StanJr Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 I so don't get this. Why do people even bother to bid on a item until the last 15 minutes or so? Isn't the idea to get something as cheap as possible? There is this Sword of Saros auction going on right now (with about a week to go) and some genius has already bid the price up from 9.99 to $46.00!! What a maroon. If brainiac had waited he may have got it much cheaper! At least he would have had a better chance, cause it sat at 9.99 until he decided to toss his hat in the ring. When my girlfriend bids for me, she never bids until the last half hour just to keep the price down (I don't condone sniping, even though its the only way to win). What gives? Early bid Stan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 I think most of the sellers have a friend or another account of some sort and they jack the price up to what they really want for an item and if someone buys it great if not they just list it again at a later date Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 And maybe the buyers are hoping to get the minimum bid high enough to scare away alot of potential bidders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted April 2, 2002 Author Share Posted April 2, 2002 SEE! Further proof that ebay is a tool of evil, manipulative profiteers who have no soul!!! I knew it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmi Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 there is a guy named timecowboy on ebay that bids on EVERY 3do light gun since march 4th 2002 he bids $50 (first bid) then $80 (second bid) then $100 (3rd bid) he won a light gun and he bid $137 then 2 auctions pop up for 2 more light guns and he bids again one is just a light gun and a flight stick the bid is at $76 right now, this guy needs to chill seriously, hes pissing me off royally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Weis Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 stan..i don't know about everyone, but a lot of the time when i bid, i'm bidding against people i know (atari community) like even the members on this board!! or i know that more then likely people that will bid on this that i know. i bid early to give all a chance.. is that stupid (maybe....ok.. Yes!!) sure if i snipe i would get a LOT more items for cheaper! now why not bid 15-30 minutes before an auction ends? i guess there is a difference between sniping and bidding with 15-30 minutes left. but a small difference! not everyone sits at their computer all day long watching all their auctions end! some auctions end in the middle of the day when people are at work or late at night while some people sleep (Yes...belive it or not, some of us do sleep) i don't like to be sniped!! do you? (i'm not trying to slam you or anyone who does this just telling you my reason!) all i'm saying is i don't like to snipe so why would i do it to someone else!!... that's why i don't! i don't know about the reasons for everyone else though.... Take Care, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted April 3, 2002 Author Share Posted April 3, 2002 No, sniping is one of the things I hate about e-bay. I am totally against it, but sadly it is usually the only way to win something (that or set an ungodly proxy bid). While I don't use the ebay myself, my girlfriend will usually wait until the last hour or so before she ever starts bidding just to keep the price low (which sounds smart to me). To my knowledge she has never swooped in on the last minutes of an auction to snipe it out from under someone. But if she's in an auction she will pay very close attention as the auction draws to a close. Anti-snipe Stan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joystick Jolter Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 I think it's 99% wrong to think that all auctions are fixed or just flat out crooked. I'm not saying that no auctions are swayed by their sellers, just that almost none are. If you check all the auctions for Atari games and accessories of worth(not the $2-$3 stuff)are bid on all the same people. There are maybe 50 people who bid on most of the "good" stuff. As a bidder if you don't like to snipe then don't, but don't expect somebody is going to just let you win because you bid what you want to pay for something. That is what an auction is. It is something put up for sale at what the market will pay. I think that most sellers who want x dollars for something just put a reserve on their item. What I would say to all is very simple, "if you are outbid by someone, I guess they either wanted it more than you or could afford more for their purchase." I don't like to lose auctions, but I accept that the winner either outsmarted me or just was willing to pay more. Ebay is not the only place to make your purchases. If you think that something is too much then don't bid on it. Remember you're just buying games not a replacement heart to keep you alive. If it was then it's something to get upset about. And just to add this, as Rick Weis added, most of the people bidding on eBay are members of the boards right here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahfish Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Joystick Jolter: I think it's 99% wrong to think that all auctions are fixed or just flat out crooked. I'm not saying that no auctions are swayed by their sellers, just that almost none are. what's up with your auctions? are the included docs originals or are they just photocopies? i sent a mail but didn't get a reply ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Lemmi: I think most of the sellers have a friend or another account of some sort and they jack the price up to what they really want for an item and if someone buys it great if not they just list it again at a later date I don't agree with this. I know lots of people who sell stuff on eBay and to my knowledge none of them have ever resorted to shill bidding. I have little doubt that eBay has algorithms that attempt to detect shill bidding when it occurs. While it certainly does happen, it's not something I generally worry about when bidding on eBay. I usually just take advantage of eSnipe when bidding, except for auctions I really want to pay attention to as they come to a close. When I first started bidding on eBay, I would always snipe myself, which was a little more "exciting", but you can spend a lot of time on eBay watching auctions end. Once eSnipe came around and I started using it, I no longer had to worry about being near a computer when an auction ends. And yes, I prefer to snipe as opposed to putting in the maximum amount I want to pay when I first see an item I'm interested in. What I'm surprised eBay doesn't do is extend auctions by 'x' minutes (say, 5) at the end of an auction when new bids are received. This allows everyone to get in their bid, and I bet it would drive up the price of many auctions because of the, "D'oh! I would have paid another $5 for that!" mentality. As a buyer, I might not be as thrilled about it, but it might encourage me to put more items up for sale. I'm sure they've given it considerable thought and have their reasons for not doing it. I mean, if it would cause the final price to be higher, that means they make more money since they get a percentage of the final item fee. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmctm1sw Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 I don't bid until the final 30 seconds actually. Yes, there are scams out there (including having friends bid on stuff for you) and the old "last minute bid retraction" scheme. I don't buy much at all from ebay but the majority of experiences have been good ones for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jahfish Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 well, i do snipe sometimes .... when you know the person who's highest bidder or in the bidders list, and you also know that he might bid quite high, you will realise that the earlier you start bidding, the more this could end in a bidding war .... so you just try your luck at the end ... i think it's quite normal, as after all, the item is only sold when the auction closes, so it doesn't really matter if you bid 1 or 10 days before ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Monkey Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Freedom Fighter: Yes, there are scams out there (including having friends bid on stuff for you) and the old "last minute bid retraction" scheme. A few years ago, I was selling new TurboDuos and there was this guy who kept bidding them up really high (using 2 accounts) and then cancelling his bids right before the auction would end. Thankfully, I had listed the auctions with reserves. I did a little investigating and found that he was also selling Duos, but they were used.... basically he was driving up the price on mine to get higher bids on his own auctions. eBay did absolutely nothing for me when this happened... and the guy kept on doing this until HE was ready to stop... The usernames he was using at the time are no longer active, but the way eBay works, he could still be out there with a new username... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Weis Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 "What I'm surprised eBay doesn't do is extend auctions by 'x' minutes (say, 5) at the end of an auction when new bids are received. This allows everyone to get in their bid, and I bet it would drive up the price of many auctions because of the, "D'oh! I would have paid another $5 for that!" mentality" Al, ebay won't change because yahoo came up with that idea first.. you expect ebay to change? but some one other then them came up with it first! Take Care, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted April 3, 2002 Author Share Posted April 3, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Lost Monkey: eBay did absolutely nothing for me when this happened... How many times have we heard this? FURTHER proof that ebay is a tool of evil and perhaps evil itself?????!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari-Jess Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 I HATE ALL AUCTIONS why cant people just SELL their items?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquid_sky Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 ebay is evil its useless.. and ive only used it 2 times.. one for me one for a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markimus of K. Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 Ok Guys, you all have very good points... However, despite its "basic evil" Ebay has a lot of pluses. My video game collection would not be what it is now without it. It all comes down to "Caveat Emptor". That means: "Buyer Beware". As far as sniping and the many other perceived ills of Ebay, hey, thats part of the package. It works on very straight forward rules. If you don't like it then don't bid. It's really that simple. You play the game or you don't. Stop moaning and whining about it already! I know Ebay isn't perfect, but then again neither is you local flea merchant. If you don't like that then do not patronize your flea-merchant. If you don't like Ebay then don't bother with it either. We all have freedom of choice. Use It. (and please, Appreciate It!) As always, Markimus of K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted April 4, 2002 Author Share Posted April 4, 2002 Yeah, I understand the "if you don't like it don't use it" mentality, but that does nothing to fight the evil and save unsuspecting ebay vicitms. I'm not whining about anything, I'm fighting the good fight here. If my neighbor is a pedophile, I may not chose to visit him, but is it ok for me to let him go on being a pedophile? Should I not want to put an end to his evil ways? Crusader Stan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Weis Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 but that does nothing to fight the evil and save unsuspecting ebay vicitms. I "I'm fighting the good fight here. If my neighbor is a pedophile, I may not chose to visit him, but is it ok for me to let him go on being a pedophile? Should I not want to put an end to his evil ways?" i bit off topic but to answer your question: should we castrate ALL men and boys? that would put an end to pedophiles! (and the whole human race) so should we do away with ebay even though only less then 2% are "crooked" auctions? i've been burned 2 times on ebay from sellers.... and there has been about 10 times that i know of that the seller has bid up the auction i had a bid on out of 1,000 auction.. (there could have been a few more... who knows) of the 2 times i was burned one had 2 neg and 2 pos feedback so i took the chance and lost.. an the other one he had the picture taken from far away.. so i would not see all the writing on the box... you live and learn.... if it was not for ebay i would have never thought of even trying to get a complete sears boxed collection.. without ebay i would have just stoped once collecting all the sears carts.... Take care, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanJr Posted April 5, 2002 Author Share Posted April 5, 2002 I totally understand your point on this. I've experienced ebay from both sides of the fence, I've been royally screwed by it and I've gotten some neat-o stuff from it. But my level of satisfaction is only at 50%. Again, its not necessarily the ebay that is evil, its the soulless profiteering capitalist monsters that twist it into something evil. Did the world not turn before ebay was invented? People survived and lived before ebay and they sure could afterwards. People may actually have to do some work to get the things they want. They may even have to leave the house! Sorry for the rant, I'm in a mood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Weis Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Hey Stan, only 50%?!?! WOW!! i understand how you would feel for ebay at that rate!! WOW!! yes.. there are some monsters out there for sure!! yes.. i agree! most (50%) of my US collection i got back in the early-mid 80's from a source in NY. i don't know how he found some of these carts, but he sure found alot of goodies... and that was by snail mail... i did not get on the internet till 98 (yes.. you guessed it, because i heard about EBAY!!!) one of my friends told me about some UR carts on ebay so i rushed out to buy a webtv unit and here i am today... IF there was no ebay i think i still could survive since i have made soooo many friends on the internet that collect atari... but IF there was NO internet??? want to know a funny thing? before i got into the internet, i had NO idea that there were SOOOOOOOOOOOO many collectors out there!!! and most are really nice and friendly people!! (here i thought i was the only geek in the world) don't be sorry! i understand now!!! Take Care, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonlightKnight Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Atari-Jess: I HATE ALL AUCTIONS why cant people just SELL their items?? Yes but why sell for $5 what someone might be willing to pay $20 for? That's the whole point of eBay or of any auction in general, getting maximun dollar for your item. I mean let's face it, I have lots of things in my house that I know are worth money but how do I know how much someone is willing to pay for them? An auction lets them set the price they are willing to pay, and if that just happens to be more than the item is really worth when the auction ends, then so be it. I just hate it when people START their auctions at outrageous prices. That's just ridiculous. $5 for a copy of Combat? No joke, I saw this once. Stupid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 I haven't bought or sold very much on eBay over the last year, but I've been on eBay for over five years (scary) and I've had very few poor experiences. I've transacted hundreds of auctions as a buyer and seller and nearly every one of them has gone through without a hitch. I believe only one time in five years have I not received something I've paid for, and that was a $10 2600 cart. When we ran all those Auction for America auctions, I believe there might have been one auction that wasn't paid for that Alex and I ended up paying for (it wasn't a high-dollar item, fortunately). We managed over sixty auctions during that time and had very few problems, thankfully. While you certainly do take risks with eBay, as long as you're careful you can minimize that risk somewhat. As a seller, always thoroughly describe your items, including any damage, even if minor. Take clear photos of your items and include them in the auction. Make sure you describe exactly how shipping will be calculated. Describe how the item will be packaged (in a box, padded envelope, etc.) Especially highlight any wear and tear or damage. Always be prompt in communication. Package your items carefully. Ship promptly upon receipt of payment. Leave positive feedback when it is due. As a buyer, use common sense. If someone's selling a shrinkwrapped Waterworld, has no feedback, just created the account, describes the auction with one sentence, and doesn't include a picture, don't be surprised when you get ripped off for $100 if you're the high bidder when the auction ends. Always read the auction description and look at any photos very carefully. Make sure you know how much the seller is charging for shipping! Use an escrow service for high dollar items if you're not familiar or comfortable with the seller. Ask on message boards if people have ever dealth with a particular seller you've never seen before. Look at what other items the person is selling to get a feel for what they generally deal with. Always look at someone's feedback the first time you bid on one of their auctions. Email the seller any specific questions you have before bidding. Do a search on Deja.com to see if anyone's made comments about the seller in a newsgroup. And so forth. While you can't absolutley protect yourself from getting taken advantage of, you can go a long ways towards decreasing the odds.. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weaselbrains Posted April 5, 2002 Share Posted April 5, 2002 Getting back to the issue of sniping, I don't really agree that sniping is the best tactic. Here's my reasoning. I generally only look at ebay.com.au because shipping is too expensive from overseas, I look at the newly listed atari items every day and when I see something I want I bid what I'm prepared to pay. If I wait until the end of the auction to bid then somebody might see the auction and see that it has no bids and only a few days to go and then they will bid on it. If I already have a bid on the auction then I think people are less likely to bid against me. The other advantage of this is that I'm not tempted to bid higher than I can afford. I have won quite a few auctions for a lot less than I expected bidding like this (taiwan style Space Grid boxed for $4.00 AU). I'm not saying that sniping doesn't have its advantages, but there are advantages to getting your bids in early (not to mention the feeling of inner peace and good karma you get from not sniping anybody) mitchell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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