Pet Hates........or FFS

[Minstrel SE]

Yes because its not a true auction in that sense as it relies on sniping with seconds to go so everyone else is committed. If something is really in demand you are unlikely to win it unless you put in a mega trump all offer at the end which has its own risks if someone else is feeling the same way.

I needed to win my dad a 1940s projector he is very keen on. the thing is probably worth about £130 max and the bids were hovering around £60.

I put in a last seconds mega offer of £400 in a calculated risk that the competitors final bids would be in that £100 to £200 range. High enough that I didnt think the other bidders would go anywhere near that but dangerously exposed to other over the odds bids. A cheeky leeway if someone else had a similar idea.

We won the item for £178 which the other bidder thought would trump all. Over the odds but it made my father very happy and he got a load of extra free gifts when he went to collect it

Now that could have backfired and its not recommended behaviour. We wouldnt have paid much over £178 for it and would have had some wriggling out to do. However its not a true auction where we remain in the room until the winner scares everyone else off. I only do that on very rare occasions.

There are many items I would own now if it had been in an auction room because I would not have misjudged so badly or given up

[Shovel_Knight]

I hate working on weekends!..

But I love getting paid for it

[Len Co]

Thanks to Virgin and an ageing iPad my internet response means there's no chance of getting a last second bid in, even a last minute one is highly optimistic !

[Andy Nogger]

Is it just me, or am I just a bastard…. The other day I found myself bidding on a big AV amp that I don’t even have room for. When I thought about the reason why, I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else getting it too cheap!

And getting back on topic, a pet hate of mine is an item is listed as free/low postage, when in fact the seller won’t post it.

[Pigmy Pony]

A future of poverty and clutter for you, Tim

[Barry]

Yes because its not a true auction in that sense as it relies on sniping with seconds to go so everyone else is committed. If something is really in demand you are unlikely to win it unless you put in a mega trump all offer at the end which has its own risks if someone else is feeling the same way.

I needed to win my dad a 1940s projector he is very keen on. the thing is probably worth about £130 max and the bids were hovering around £60.

I put in a last seconds mega offer of £400 in a calculated risk that the competitors final bids would be in that £100 to £200 range. High enough that I didnt think the other bidders would go anywhere near that but dangerously exposed to other over the odds bids. A cheeky leeway if someone else had a similar idea.

We won the item for £178 which the other bidder thought would trump all. Over the odds but it made my father very happy and he got a load of extra free gifts when he went to collect it

Now that could have backfired and its not recommended behaviour. We wouldnt have paid much over £178 for it and would have had some wriggling out to do. However its not a true auction where we remain in the room until the winner scares everyone else off. I only do that on very rare occasions.

There are many items I would own now if it had been in an auction room because I would not have misjudged so badly or given up

Yes - if I am really keen to win something, I will put in a bid at the last moment with what I think is a sufficently high maximum to do the trick. Exactly how much that is will depend on the most recent bidding history, and if the bidding has already exceeded what I could afford I don't bid at all. But in all cases, even with a 'trump all' bid the amount is always what I can afford. Sometimes I have won an item, but have had to pay more than I would have wished, but less than my affordable maximum.

[Macca]

Yes - if I am really keen to win something, I will put in a bid at the last moment with what I think is a sufficently high maximum to do the trick. Exactly how much that is will depend on the most recent bidding history, and if the bidding has already exceeded what I could afford I don't bid at all. But in all cases, even with a 'trump all' bid the amount is always what I can afford. Sometimes I have won an item, but have had to pay more than I would have wished, but less than my affordable maximum.

That's what I used to do, bid the max I was prepared to pay at the last minute. Worked so well I've had to stop buying on eBay altogether.

[walpurgis]

Is it just me, or am I just a bastard…. The other day I found myself bidding on a big AV amp that I don’t even have room for. When I thought about the reason why, I couldn’t bear the thought of someone else getting it too cheap!.

I couldn't do that. My purchases are carefully thought through and I only bid on stuff I have a use for (if not an immediate use ).

I'm likely bidding today. There's a bit of a 'sleeper' out there that looks as though nobody has spotted.

[Yomanze]

Those that outbid you at the last minute are most likely using 'sniper' software. In fact usually the only way to stand a good chance of winning is to bid at the last minute (actually within the last few seconds of the auction ending). You have to set your limit way above the later bids and just hope you don't have someone bidding a high amount just before you bid.

This is what I do, go maybe 10% over what I would want to pay as a max bid, set it up in sniping software, then forget about it. The software bids 3 seconds before the listing ends.

I always forget to bid otherwise, so prefer to do this, even if it annoys people. So many use sniping software, if you can’t beat them join them.

Early bids draw too much attention to listings and inflate prices.

[GrahamS]

This is what I do, go maybe 10% over what I would want to pay as a max bid, set it up in sniping software, then forget about it. The software bids 3 seconds before the listing ends.

I always forget to bid otherwise, so prefer to do this, even if it annoys people. So many use sniping software, if you can’t beat them join them.

Early bids draw too much attention to listings and inflate prices.

. Now you know why I don't use the evilbay!