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During the Auction: Dealing With Bidding Rivalries

by Dennis Prince

They say all's fair in love and war, and that includes bidding wars. And if you hang around online auctions long enough, you might begin to recognize some of the other bidders who frequently compete for the same items you're after. Rival bidders? You bet they are, and they're coasting in your wake, ready to leap out of the pixels and snare the goods for which you've been hunting. Here's how you can recognize bidding rivalries and the steps you can take to improve your chances of success while shaking off those who may be deliberately bidding against you.

The Enemy Below?
Whether hiding below, behind, or just off in a dark corner of the virtual parlor, you need to identify when particular bidders seem to be haunting the same auctions that interest you. While there's nothing unfair or necessarily underhanded about others bidding against you, there are some who will ride your coattails as you uncover some great treasures, intent on snatching items away from you after you've surfaced the goods by placing a bid.

These adversaries are commonly referred to as "bid stalkers," and that's just what they'll do: stalk your online auction activity, search for the items you're bidding on, and even research the items you've bid on in the past. If you appear to be adept at locating the merchandise they also seek, they'll consider you to be a terrific--and unwitting--ally in helping them acquire the items they covet (thanks to your efforts).

But the question that perplexes many is whether these lurking rival bidders are merely after the same goods as you, or whether they're after you, personally? While there's no need for outright paranoia, recognize that some bidders might take pleasure in outbidding you for, well, the sport of it. Perhaps they're bored and find outbidding others is a way to pass the time, or maybe they were outbid by you in the past and took it as a personal affront (likely not your intention at all). Whatever the reason, if you discover that another bidder seems to be following you around the auction sites, it could be that you've got a bid stalker on your back who you'll need to shake off.

Going Stealth
So regardless of whether it's your findings or whether it's you that's in your rival's sights, your best defense against rival bidders will be a good offense. It stands to reason that your bids can't be stalked if you haven't yet placed them. Going stealth at the auctions, then, means using protective techniques such as auction tracking, watching, and yes--here it comes folks--sniping.

No doubt you've listened in on or perhaps participated in heated discussions about these bidding tactics. The uninitiated often decry that auction watching and sniping are deplorable methods whereby unsuspecting high bidders are caught by surprise in an auction's closing seconds (via the snipe) and sellers are robbed of potential profits due to delayed bidding (via auction watching). But once those critics are tailed and taunted by a stalker or two, they'll quickly discover the key reasons for employing such defensive bidding strategies.

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