e-bay bidding

WVBill · Feb 3, 2002

OK, everything I know about e-bay bidding I learned from the thread "ebay sniping" here on TBN so I'm a real novice and I have a question...

My wife wants to buy a book on doll making from e-bay . <A target="_blank" HREF=http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=1328373652>(item #1328373652)</A>

I looked it up yesterday and found it offered. The bid at the time was $5.00 or something. She's willing to pay up to $20 so I went to the bid screen and entered a proxy bid (I thought) with a maximum amount of $20.

Here's my questions:

1) Why does it show the current bid is $20? - I thought it was supposed to keep my maximum secret and only proxy bid in increments.
2) Why are there four bids from the same person AFTER the time I placed the bid - but there are none of my increments shown?
3) If I goofed and just submitted a bid (non-proxy) for $20, why would someone have submitted four bids for less than $20 after I submitted mine?
4) If those four bids are that person's proxy agent going against my proxy agent (it could be since the timing is pretty close) then a) why aren't my proxy agent's bids shown and b) why did their proxy agent wait several hours after I put my proxy in to start?

I'm really confused and all indications are that if my wife is really willing to payup to say $30 - the only way to do it is by sitting here at 10:45 EST tonight and sniping.....

What did I do wrong?

TWINKLE_TOES · Feb 3, 2002

WVBill,
1) Why does it show the current bid is $20? - I thought it was supposed to keep my maximum secret and only proxy bid in increments.
Because you are the high bidder.
2) Why are there four bids from the same person AFTER the time I placed the bid - but there are none of my increments shown?
Wookiebaby went fishing for your proxy and gave up one short of finding it /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
3) If I goofed and just submitted a bid (non-proxy) for $20, why would someone have submitted four bids for less than $20 after I submitted mine?
You didn't goof,your bid is entered. Each bid attempt by wookiebaby incremented the bid.
4) If those four bids are that person's proxy agent going against my proxy agent (it could be since the timing is pretty close) then a) why aren't my proxy agent's bids shown and b) why did their proxy agent wait several hours after I put my proxy in to start? Wookie baby's proxy/bid was less then your proxy. He/she tried four times to place a higher bid. Futile Fairie had the high proxy prior to your bid.

The average price for this book on www.amazon.com, used books was $17.17. You might also try:
www.alibris.com www.usedbooks.com (currently closed for remodeling?) and www.bookfinder.com
Al

gws · Feb 3, 2002

When you place a proxy bid you went to $20 becasue the next highest bidder had his proxy at $19.
Keep in mind that you cant see the proxy prices. You see the bid price and the bid price might be a proxy. If you see $5 bid currently pending, then its at least 5, might be more.

A proxy bid counds as one bid. Even if it goes up in the future. If you see someone with more than one bid then they have bid more than once. they have gone back. This is NOT a proxy bid. this is a real bid.

As for getting the doll, DO you want it at any cost or only $30. If $30 then wait till your over bid and proxy bid $30. If you win you win, if you loose, you loose. Its just a doll.

I bid on maybe 100 items a week. I get maybe 1 or 2 a month. If I can get it for my price it wasnt worth having.

WVBill · Feb 3, 2002

Thanks, Al and Gary - I understand now. I guess we have the book unless someone snipes at the last minute or I stay up tonight and try to anti-snipe.

I saw the book on amazon - but I also saw that there are 7 buyers waiting for someone to offer a used one on amazon so I decided to try ebay.

Thanks again.

Gatorboy · Feb 4, 2002

This is just another example of how you PAY MORE by proxy bidding. If you would not have bid the initial $20, Wookiebaby would have been sitting as high bidder to the end with his $15 bid. You could have placed a bid of $20 at the last second, and most likely would have gotten the item for $15.50 or so.

eBay wants you to use PROXY bidding for it is more money in their coffers (for they get a percentage of the sale).

s1120 · Feb 4, 2002

One thing I have had good luck with is placing my bid for a odd number. If the bids were 50c increments I would bid 21.50 insted of 20. This way you can outsmart some of the snippers. Most people will bid eaven.

Gatorboy · Feb 4, 2002

I would bid 21.50 insted of 20. This way you can outsmart some of the snippers. 

Now, how exactly would that outsmart a sniper?

gws · Feb 4, 2002

There are several program out that you can run to the snipping for you. The program waits till the last minutes then starts upping the bid for you. The 21.50 isnt going to help in those cases.

Wingnut · Feb 4, 2002

eBay sure does love Proxies ... and prays that people will use it. I just hate finding osmething I'm interested in when it's just posted as I cannot believe how it just goes up and up to (or above) the retail proces as people find it.
As was pointed out ... proxy is great for keeping the price moving up and generating auction anxiety.
Sniping is much more fun ... is my connection faster than yours?
I've learned that patience is much better than "need" .... I've caught myself, several times, paying more for an item than the seller lists the item for on their site .... now I always go check retail first. Heck, why pay more .... you go to eBay to pay less.

WVBill · Feb 5, 2002

Well, we got the book for $20. And yes, It may havbe been more than we HAD to pay.

On the other hand, it looks as if wookiebaby kept submitting bids until he got to $20 - saw that my $20 beat his and he didn't want to go more than $20 (like me) so he quit there. So maybe I would have had to pay $20 anyway.

I don't like auctions. In my opinion, proxy bidding is more like the way I normally "shop". I don't run all over town comparing prices to make sure I get the lowest possible price either for most things (large purchases are the exception). It just isn't worth my time to spend hours saving a buck or two. So when I need something and I see it in a store if my gut tells me it's what I'm willing to pay I buy it for that price.

That seems to me to be kind of like a proxy bid.

If it's something I don't really need right now, I'll probably "price shop" a bit by taking note of the price in various stores I happen to be in for other reasons.