Do any of you bid early on ebay?

I missed a challenge jacknife by a buck at the last second, to a "sniper", and it kind of burned, so i told myself i would only bid at the last second. Then i missed a very cool ulster at 99 cents, plus maybe 3 bucks shipping, cause my schedule got messed up and i couldn't get on at the end. No one bid on it. My schedule might not permit my to play this game the way the above article suggests.
 
I've been on ebay for almost as long as ebay has existed, early bidders are great if you are a seller, not so much if you are a buyer. Early bidders have almost killed the ability to get good deals on ebay. People if you want to be reminded of the status of an item you have this thing called a WATCH LIST. You do not need to bid on something to watch an item. I never bid until the last 5 minutes, usually within the last 45 seconds. Early bidding leads to overinflated prices. I've seen so much stuff selling for more than retail on ebay that it is mind-boggling. People get determined that they must have an item and lose their minds.
 
You know... I had a guy at a Blackjack table in Vegas once tell me he did not like the way I played my cards. I let him know that just as soon as he started putting his money behind my cards, I was open to his advice.

With the number of people using snipe bids, it does not matter one whit when you place your bid- ALL the definitive action happens in the last 5 secs. I am glad that some folks can schedule to be at the PC hitting refresh but some cannot. I predate Ebay, internet AND commonly home owned PC's. Been in IT Operations since 1986, still hate computers but they are a means to an end. Once Ebay became the rage, deals are harder to get. Same can be said for antique stores. Price of axe heads has climbed dramatically according to those in this hobby longer than I and guys joining the hobby like me are part of that problem...but that is how things go.

Just because it is not easy, does not mean it cannot be done. I have gotten some silly good deals, just not so easy to do.

Bill
 
It does matter when you bid. If the bid hits a reasonable price days before the auction ends it give the manic compulsive "i must have it at any cost" bidders the opportunity to drive the price up well past new retail prices. Great for sellers not for buyers. Yes i still get good buys on ebay but maybe 75 percent less than i used to. There are still a few tricks to get deals but its nowhere as easy as it was. Its so easy to bid now via laptops and smartphones theres no need to bid early. Bidding early just pushes up the final sale price. If the goal is to pay more then bidding early is the way to go, lol.
 
Same goal but different ways of getting there. We all want good deals but to think that you/we/I can convice everyone else to see the light is not going to happen. We are not a collective but a collection of individuals. I bow out of plenty of auctions that pass what I think is a reasonable prince and watch dozens of auctions for every one that I bid on- only to delete them when they get too high. I also see the same items that "sold" for a high price advertised a week or two later.

Flea markets are still the place for deals- seldom pay more than 10.00 for a head or axe there. But, like a specialty store, if you need selection then you will pay a premium. They guy looking for that one special axe to treasure for years will soon forget paying 20.00 more for the head than he wanted to. I will get my Rixford one day ;)

Bill
 
Imalterna hits the nail on the head. Other bidders making the price to high? Too bad, either outbid them or wait for the next one to come up. Either way, the price is the price, it is the value the market has determined.

I acknowledge that more bids equals higher price on fixed increment auctions, but that's not how eBay works. You want real deals? Go buy from somewhere where you wont have to pay shipping.
 
People can do whatever they want. I pass on things on ebay all the time. I assess the item and formulate a reasonable maximum bid and don't go above it. Its just amusing to see people ensure by their own behaviors that they end of paying more for stuff, lol. I've seen used versions of currently in production items go for 20 percent more than you would pay for it at that famous named-after-a-river online retailer. So these ebay buyers end up paying more, have to pay their own shipping and because the item is used theres no warranty. We are simply acknowledging and discussing how bidder behaviors effect the bidding dynamic and how that behavior has changed over the history of the site.
 
You can just put something on your watch list without bidding, set up the phone app so it will warn you if somebody bids. I dont bid until last minute. I also try to look for "buy it now" and "make offer", seem to get what I want for how much I want without the stress of bidding lol
 
On a few occasions I've bid early. Sometimes it's to jack up the price so the seller will get more money. Sometimes I do it because I'm planning on the former, but wind up being the only bidder.
 
If I really want the item, I wait, and snipe.

However, if I'm vaguely interested, AND there is already a bid or two, AND if I'm not going to be available when the auction is closing, THEN, I might put up a bid, just to see if I strike. My bid won't be so high that I wasted money, and if I lose it...yawn.

The first time I ever bid on an item (a 24mm Minolta AF lens), which was in the earlier days of ebay, I sniped it at the end. it was a back'n'forth for the last 60 seconds, and the other bidder TIED me with 1 or 0 seconds to go. Tie went to me. My heart was pounding. It was fun. I don't think I've ever had that 'need' for an item since. (This was a real deal that I ended up with).
 
I bid early on axes I think are worth less than $20. If someone outbids me, I don't bid it up. I've already set the value in my mind. I bid last minute on the interesting and valuable.
 
I bid early, often, late, only once, frequently, infrequently, when the mood hits, and on whims!

If I find an item that interests me, I set a dollar amount as a top bid in my mind and I stick to it. How I get to that number is part of the fun!
 
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