All right, I'll bite. First, I don't snipe auctions. And, I generally
bid b4 the last day. But we're gonna have to accept that some folks like
to "win". In fact Ebay encourages the "win" v. "lose" perspective on Ebay
transactions.
Sellers reap the benefits when at least two parties are enthusiastic about
the idea of owning an item. We might set our max bids early, but remember
that we only pay one bid increment more than the next most desirous
bidder.
We on the list know there are alternative sources of Roadster related
items. Specifically the vendors that keep our hobby alive. Heck, many
times our vendors are the sellers in the Ebay Roadster Marketplace.
Think about this. If Rallye offered you a big discount, or a smaller
discount - which would you choose? Some of us take the high road and
offer a fair market price - others believe it'd be foolish to pass up the
big discount. Some folks consider sniping to be smart shopping. You'd
cringe if you visited http://esnipe.com Yes, someone's made a business of
sniping. And, some people are obviously willing to give up their Ebay
security to get a leg up on electronic sniping.
At some level Ebay is a community. We have all sorts of characters in
residence. In some cases an early bid can lower the final selling price.
For example, how many of us would bid against Gordon for body parts right
now?? How many times has someone asked a question about an item they were
considering on this list? Do list members then go and outbid them? I
hope that only happens if other list members were already in the game.
So, find your happy place and bid accordingly. If my collection becomes
large enough to place Roadster bits up for auction, I will certainly
appreciate the early bidders - then hope for several motivated snipers.
The last item I sold picked up 50% of its selling price in the last 43
minutes of the auction. I wasn't upset with the higher selling price, but
they would have sold for more if the ultimate "winner" had surfaced b4 3
minutes to close.
And, unless things have changed, sellers can remove an item from the
auction. I did this when I discovered an enthusiast I knew was in the
game for a car I built. His max price met my criteria and we closed a
deal 4 days into the auction. In that case, I'm sure I gave up money, but
I did send my baby to a good home. So, there are options. Talk to the
sellers if you want to make an early offer. "Buy it Now" listings are
only available to frequent sellers.
You think there's sleazy behavior on Ebay - visit just about any other
public auction. E.g., at cattle auctions there are actually hired
professionals that are paid to talk up the bidders ultimately inflating
the price of the cattle.
Milton (milton.iii on ebay)
milton <milton3@pobox.com>
/// datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net mailing list
|