eBay Lesson Learned

Sure it is. It's a kind of silent auction. The exact same thing could have happened to you at a live silent auction, if someone came along at the last minute and outbid you by the bid increment. There are two different ways to approach ebay. Some people "snipe" which means that they wait until the absolute last minute to bid (there are sites that will do this for you) and some people simply bid the maximum they are willing to pay and wait to see what happens. You can always tell the new bidders on an auction. They're the ones who keep coming back with new bids. If you simply put in the maximum you are willing to pay, Ebay will follow the auction and increase your bid by increments up to your maximum. What you bid is not necessarily what you pay, unless someone else runs the bids up.

While I am sure that what you imply (that sellers run up their own bids) is possible and happens, I have never had it happen to me and I know someone who used to sell on Ebay who lost his privileges when Ebay caught him doing that.

Elizabeth

Sallys Mom said

Being quite frugal, I refuse to get into bidding wars. I don't use them but I've heard that there is (are?) programs that can be set to watch items on ebay. As the auction is about to close, they up the last bid.

anne had some very interesting things to say about Re: eBay Lesson Learned:

I personally prefer to find items with a Buy It Now price, and if I like that price for the item, I'll just use that option and save myself the aggravation.

It seems more likely that you got "sniped" by a last minute bidder. Annoying as heck, but still a legitimate practice on Ebay. If you suspect the seller faked their own bid, check their feedback rating and recent auctions. It's pretty difficult to fake positive feedback.

I sell on Ebay from time to time, when I've got stock that isn't moving from the shop, or "vintage" needlework things for collectors. I've learned the hard way that a big portion of my sales do go to snipers who hold back 'til the last second. And I definitely know that as a seller, it's my obiligation to list the item at the lowest price I can stand, and not complain if that's all I get! Many, many items will just sit there all week and sell for the opening price a moment before close.

I will say the market for patterns on Ebay is pretty soft lately. There are some good bargains to be had. I'll probably let my own stuff pile up and see if things pick up later this year....

Lucy Boyer Cross Stitch Unlimited / StitchStash.com Arlington, MA

Thanks for all your insights and replys. I will most likely use the Buy It Now system in the future. One of my mistakes was writing the seller asking if he/she would add the Buy It Now feature to the item - many of the seller's other items had that option. The response was no and I was encouraged to bid. Another mistake I made was in not completely understanding the system - hence the title "lesson learned".

I hope to have another chance to buy the chart - I kinda did want it!!! :-)

I don`t understand what you mean by "deception". It`s part of the fun hanging on to see if you can get the last bid in! You win some, you lose some! The sellers have no influence at all on how the bidding goes! I suppose it`s best to put in a bid for the very highest amount that you`re willing to pay - and then just forget about it until the item closes. If no-one else bids anyway, or just has a lower limit, you won`t pay the maximum amount you`ve bid anyway. It only increases by enough to outbid the other bidder, until your maximum is reached.

Pat P

Pat P

Sometimes I have had that happen the last day of bidding on an item and I get outbid. I have always thought there was a hidden reserve or the person auctioning the item is somehow bidding against me. But I do not bite and go back into the bidding as I have already made my maximum bid. If I see something I like I always put my maximum bid , what I am willing to pay. If the bid does not go that high, I only have to pay the final bid price and if it goes higher than my max bid I don't want it anyway. Saves a lot of hassles. I am fairly cautious as I don't see any point in paying more than I would in say a book store or shop or online shop. I figure in the shipping cost, make a maximum bid and let it ride. If I win I win if I don't no worries. Sorry lost your bid, but you are right it will probably be back another time. Good luck on future bidding. Ruby

"Sallys Mom" wrote in news:3Jlke.10609$4F1.5965@trnddc06:

The seller might have had to terminate the auction and lose their listing fee if they changed it.

"Pat EAXStitch" wrote in news:Yrmke.11636$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net:

I sorta miss watching the tactics at Onsale.com, now defunct. They would automatically extend the closing time of any auction until there were no bids for 2 minutes, or some time period like that.

The other thing I miss about Onsale.com was that you could leave a public comment with your bid. It ran from "Please don't bid on this I want it for a birthday present for my grandson" to "don't bid this up too far, they have had lots on sale and will have more."

You were sniped. A lot of people go to esnipe.com (myself included) and place bids that hit the site within 6 seconds of closing. This allows us to bid on items without broadcasting our presence. Seems like there are people out there who see we like something, then watch what we bid on and top the bid, consistently. I have now begun using esnipe almost exclusively to avoid this. Esnipe also allows me to bid if I will be away from the computer at bid closing time.

I am sorry you lost out, it really is a disappointment. If you don't use esnipe then the best strategy is to enter your absolute top bid and wait it out. Don't succumb to the urge to up it just once more or you will end up with auction fever and pay more than you want! Speaking from experience here!!!

You are absolutely right about the chart showing up again. If you miss it the first time, you will almost always have another opportunity. I don't remember what chart you were bdding on, but I have a lot of old charts, so let me know and I will check my stash.

Don't let this one experience keep you from eBay. It's a marvelous way to find things at a very good price, but you must check often and be prepared to lose at the last minute. I have gotten lots of great things there and lost a bunch too, so I do understand.

If I can be of any help, you can email me privately. Just leave out the no spam parts.

Pat > Being a new bidder and was watching my first bid literally minute by

May I ask what was the Chart. Some times the same charts will keep appearing....

Marc

My Ebay mistake was to buy a book that I found later marked down at below list price on the Barnes & Noble website and for less than I paid for it on Ebay. Recently an out-of-print German lace knitting pattern book went for $70+ (not counting shipping) on Ebay. Using Google, I found a yarn shop that sold it to me for ~$30 and that included shipping. I've seen ridiculous bids on back issues of magazines that could still be purchased for a few dollars from the publisher's backlist. I think a lot of Ebayers get caught up in a bidding frenzy and someone ends up paying way more than they could have for a pattern or book.

Now before bidding on a patterns or books I first check Amazon.com, B&N, or do a Google search for the item to see if I could buy it outright elsewhere. If I do decide to bid on Ebay, I usually make my maximum bid a few dollars less than the cost of buying/shipping on Amazon or some other source. That way if I win the auction, I come out ahead a few dollars. If I lose, I just buy it from the other source. I know some vintage patterns are extremely rare, but a surprising number of patterns offered on Ebay are still available from non-auction sources. Carolyn in Cary, NC

I do the same thing when looking at books on E-bay, only I use Bookfinder.com to check the prices on books. It searches all the available databases, includeing Amazon.

Just be sure you type "bookfinder.com" NOT "bookfinders.com" like I did one time. You end up at a, ummm, 'educational' site.

Ellen

Thanks to all for the positive feedback and helpful advice. It really has been a "Lesson Learned" (with a little help from RCTN)!!! Fortunately the cost of the item was minimal (less than $5) and there was "no harm, no foul". The chart I wanted was OOP - Fried Green Tomatoes from the book/movie of the same name - which just might be my all-time favorite movie. The good news is that I had posted my want for the chart on another message board. One of the ladies had it and is sending it to me absolutely free and she doesn't even know my silly sob story.

Sallys Mom

Which just goes to show how generous most stitchers are :)

I often pass on my finished charts to the 'next person' and I believe what goes around comes around because in my mailbox a few weeks ago were FOUR Indigo Rose charts that I had listed on a wishlist on a BB some time ago....it's a nice feeling!

I'm very glad you got your chart :)

Blessings Tannia