Private listings

[spikey]

Can somebody please help me to understand one of Ebay's mysteries, namely what's with this "private listing - bidder identity protected" lark?

 

Aren't all buyers' identities protected anyhow by Ebay giving each of them a pseudonym for the purpose of their bidding on a particular auction?  What might be the benefit to the seller of "private listing" something like a loco which might reach £40 if he's lucky?

 

Is a private listing one to be approached with even more caution than usual?

 

It might just be me (admittedly it often is), but I really don't understand this ...

 

 

[Metr0Land]

It seems to me to be an anachronism. In days of old, buyers' identities were disclosed unless the seller chose to make it a private listing.

 

Then Ebay decided to sprinkle all buyers' names with asterisks but never took away the private listing facility.

[Guest]

It seems to me to be an anachronism. In days of old, buyers' identities were disclosed unless the seller chose to make it a private listing.

 

Then Ebay decided to sprinkle all buyers' names with asterisks but never took away the private listing facility.

 

Agreed. A bit like the car you see on the street displaying an old tax disc. It doesn't need to be there but no-one's bothered to remove it. All listings are now private as Metr0Land says, to the extent that it's impossible to decipher the bidder's true ebay identity.

[petethemole]

On a regular listing you can tell the bidders apart, see who is really keen, or if a bidding war is developing. Private listings totally obscure the bidders so you can't tell what's going on and I tend to suspect shill bidding.

[spikey]

Nice to know it's not just me then ...

[polybear]

It also makes checking feedback on a particular product from a trader impossible, cos' if someone leaves negative feedback you don't know what it's for

Mind you, the feedback system is nigh on useless anyway...

[Keith George]

Can somebody please help me to understand one of Ebay's mysteries, namely what's with this "private listing - bidder identity protected" lark?

 

Aren't all buyers' identities protected anyhow by Ebay giving each of them a pseudonym for the purpose of their bidding on a particular auction?  What might be the benefit to the seller of "private listing" something like a loco which might reach £40 if he's lucky?

 

Is a private listing one to be approached with even more caution than usual?

 

It might just be me (admittedly it often is), but I really don't understand this.

 

I for one will never bid on a private listing-bidder identity protected item.

I also think it cries out shill bidding.

 

Keith.

[Guest]

I for one will never bid on a private listing-bidder identity protected item.

 

Why? Decide the maximum you're willing to pay, enter that and if you're not the high bidder, nothing lost. If you are, and you get the item for a reasonable amount (or less), then Bob's your mother's brother...

[njee20]

I've never even thought to look. Like Pete I have a price I want to pay and avoid going (much!) above it.

[Keith George]

Do I presume that some on here sell on ebay  with private listings ?

 

I don't because I don't hide from anything or anyone.

 

Keith.

[njee20]

Neither do I, don't even know how. I just avoid getting caught up in the bidding 'process'. If I'm bidding against shill bidders then so be it, doesn't actually change how much I'm prepared to pay for an item.

 

I'll stick an offer in for that amount as late as I dare, and be prepared to walk away.

[Crosland]

Timing is largely irrelevant. Just bid what you are prepared to pay and be disciplined about it.

[njee20]

Timing is hugely relevant. If I want to bid £10 for an item, and do so as soon as I see the item (say with 5 days remaining) that means everyone else has 5 days to bid >£10. Alternatively if it sits at £5 until the last minute then maybe no one else will bother, as they'll think their (say) £8 bid is sufficient, but would actually go to £11 if they were outbid.

 

Why would you show your hand any earlier than you need to? Simply chucking your bid in early is a surefire way to pay more than you need to, hence sniping programs being so popular.

There is a modicum of the reverse being true mind. If you bid £10 with a day to go and you're instantly outbid because someone's put more then you have more chance to up your bid.

[BG John]

I always bid in the last 10 seconds or so, so I have a fair chance of no one putting in a later bid, and it also means I don't have time to rashly put in another bid, so protecting my bank account! Any later and a small glitch means I may lose it, but probably too soon to beat sniping programs. I assume that anyone who puts in an early bid is too lazy to sit at their computer waiting for the last moment.

 

It also means I'm at the computer when bidding ends, so if I've won I can pay immediately, which earns me positive feedback for quick payment.

[njee20]

I have lost out on items because I've held off bidding, then either entirely forgotten or not be able to bid at the end. Most irritating when I simply forget, and I'm casually sat beside my phone when the auction ends! Of course it's always those items that go for a song!

[EddieB]

I think eBay has made changes to make it easier to stay logged in, but it used to be that your session could expire while looking at something and you would have to re-input tour userid and password for a bid to be accepted.  Once or twice I lost out on placing last minute bids manually.

[BG John]

I think I've forgotten to bid once or twice, but usually manage to remember!

 

I've been logged into eBay for months, and it never seems to throw me out. The only time I can remember having to login was a couple of weeks ago when I replaced Windows with Linux on my computer.

[njee20]

Like Eddie I remember going to bid and having to log back in. They've made the app pretty good now, I rarely use the desktop site.

[Crosland]

Timing is hugely relevant. If I want to bid £10 for an item, and do so as soon as I see the item (say with 5 days remaining) that means everyone else has 5 days to bid >£10.

So someone wanted to bid more than your £10. You were outbid, nothing to do with timing.

 

Alternatively if it sits at £5 until the last minute then maybe no one else will bother, as they'll think their (say) £8 bid is sufficient, but would actually go to £11 if they were outbid.

If it's sitting at £5 then only one bidder has bid £5 or more. if someone bids £8 at the last minute then you will still win with your early £10 bid.

 

Why would you show your hand any earlier than you need to? Simply chucking your bid in early is a surefire way to pay more than you need to, hence sniping programs being so popular.

If you WANT to bid £10, bid £10. If you get it for less it's a bargain. If someone bids more, they bid more, nothing to do with timing.

 

There is a modicum of the reverse being true mind. If you bid £10 with a day to go and you're instantly outbid because someone's put more then you have more chance to up your bid.

If you are happy to pay more, bid more at the start. Timing makes no difference.

 

I've said this before but if you are bidding against me there is no way you will win unless you bid more than me, whatever your tactics.

[njee20]

So someone wanted to bid more than your £10. You were outbid, nothing to do with timing

Technically yes, but if you see an item at £5, you may bid £9, if it's a £10 you may go £11. I don't necessarily have a real maximum on (say) a couple of wagons, my maximum will be influenced by the existing bids, give or take a few pounds.

 

To say timing is irrelevant is to woefully underestimate the psychology of eBay bidders! I'd say that 95% of eBay bids come in the final hour of an auction.

[Crosland]

Technically yes, but if you see an item at £5, you may bid £9, if it's a £10 you may go £11. I don't necessarily have a real maximum on (say) a couple of wagons, my maximum will be influenced by the existing bids, give or take a few pounds.

 

So your maximum is £11, not £9. Just bid £11.

 

If you are only interested in getting a "bargain" then bid £9 (or less) and walk away. You can't have it all ways just to suit your argument.

 

I don't believe that you do not have a maximum. Would you go to £20? £30?

[Guest]

Why are you even arguing about this???

Like njee20, I'll always bid at the last moment if I'm around. Others place their maximum in advance and then walk away, which I'll also do if I know I won't be around when the auction ends or if it ends at stupid o'clock in the morning. Both methods are fine. There's no right or wrong way to do this and it has naff all to do with hidden identities anyway.

[njee20]

So your maximum is £11, not £9. Just bid £11.

 

If you are only interested in getting a "bargain" then bid £9 (or less) and walk away. You can't have it all ways just to suit your argument.

 

I don't believe that you do not have a maximum. Would you go to £20? £30?

But I don't know my maximum is £11 necessarily. I don't have a chart on my wall, I'll decide based on the existing price of bids, the exact item etc. Like I already said.

 

Anyway, as Pete says, this is not related to private bidders, I'll keep winning auctions with late bids, you chuck your bid in with 10 days to go by all means!

[Crosland]

I'll keep winning auctions with late bids, you chuck your bid in with 10 days to go by all means!

 

I guarantee you will not win any auctions against me unless you outbid my maximum bid It doesn't matter whether you place that bid 5s after mine or 5s before the end.

 

Too many people suffer from confirmation bias when it comes to sniping.

[Southwold]

I assumed it was there to protect those who were buying something dodgy or embarrassing - stuff they wouldn't want the missus to know about! - but I've bought several items in recent times that have shown on my feedback page as "Private". They tended to be 'BIN' sales so there were no bidders against me. For the record, a pair of sexy Airfix 'B Set' coaches, a pair of bedside cabinets and a war novel!

 

Ken