posted on August 22, 2001 11:14:43 PM
After nearly 3 tears on Ebay as both a buyer and a seller, I have to say that it never ceases to amaze me when bidders, especially those with a lot of Ebay transactions under their belt, bid early, then continue to bid, be outbid, then bid again, then get outbid, then bid again, etc.!!!
As a seller I LOVE it! But why on God's green earth do established bidders (who should know better) continue engaging in a bidding war? I have seen bidders pay waaaaay too much for an item after another bidder jacked the price up after a protracted back and forth bidding exchange. WHY do bidders run the price up on themselves??
It's not like these people bid early because they cannot be there at the end of the auction, since you see them bidding again and agian throughout it's course.
As a buyer, I collect a certain item, and there are several bidders who make a habit of this foolhardy bidding practice, and I take full advantage by bookmarking their "current bids" list so I can find any items I may have missed.
Those several day bidding wars really underline the fools who are to be separated from their money.
You don't have to snipe to avoid encouraging other bidder to raise their maximums, just bid later than sooner.
(Please don't write a litany of reasons to bid early, because I am talking about those who do this as a rule, not just on occasion because of some circumstance.)
posted on August 23, 2001 12:03:25 AMBut why on God's green earth do established bidders (who should know better) continue engaging in a bidding war?...I have seen bidders pay waaaaay too much for an item after another bidder jacked the price up after a protracted back and forth bidding exchange.
Auction fever. Some people are prone to it. The item becomes "theirs" when they place their first bid, then they become determined to "protect" what is "theirs" if anyone else places a bid. In some cases, it can get totally out of hand. I've seen it happen in live auctions as well...these bidders become blind to *everything* except winning "their" item.
posted on August 23, 2001 12:25:11 AM
It's why an item started low (even with a high reserve) will often outearn the identical item that is started out at a realistically high price. You hope to hook the buyer who's ego can't stand to lose.
Just saw an article about how new electronic equipment pulls an average selling price at ebay that is MORE than retail. I've long noticed this for new or refurbished digicams....
posted on August 23, 2001 03:06:17 AM
Thank The Lord for small favors! And the 2 items I have on now and the bids already in should go double by the end!
posted on August 23, 2001 03:43:05 AM
The only reason I've been known to bid early on something I wanted is to take away a BIN price. Usually where the starting bid is low with a higher BIN price. Especially if I have a good idea that someone will come along and take it for the BIN.
posted on August 23, 2001 04:50:33 AM
>The only reason I've been known to bid early on something I wanted is to take away a BIN price<
A couple weeks ago I had a bid cancelled by a newbie seller, reason stating......
"Bidder bids early, never there at the end"
I emailed the 'dink' and asked what the heck that was about and he replied that he was tired of people bidding and taking away his BIN option. I informed him how a reserve would keep the BUY option available and still allow bidding to continue. I also asked why he cancelled my bid (800+ feedback) of $30.00 and allowed a lower one to stand ($18.00 and a 2 feedback).
He did respond saying he was sorry and probably should have allowed my bid to stand.
posted on August 23, 2001 01:05:07 PM
I'm a buyer. When I see something listed that I want, I place a bid on it, and then I wait. And wait, and wait. On the last day of the auction, shortly before the auction ends, I go back to it to see where the bidding stands, and I proceed from there. I never bid mid-auction because that only causes someone else - a ninny - to try to outbid me. As much as I want sellers to make nice profits (my sister is a seller), I, as a buyer, want to pay a reasonable price, not one that has been artificially increased by someone with "auction fever."
posted on August 23, 2001 01:17:54 PM
What bothers me most about early bidders is that it gets my own interest up in following the auction. Then I spend needless time at the computer to watch the bidding war.
As a buyer, I never bid early unless I bid my maximum amount and just forget about the auction.
I currently have one auction going in which one individual, from day one, has been bidding. He has a large amount of good feedback and should know better, but he just keeps driving the price up. Go Boy!!! I'm just hoping that he doesn't realize it's now priced a $100 over market value and decide to withdraw the bid.
posted on August 23, 2001 02:43:40 PM
I have a lot of customers who are as you call them "Early bidding NINNIES" If you take the time to watch them most are pretty smart and get some good buys.
By bidding then being outbid then rebidding their name shows up a lot and other bidders get to know who they are. If they are buying in the same categories all the time some of these bidders get tired of playing the game.
When they see this persons name as high bidder they just don't bother to bid and pretty soon the "Early bidding NINNIES" are winning auctions at low prices.
posted on August 23, 2001 02:56:43 PM
All it takes is a muscular proxy to be called winner!
I don't call them ninnies, I call them customers or competition, depending on which side of the gavel I am on.
I still snipe, and the average price is about the same. Sometime I lay down a bid early on for the heck of it. I fully expect to be outbid, and sometimes I win.
I know my pricepoint.
Besides it depends wholey on the catagory.
Some auctions it's bid bid bid, others its an echochamber.
Anyhow, the only bidders I cannot stand are the scattershot bidders who "test the waters" on 4-10 auctions of the same item. That's killer as a bidder. These folks are worse than ninnies. They are quintessential deadbeats with no desire to buy one item when the perfect auction is just around the corner.
Ramble mode off.
posted on August 23, 2001 03:21:54 PM
There is absolutely NO GOOD REASON to engage someone in a week-long bidding war.
The funny thing is when you see 2 bidders going back and forth, constantly trying to top each other....and then WHAMMO! A sniper picks them both off in the closing seconds!
I love that! I always hope that the early bidders are ticked off that they spent so much time and emoiton throughout the auction, only to lose to a sniper.
By the way, toolhound, there are people who have no intention of winning every auction, but take pleasure in driving the price up on habitual early bidders.
posted on August 23, 2001 05:49:42 PM
Although I'm a rookie on eBay and hope to become professional like the many of you. I just keep the thought in mind that "Ninnies" are paying customers $Buy$ the way send a few of these buying ninnies my way!
posted on August 23, 2001 06:28:09 PM
Don't get me wrong---
As a seller, I just LOVE the ninnies! I just don't understand why they engage people in a bidding war. It's just dumb. Last second bidding wars I can understand--somewhat, but why do it over the course of a week-long auction?
All they do when bidding early is give other's the opportunity to get used to the idea of paying more for something, which drives the price up for everybody!
They are a seller's dream! They also, however, have more dollars than sense!
I always get a sinking feeling when something goes for many times its market value. Although I try to describe well, I always feel the buyer is expecting the item to arrive gilded and perfect. And then suddenly want a refund.
This has in actuality only happened with relatively cheap items, but it still bothers me.
When I buy an item for $2, list it for $10, sell it for $50 - I am happy. When it goes to $80-150 I am waiting for Murphy to strike and start hunting for the Valium bottle!
posted on August 24, 2001 05:06:29 AM
I like to do a lot of bidding early and otherwise, to raise the price for the seller. Bidding in small increments brings more attention to the item than it otherwise might get. Usually I know how much it will go for and don't get the item, but it brings more money for a seller, and maybe the bidding karma frenzy will wind up on one of my items.
posted on August 24, 2001 07:31:50 AM
I must be missing the point of this whole discussion. It seems to be nothing more than a put-down of buyers who bid early.
As tonglow pointed out, they're paying customers. If they want to engage in a bidding war throughout the auction, so what? It's their business.
posted on August 24, 2001 07:40:54 AM
webrover, regarding
"By the way, toolhound, there are people who have no intention of winning every auction, but take pleasure in driving the price up on habitual early bidders. "
I could imagine in a limited specialty collector area that a very savvy Machiavellian bidder could wargame bidding in order to run up bids (not intending to win himself, necessarily) to reduce the funds available to his competitors, or reduce their profit margin if it's likely to be a resale situation. Not pleasure so much as rational business, but yeh, maybe with a touch of sadistic pleasure, too.
posted on August 24, 2001 08:36:21 AM
I see something interesting, I let it sit for 1-24 hours, to make sure I know how much I want it (and for how much money), then proxy bid, however much time is left in the auction, and be done with that part. I've seen later bidders put in multiple lower bids, as if trying to "chip away" at my unknown max. I've seen snipers hit and sometimes fail, sometimes succeed. Doesn't matter to me. I either get it for my maximum, for under my maximum, or I lose the bidding.
I don't tiptoe around on the proxy bid either. Until the level of apparently eBay-related spam started increasing, eBay represented a level of convenience that I was willing to pay a little more. Combined, I'd avoid getting involved in an outrageous bidding war, and stick to putting in bids on the higher end of what I'd consider a reasonable range.
I bid most frequently in a few small search ranges, and I think I'd sometimes be recognized as being an infrequent bidder but having tough proxies. I'd recognize other IDs who'd compete, but who finally stopped bidding on items I had bids on first (but they'd keep bidding elsewhere), apparently realizing they couldn't expect to get bargain basement if they tried outbidding me. So sometimes I get pushed close to my max, and sometimes others would leave me alone and I'd get a better deal.
Now, sick of eBay's hijinks with direct marketers, I scarcely bid anymore, but bidding overall seems down, so the above doesn't really come into play anymore when I do bid.
----
What's being done in the name of direct marketing nowadays is crazy.
The above are all just my opinions, except where I cite facts as such.
Oh, I am not dc9a320 anywhere except AW. Any others are not me.
Is eBay is changing from a world bazaar into a bizarre world?
posted on August 24, 2001 11:03:11 AM
I like the early bidders. In contrast, it really bothers me when a conservatively priced item just sits for a week and only gets bids on the last day. Drives me nuts.
posted on August 24, 2001 11:57:52 AMI must be missing the point of this whole discussion. It seems to be nothing more than a put-down of buyers who bid early.
THIS ninnie has trouble understanding a lot of things (see my other post where he chastizes me).
BJGrolle, why don't you just IGNORE all of my posts, since you either;
A) DOn't agree with them
B) Don't like them, or
C) Don't understand them (odds on fav)
posted on August 24, 2001 12:09:54 PM
Sounds like some NINNIES are outbidding you webrover. If you don't want to hear other peoples thoughts on a subject why not post it on your desktop for only you to see.
posted on August 24, 2001 12:15:02 PM
Come on folks, eBay is an auction site. What does it matter if you bid early, bid middle or bid late? All I hope is that you bid and bid often.
[ edited by sosoal on Aug 24, 2001 12:17 PM ]
People are certainly allowed to express their opinions, but do not critcize me and make unfounded accusations about my intentions when you have no basis for such. You are obviously ignorant of the comments and/or insults directed at me by another user, so I suggest you MYOB.
Perhaps you're not aware that name-calling is against the community guidelines.
You think I've insulted you. I've simply stated the facts as I see them and I've been able to do so without resorting to calling you any names, which I believe is the mature way to go about things. Apparently we also disagree on that.
And if you don't like my posts, you're free to ignore them as well, but I will continue to post here unless the moderators say otherwise. Or do you feel that only those who agree with your position should be allowed to post?
Oh, and I'm a she, not a he. Another incorrect assumption on your part, I guess.
$Buy$ the way send a few of these buying ninnies my way!