Ebay bidding

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Phono-Phan
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Ebay bidding

Post by Phono-Phan »

I have bee watching some items on Ebay. I can't figure out how there can be 2 bids on the item and still be at the opening bid amount. This is going on with a few items I am watching. Can anyone explain how this can happen?

HisMastersVoice
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by HisMastersVoice »

The same person bid then subsequently increased their bid. Price doesn’t go up since nobody else has bid against them.

52089
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by 52089 »

This became much more common a few years ago when eBay started adding a "bid again" function to their bid confirmation screen. Some people interpret it as meaning the first bid wasn't accepted so they bid a second time instead of just closing the confirmation box.

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phonogal
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by phonogal »

Sometimes I think people will place several bids on an item hoping it will intimidate other bidders.

tomb
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by tomb »

That is how some people play the game on E bay It drives the price up hoping to scare you off. Tom B

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Django
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by Django »

I will sometimes put in a bid and decide later that I should have put in a higher bid. The higher bid is just an adjustment. Sometimes I wish that I could reduce my bid after reconsidering it, but that is not an option. I recently raised my maximum on a reproducer, because I got nervous that I would get outbid. I was the only bidder. No intimidation, just trying not to get outbid. I can't speak for others. I don't tend to bid at the last minute and I don't care if someone has made multiple bids. It is an auction after all.

epigramophone
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by epigramophone »

If I want the item badly enough I go straight in with my maximum bid. No messing about.

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bart1927
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by bart1927 »

I always use sniper software. This has 2 advantages. First, I don't have to be present behind he computer when the auction ends. Especially useful when the seller is located in the US where it is about 8 hours earlier than over here. Way back, when I didn't even know such software existed, I had to get up in the middle of the night, sometimes several times. Second advantage is that you put in your absolute maximum bid right away (into the sniper program), so you don't run the risk of greed getting the better of you in the heat of the bidding war, and raising your maximum bid every time someone outbids you. I know several people on this forum don't like sniper programs, think it's cheating, and that it drives up the prices. Whether it's cheating, I don't know, I mean, it's not against the rules. And I doubt if it really drives up the prices, because of what I already said under advantage 2.

Getting back to the original question: The sniping program I use, uses a mirror site. If one site somehow doesn't manage to get your bid in on time, the other site takes over. In many instances I'm the only bidder on a lot, yet I see that 2 bids were placed, both by me, and both for the same amount. I think this is caused by the mirror site.

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Django
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by Django »

Snipe bidding can be exasperating, but it is not unfair. Having a strategy is not unfair either. If I go to a live auction and I am getting bid against, I may slow my response to avoid a frenzy. That can backfire because the other bidders may see it as me nearing my limit. If I bid numerous times against my self on ebay it may mean that I have had second or third thoughts about the value that the item has to me, or maybe I did some research that caused me to increase my bid. A bonus at work would also have a similar affect. If I did it thinking that others will not bid, that could possibly backfire as well by causing someone to bid high enough to exceed the bit that they think I have. This may put the bidding into a level that is out of reach for me because of a reaction to my bid that the other may have made in the heat of the moment. Auctions are a bit of a game and as long as you are not doing something dishonest, then I don't care what you do. It can be frustrating, but it is also part of the fun of an auction. Just my 2 cents.

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bart1927
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Re: Ebay bidding

Post by bart1927 »

What I think is even more annoying is when two people start a frenzied bidding war on a certain listing that doesn't end in another week. What is that good for? It will only drive up the price! Are those people who don't understand that it's not a regular auction (going once, going twice...) or are they friends of the seller and they're driving up the price for him?

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