eBay Habits - When to Watch, When not to Watch

[Klobber]

An item comes up on eBay, you really like it, and place on watch list. About two days later, you notice a bidding war has erupted and now the price is quite close to your maximum. What is your next move?

Me in this scenario = Fold: Immediately Remove from Watch List, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.

 

[SpooPoker]

What harm does it do leaving it there? I keep it there till the bitter end. At the very least, I know how much to bid the next time. But eBay fail for not messaging the seller immediately and asking to end the auction for a deal

 

[Klobber]

Poll written in. Used some Poker terminology just for fun.

Originally Posted by SpooPoker

What harm does it do leaving it there? I keep it there till the bitter end. At the very least, I know how much to bid the next time.

No harm in leaving it there. But if I have say 20 items on watch, I like to know which ones I intend to bid on.

 

[PTWilliams]

I look at the bidder history to see if these guys are more experienced than me. A bidding war between two guys with hardly any history could be a shill.

 

[Metlin]

Never mind.

 

[TRA8324]

other option: i snipe.

 

[Kiwi Man]

It makes me a bad person, but I feel satisfied when an auction winner pays a whole lot more than what I was willing to spend for an item.

 

[Oyaji]

Originally Posted by TRA8324

other option: i snipe.
+1, I dont put anything in watch list, put my snipe, wait and see.

 

[bjan]

"I like to watch. . ." - sounds kinda dirty?

 

[pvrhye]

Originally Posted by Klobber

An item comes up on eBay, you really like it, and place on watch list. About two days later, you notice a bidding war has erupted and now the price is quite close to your maximum. What is your next move?

Me in this scenario = Fold: Immediately Remove from Watch List, Out of Sight, Out of Mind.

None of the above. Ebay has an automatic bid option, so I put in the maximum I'm willing to say and never look again lest I do something stupid.

 

[runner-guy]

Originally Posted by pvrhye

None of the above. Ebay has an automatic bid option, so I put in the maximum I'm willing to say and never look again lest I do something stupid.

+1. I watch items quite a bit. I think of the absolute maximum amount I want to pay and I bid with 30 seconds left. If the item goes beyond that price, oh well. Not having a maximum price in mind can get real dangerous.

 

[westinghouse]

No bidding wars for me. I only buy brand new items at buy it now or best offer prices.

 

[singlechange]

If an eBay item is on my wish list, I pull out my reserves and join in the bidding war. Happened to me last year when preowned not in the best condition John Lobb Jermyn II's (a forum member called it one of most sublime rtw shoe) in brown in popular UK 10 size with starting bid of 99 cents was on my watch list. It's a shoe I don't see often in this size and starting bid and after I factor in what it would cost to recraft it with new soles and cleaning the uppers I go in at $250 and win. Today the Jermyn II's are my favorites to wear.

 

[pvrhye]

Originally Posted by runner-guy

+1. I watch items quite a bit. I think of the absolute maximum amount I want to pay and I bid with 30 seconds left. If the item goes beyond that price, oh well. Not having a maximum price in mind can get real dangerous.

You don't use ebay's automated bidding? You don't have to manually bid every time. It'll just bid the minimum every time you get outbid til it reaches your max.

 

[runner-guy]

Originally Posted by pvrhye

You don't use ebay's automated bidding? You don't have to manually bid every time. It'll just bid the minimum every time you get outbid til it reaches your max.

I do use the automatic bidding up to the maximum bid. I just don't like putting in my bid too early.