Ebay bidding question

limey · 12-10-2009, 03:24 PM

I am selling something on Ebay, and the auction ends on Sunday. Until earlier today there was one bid on it - now there is a second bid by the same buyer.
Should I assume that they have put in an increased final price bid, because they're keen to get it?

Clodfobble · 12-10-2009, 04:24 PM

Yes, I would guess that first they bid the flat price you saw, then realized they could not be there to watch the very end of the auction (and/or someone explained to them the concept of sniping an auction in the last second,) so they bid again with their actual highest price, but had to surpass their own first bid in order to get the new bid registered.

limey · 12-10-2009, 04:44 PM

Thanks, Clod. Someone else has bid now, outbidding the first guy's two bids.
Really I ought to go to bed instead of staring at my crummy little auction item!

Clodfobble · 12-10-2009, 04:51 PM

I bet the first guy bids again. It astounds me how many people won't really put their true top bid as their top bid. They've bought into the inherent psychology of bidding, instead of objectively deciding what they will and will not pay for something.

limey · 12-10-2009, 05:18 PM

I'll let you know. It's part of a my new drip-drip approach to uncluttering the house.

Crimson Ghost · 12-10-2009, 11:31 PM

You can also keep your bids private.
Many times I've seen, let's say, 12 bids and only eight names.
It's set up so that only the bidder and seller can see them.

Sundae · 12-11-2009, 04:43 AM

On ebay.co.uk ALL bids can only be seen by the purchaser and the seller. It's part of the recent changes, very few of which I find helpful.

I almost never put my top bid in first.
Because there are people out there who will bid, realise they haven't yet one, then keep bidding in increments until they are the winning bidder. You then have a choice to go 10p up in the final minute, or just walk away. This is too much pressure for a tiny mind like mine.

If I'm the first bidder I'll maybe offer 99p more than the base price, then watch it obsessively for more interest. I'll then recommence bidding in the last hour. It lulls other bidders into a false sense of security. I know - I've had it done to me too many times.

glatt · 12-11-2009, 07:52 AM

Typically, I check previous auctions of similar items to see what they generally go for. Then I bid my top price based in part on that information and just check back to see if I won.

I usually am looking for something specific when I Ebay and have to bid and lose on 4-5 auctions before I get what I want for the price that I think is fair. A bunch of it is chance, because you never know the sanity of the people who are bidding against you. Some people are not rational.

limey · 12-11-2009, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by glatt

Typically, I check previous auctions of similar items to see what they generally go for. Then I bid my top price based in part on that information and just check back to see if I won.

I usually am looking for something specific when I Ebay and have to bid and lose on 4-5 auctions before I get what I want for the price that I think is fair. A bunch of it is chance, because you never know the sanity of the people who are bidding against you. Some people are not rational.

That's kind of how I approach it. In search of a specific item, put in my maximum/fair price and forget about it ...

monster · 12-11-2009, 09:12 AM

Now we all want to watch your auction, Limey....

xoxoxoBruce · 12-11-2009, 09:31 AM

Woo Hoo, I won, I won... Got a $10 off coupon at Pizza Hut, for only $18.

limey · 12-11-2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster

Now we all want to watch your auction, Limey....

I'm afraid I set it up as UK only and you can't change that once you've started, it seems. It's a shame because the item has a potential wider market ...
I'll let you know when it's over how I did

!

12-10-2009, 03:24 PM	#1
limey Encroaching on your decrees Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland Posts: 7,016	Ebay bidding question I am selling something on Ebay, and the auction ends on Sunday. Until earlier today there was one bid on it - now there is a second bid by the same buyer. Should I assume that they have put in an increased final price bid, because they're keen to get it? __________________ Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of

12-10-2009, 04:24 PM	#2
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	Yes, I would guess that first they bid the flat price you saw, then realized they could not be there to watch the very end of the auction (and/or someone explained to them the concept of sniping an auction in the last second,) so they bid again with their actual highest price, but had to surpass their own first bid in order to get the new bid registered. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

12-10-2009, 04:44 PM	#3
limey Encroaching on your decrees Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland Posts: 7,016	Thanks, Clod. Someone else has bid now, outbidding the first guy's two bids. Really I ought to go to bed instead of staring at my crummy little auction item! __________________ Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of

12-10-2009, 04:51 PM	#4
Clodfobble UNDER CONDITIONAL MITIGATION Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 20,012	I bet the first guy bids again. It astounds me how many people won't really put their true top bid as their top bid. They've bought into the inherent psychology of bidding, instead of objectively deciding what they will and will not pay for something. __________________ My book My other book My spirit animal

12-10-2009, 05:18 PM	#5
limey Encroaching on your decrees Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland Posts: 7,016	I'll let you know. It's part of a my new drip-drip approach to uncluttering the house. __________________ Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of

12-10-2009, 11:31 PM	#6
Crimson Ghost Larger than life and twice as ugly. Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 5,264	You can also keep your bids private. Many times I've seen, let's say, 12 bids and only eight names. It's set up so that only the bidder and seller can see them. __________________ We must all go through a rite of passage. It must be physical, it must be painful, and it must leave a mark. I have no knowledge of the events which you are describing, and if I did have knowledge of them, I would be unable to discuss them with you now or at any future period. Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years

12-11-2009, 04:43 AM	#7
Sundae polaroid of perfection Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: West Yorkshire Posts: 24,185	On ebay.co.uk ALL bids can only be seen by the purchaser and the seller. It's part of the recent changes, very few of which I find helpful. I almost never put my top bid in first. Because there are people out there who will bid, realise they haven't yet one, then keep bidding in increments until they are the winning bidder. You then have a choice to go 10p up in the final minute, or just walk away. This is too much pressure for a tiny mind like mine. If I'm the first bidder I'll maybe offer 99p more than the base price, then watch it obsessively for more interest. I'll then recommence bidding in the last hour. It lulls other bidders into a false sense of security. I know - I've had it done to me too many times. __________________ Life's hard you know, so strike a pose on a Cadillac

12-11-2009, 07:52 AM	#8
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	Typically, I check previous auctions of similar items to see what they generally go for. Then I bid my top price based in part on that information and just check back to see if I won. I usually am looking for something specific when I Ebay and have to bid and lose on 4-5 auctions before I get what I want for the price that I think is fair. A bunch of it is chance, because you never know the sanity of the people who are bidding against you. Some people are not rational.

12-11-2009, 09:12 AM	#10
monster I hear them call the tide Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Perpetual Chaos Posts: 30,852	Now we all want to watch your auction, Limey.... __________________ The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity Amelia Earhart

12-11-2009, 09:31 AM	#11
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Woo Hoo, I won, I won... Got a $10 off coupon at Pizza Hut, for only $18. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

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