Ebay bidding days before

Clever people don't use maximum bids - other than the last 5-10 seconds of the auction

eBay rookies and the inexperienced use maximum bids. It drives prices up for a myriad of reasons already mentioned.
 
davido_labido said:
but you wouldnt, because the person has already set his max bid at 600.

without snipe.
item is at 500
person A sets max bid at 600
person B keeps bidding till he gets to 601.

you lose item.

(if your an idiot you bid back on the item, which is what starts the price war, but if you set your maximum correctly, then it wouldnt happen)

with snipe.
item is at 500
person A sets max bid at 600.
person B sets his tool to say 650.

person b wins in the last few seconds with 601.
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In both cases Person B has entered a higher maximum bid. Person B will win in both cases because a sniper wont beat a higher bid.
 
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I don't understand why you'd put in your maximum ever?! All that will happen is the price will be driven up. If you put in an early bid and keep it low, just to secure a bid, then you can up it later, that makes sense. If you put in your max you're just offering people an opportunity to outbid you.

I'm glad you're finally getting it though. I thought I was going to have to come and nail Ray's example to your head :p
 
The idea here is not just what is the MAXIMUM you are willing to pay but also the least amount to pay yet still get the item that you want yet with the safety net of a maximum bid. That is the benefit of sniping. See the difference? The LEAST amount to pay yet still get the item.

If you use a sniper, you know for a fact that you either got the item at the lowest price possible or not at all.

If you don't use a sniper then you either got the item above what others are willing to pay and under your maximum bid.

The Sniper removes a bidding war, and bidding wars only serves to drive the price up.

A lot of people don't understand the concept of maximum bid.
A lot of people don't have a concrete maximum bid.
A lot of people are willing to pay a few pounds over their maximum bid.
A lot of people simply just want to win an auction, sometimes paying over retail.

All of these people will drive the price up, it's great as a seller but as a buy, they are a PITA so by using a sniper, you don't give them a chance to do a thing about your bid. The end result is you are getting things cheaper.

You are presuming everyone understand eBay, half the people in this thread don't understand eBay it seems so I am not sure how you think just setting a maximum bid is the best way to go in an auction. The bottomline is, if you want to get an item at the lowest price possible, use a sniper. The key words here is Lowest Price Possible. A sniper doesn't guarantee a win in an auction, it does mean you are getting it at the lowest price that you can get away with, without others a chance to revise their bid.
 
touch said:
These are 2 completely different scenarios? :confused:
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of course they are, one is using a sniping tool, one isnt :confused::confused::confused::confused:

If you put in your max you're just offering people an opportunity to outbid you
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well, yes. if they want it more, they can out bid me, but if they had already put a higher maximum than what i was going to snipe in at then the snipe just bumps the price up for them, so its the same difference ;)
 
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Well explained again by Raymond there.

It's also worth mentioning the fact that sniping can in some cases, screw you over. You need to know your absolute maximum bid, because you won't get a second chance. Most of the time, I do my research, know what it's worth and what I'm willing to pay.

I snipe regularly, but I have lost items in the past to bidders who use the maximum bid system correctly. In hindsight, I say to myself "ah I should have paid a couple of quid more" but I don't know their maximum bid, and I'm happy in the knowledge that the item I wanted didn't sell for less than I originally thought it was worth.
 
If I see something I fancy that is newly listed, I usually stick a low bid in to keep it on my buying list, rather than my watching list, if it goes on my watch list I usually forget about it. If I really want something, I stick how much I'm willing to pay for it at the start and hope it plays out in my favour. The only problem with sticking highs bids in early is; if someone shill bids that auction, then retracts their bid, your bid is exposed and they just come along and bid £1 under your bid, so you end up paying the full amount, against the shill bidder if no-one else outbids you.
 
MooMoo444 said:
Imagine when ebay changes so whenever a bid is placed, the auction time is extended by 1 hour.
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Would be a good system, or even just letting the final two bidders a certain amount of time to bid extra after the auction has finished, there's been a few times I've been one of two people interested and lost out due to not bidding in time at the last second, I would have kept going, potential for seller to earn more money, eBay to earn more fee's, don't see why they don't do it.

Might look into using a sniper now, anyone know the best one to use?
 
dirtychinchilla said:
But still they don't understand.

If you bid early, you drive up the price. If you bid late, no one has a chance to exceed your bid (unless they are a moron who put it in a week ago).

What's so hard to comprehend about this :confused:
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You only "drive up the price" if other people bid against you. And if you've entered your maximum bid, you're only setting the price as high as you'd be willing to go in the auction anyway, so you're not artificially inflating the price.

Yes, only bidding in the last second maximises your chance to get something on the cheap. It also increases the chance of losing the auction. If you're only willing to pay £50, there is no reason NOT to bid that at the start. If people bid against you, they'd probably bid against you ANYWAY.
 
Thompson_NCL said:
You only "drive up the price" if other people bid against you. And if you've entered your maximum bid, you're only setting the price as high as you'd be willing to go in the auction anyway, so you're not artificially inflating the price.

Yes, only bidding in the last second maximises your chance to get something on the cheap. It also increases the chance of losing the auction. If you're only willing to pay £50, there is no reason NOT to bid that at the start. If people bid against you, they'd probably bid against you ANYWAY.
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You're ignoring the "gambler" psychology of bidding on Ebay. People like to just put another £ in the machine and, oh go on then, another.
 
Thompson_NCL said:
You only "drive up the price" if other people bid against you. And if you've entered your maximum bid, you're only setting the price as high as you'd be willing to go in the auction anyway, so you're not artificially inflating the price.

Yes, only bidding in the last second maximises your chance to get something on the cheap. It also increases the chance of losing the auction. If you're only willing to pay £50, there is no reason NOT to bid that at the start. If people bid against you, they'd probably bid against you ANYWAY.
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How is it increasing my chance of losing the auction?
I put a bid in with a few seconds to go of my absolute final most I am willing to pay bid.
If I don't get it for this I then don't think dam I should have put a couple of quid more, I think that went for more than I am prepared to pay, end of.
 
chipperhead said:
How is it increasing my chance of losing the auction?
I put a bid in with a few seconds to go of my absolute final most I am willing to pay bid.
If I don't get it for this I then don't think dam I should have put a couple of quid more, I think that went for more than I am prepared to pay, end of.
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There is a slight chance that the item finishes just below your max bid, but not low enough to be a whole bid increment below.
For example:
Auction ends at £49.74, your max bid is £50. You try to snipe, your bid doesnt meet the next increment. You lose.
If you had put your £50 max in early, you would have won.

There is still a much higher chance of winning an auction by using a sniper though.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I always snipe at weird amount.

£102.89 or something.
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I do this too.

It slightly increases your chance of winning because most people will set a maximum at a whole number. So something like £50.02 will beat £50 (provided the current bid isnt at £50, or less than 1 increment below)
 
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