I never said how much he pays. We all know how the system works. He pays the amount of the second highest bid + some token amount.

If your first language isn't English then that's fair enough. Otherwise, you have no excuse for your failure

 

[cm1179]

Your reply makes me sad. I don't get how people can be so blind to the obvious and simple truth that eBay is not an auction, and does not work like an auction. Also what I posted was not flawed at all. You pointed out that the highest bidder doesn't pay the full amount of his bid, instead paying the full amount of the second highest bid, plus a token amount. Which changes nothing.

The ballot box analogy is valid, and not flawed.

Ye gods, I feel I'm wasted here.

it is an auction, you're just looking at it from a buyers point of view. sellers also have the chance to have a reserve on their item, just like a real auction.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

The person with the highest max bid always wins. Always. I never said how much he pays. We all know how the system works. He pays the amount of the second highest bid + some token amount.

If your first language isn't English then that's fair enough. Otherwise, you have no excuse for your failure

Good try but no banana because that isn't what you meant no matter how you twist it.
You made out the highest max bid wins which it clearly doesn't.

Now to your first point, you are right it isn't like an auction because an auction (and I've been a few) doesn't have an end time if people are still bidding.
Your analogy of the ballot box would work if we all put multiple slips in with increments of £10 and ebay look in the box and see that Foxeye had a slip for £390 but Dimple had a slip for £400 even though he had another 10 slips higher up to £500.

 

[cm1179]

ah

 

[FoxEye]

Good try but no banana because that isn't what you meant no matter how you twist it.

I typed what I meant. I meant what I typed. I even quoted what I typed so you can jog on, mate.

 

[Unluckyalf]

I despise people who put early bids in too.

LOL you despise them?? really??? A little harsh i think

The way i see it..
You find an item you like and put in the maximum you are prepared to pay. If someone else has put in a higher max bid then you can go and look for another similar item where somone hasnt put in a higher bid.
At least this way you dont have to wait 7 days or so to find out that it went over your budget and another similar item went the day before that was under your budget. Seems like common sense to me. I dont understand how it can push a price up when someone has set their maximum bid as 'x'. Its likely to hit 'x' possibly plus some anyway regardless on whether the bidding happens at 1 day or 7 days!

Saying that, i only use the buy it now feature..

 

[SciNeT]

Actually, I emailed him about the postage thing and he says

"Hi

Just listed a few items and if you do not change it it just comes up the same as the last item listed. My mistake sorry but I will not just drop it of at the post office and tell them "the cheapest please"

Michael"


To which I looked and he has like 6 other auction, various random stuff from golf clubs to cookbook to a fish tank going all ending the same time.

I really wouldn't worry about the shipping, if you win, you are in the driving seat, you hold the payment and can dictate somewhat. Make sure all communications are through the Ebay message system & negotiate a recognised tracked shipping service before you pay. An amp may be very heavy (??) but I have had stuff shipped up to 20KG on Royal Mail Special Delivery. Plus with 800+ positive I'd think you would be very unlucky to catch a cold on this thing shipping wise.

More concern to me would be the working state of things, (not up on Hifi?) Is this a new amp? Or tested & guaranteed working? If you are happy on the functioning side of things & it's the right price I'd have a go for it. Try Auctionsniper too if you don't want to hang around for the end of the auction, it's free for the first 3 snipes, you have nothing to lose.

http://www.auctionsniper.com/

 

[Raymond Lin]

I really wouldn't worry about the shipping, if you win, you are in the driving seat, you hold the payment and can dictate somewhat. Make sure all communications are through the Ebay message system & negotiate a recognised tracked shipping service before you pay. An amp may be very heavy (??) but I have had stuff shipped up to 20KG on Royal Mail Special Delivery. Plus with 800+ positive I'd think you would be very unlucky to catch a cold on this thing shipping wise.

More concern to me would be the working state of things, (not up on Hifi?) Is this a new amp? Or tested & guaranteed working? If you are happy on the functioning side of things & it's the right price I'd have a go for it. Try Auctionsniper too if you don't want to hang around for the end of the auction, it's free for the first 3 snipes, you have nothing to lose.

http://www.auctionsniper.com/

I have put in a bid with a max of £580.03 , with shipping of £20, it takes it to my personal limit of £600.

Auction ends at 9:53am (bad time for seller) and I have confirmation that it is in 100% working order. There really isn't much to go wrong with an amp as the only moving parts is the volume knob and input switches, everything else is solid state.

Hopefully when I get up I will get it for £500 then it would be happy days.

EDIT - went for £603.90

Was outbid at my £580, so I upped it last minute to £600 with 10 seconds to go, clearly too long a gap.

 

[danza]

As I said before, by using a sniper (Goofbay, which was free last time I looked) you will save money. I never have time to get carried away in a last minute flurry of bids, and tbh I don't care if I don't win. However, it does save me money when I do as it does away with bidding wars (which I have been involved in before, but usually lost).

However, the absolute best way to bag a bargain is setting up bookmarks of newly-listed buy-it-nows and checking as.frequently as you can. It often means you have to wait longer or change your requirements slightly, but I guarantee you will bag many bargains this way (far more than in normal bidding auctions). I often buy stuff at under half the going rate using this method. However, shiping is useful and certainly has its place.

Oh, and solid state amps do go wrong Ray - logic controllers go mad, capacitors dry out, resistors can blow and worst of all, transistors die (which can be a real biatch to sort as sometimes they are ceased and replaced by something not compatible by the component manufacturer). Not trying to put you off though! Four or so years back I bought an Alchemist Forseti MkII (£1.2k amp) for £270. I worry about it as even though I don't use it much, it's got so many bits in it that could go wrong and be a real pig to sort.

What amp were you bidding on, and did you win the auction?

 

[Raymond Lin]

No, i lost the Auction.

Musical Fidelity A3.5 Monoblock integrated Amplifier.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....PageName=ADME:B:EOIBUAA:GB:1120#ht_500wt_1041

That would be an immense amp for £500. Anyhow, I am going to drop by Richer Sounds later i think and see if they have an Arcam FMJ A18 instead in stock.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

I typed what I meant. I meant what I typed. I even quoted what I typed so you can jog on, mate.

Ok, no need to be nasty because it shows your maturity.
I'll man up and give you the benefit of the doubt but lets get back to your analogy.

You say that ebay is not like a proper auction because it's like a ballot box where everybody puts slips in and the person with the MAX bid wins (even if the max bid is £500 but they could get it for less).
I'd like to ask you who the winner is at a proper auction where an auctioneer is present?
Could it be the person who puts the MAX bid in by any chance?
I reckon so because the auctioneer doesn't go to the person who voted less.
Therefore at a proper auction it would be possible to have a little ballot box by every item and you throw in your name with a max bid.
The only difference is that at a proper auction (and I've seen it many times), a person who may have put a max bid in (or the figure they had in their head) suddenly goes up.

 

[godinman]

EDIT - went for £603.90

Was outbid at my £580, so I upped it last minute to £600 with 10 seconds to go, clearly too long a gap.

This is the clearest possible example you could use in support of not bidding until the last 4 seconds.

Say Raymond had put a higher 10 second bid in and won the auction, he would only have won because he reacted to someone else's bid. His 'max' amount he was willing to spend suddenly increased as the auction came to a close, this happens loads and is why I never bid on anything until the last 4 seconds.

edit - And from now on I will be using Goofbay, saves getting my heartrate up at the end of an auction!

 

[FoxEye]

Ok, no need to be nasty because it shows your maturity. <snip>

The only difference is that at a proper auction (and I've seen it many times), a person who may have put a max bid in (or the figure they had in their head) suddenly goes up.

I was tired and irritated by your accusation. Sorry.

Anyhow, the difference is the concept of "bidding wars" and having a chance to increase your max bid.

In a real auction, if you get outbid, you have all the time you need* to respond and place a new bid. You may even decide that your "max" bid that you had in your head when you started bidding, can be exceeded.

*You are physically present at the auction so you only need a few seconds. With an online auction, you would conceivably need a few minutes/hours/days to account for that fact that many people don't watch the auction in real time.

eBay ends at a fixed, set time. People do not have the opportunity to respond to bids that occur in the final seconds. If they did have time, they might decide that their "max" bid can be exceeded.

This is the crux of the argument. If you bid with enough time for other interested people to respond to your bid, you are giving them time to make further bids, *beyond* what they had first considered their "max".

This is how bidding wars happen. This is how people end up paying way more than they had planned to.

If, as you must do, you will concede that some people +do+ end up paying more than they had intended**, then you must also concede that bidding before the end of the auction can increase the final price value of the lot.

**It would be madness to claim that nobody on eBay has ever walked away from an "auction" having paid more than they intended.