EBay madness

[rab]

13 hours ago, Brassey said:

It doesn’t say much for the modelling fraternity. I spot something I need and hard to get hold of,  not necessarily at a bargain price, but a reasonable one and I put a bid down early. Then someone comes along and snipes me for 20p at the last minute. Not very gentlemanly...

That's the way the eBay cookie crumbles.

[Brassey]

1 minute ago, rab said:

That's the way the eBay cookie crumbles.

 

Seems to be missing the point or am I in the minority of 1 as per usual.  I am not a novice having been on eBay for 17 years.  Over those years it has become more of a marketplace than an auction with far more buy-it-now items which I do for most commodities.  I rarely bid for things nowadays.

 

The item in question had a starting bid of £3.00 and went for £3.20.  £3 is the price of the item on retailers websites so was a fair price.  We are all fellow modellers bidding on these items;  it is the petty last minute sniping that I object to.  If someone wanted to pay over the odds for this item, then why not put a bid in earlier and give me a chance to respond which I probably would no have and left them to it.

 

They probably think they were really clever outbidding me by 20p but the item was described as Nickel Silver but all the others I have bought direct from the manufacturer were brass so the are in for some disappointment.

[Colin_McLeod]

@Brassey they probably never gave it a second thought, just pleased that they got the item.  I think you are over thinking this.

 

20p is the bid increment at £3.00.

 

 

[Brassey]

5 minutes ago, Colin_McLeod said:

@Brassey they probably never gave it a second thought, just pleased that they got the item.  I think you are over thinking this.

 

20p is the bid increment at £3.00.

 

 

Yes as I said I am not a novice on eBay.  They would not have known my maximum bid.  But whatever they bid, it is more than the thing is worth as you can buy it online now for £3.

 

 

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

 

14 hours ago, Brassey said:

It doesn’t say much for the modelling fraternity. I spot something I need and hard to get hold of,  not necessarily at a bargain price, but a reasonable one and I put a bid down early. Then someone comes along and snipes me for 20p at the last minute. Not very gentlemanly...

 

I initially thought your original post was somewhat tongue in cheek, but now realise you were serious.

It's the same with any auction site/room, things sell for the price anybody is willing to pay, gentlemanly doesn't come into it, just because you are bidding doesn't mean everybody has to sit on their hands. What about the bidders who have been beaten by you, have they contacted you in a fit of pique to complain?

 

Mike.

[Bucoops]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - 

 

Ebay auctions should be looked at as 7 days of viewing (or however long it's listed for) and a few seconds of getting your bid in right at the end.

 

If you put bids in early you are "showing your hand" and potentially costing yourself money. I never bid before the last 10 seconds. It's not underhand, it's just how ebay works.

[MrWolf]

Think of it as someone else paid more than they should have for an item that you know is still available and for less. 

More than once I have bid on one of the cheaper wagon kits. But I keep an eye on what the trade are asking for a new one. Obviously I want to get the secondhand item from the private sale for a couple of quid less than one from a shop. 

Not everyone seems to do their homework. I have often seen people pay around £16 including post for a kit I have bid on, so I have bought a brand new kit for £12.50 inclusive. I have also looked at what is on offer and realised it's an older version of a kit with plastic wheels or none at all for the same price or more than a new one with scale metal wheels. There seems to be a lot of people who once they put a bid on an item get auction fever and forget such things.

Edited September 19, 2020 by MrWolf

[Colin_McLeod]

4 hours ago, Brassey said:

Yes as I said I am not a novice on eBay.  They would not have known my maximum bid.  But whatever they bid, it is more than the thing is worth as you can buy it online now for £3.

 

 

 

So whats the problem then? You can now buy one on line for £3.00 which was your bid anyway.

[sandwich station]

4 hours ago, Brassey said:

Yes as I said I am not a novice on eBay.  They would not have known my maximum bid.  But whatever they bid, it is more than the thing is worth as you can buy it online now for £3.

 

 

 

Generally early bids are to the opening bid amount, or not much above.

[Geoff Endacott]

I generally open the bidding at £10,000 which means I always win the auction, but it does get very expensive.

 

Geoff Endacott

[Bucoops]

7 minutes ago, Geoff Endacott said:

I generally open the bidding at £10,000 which means I always win the auction, but it does get very expensive.

 

Geoff Endacott

 

Is it ok if I message you my listings?

[MrWolf]

I always find it pays to have a look around the internet for the item you are thinking of bidding on, just in case it is available elsewhere. I find that an awful lot of motorcycle parts are available from small manufacturers or spares dealers and it is obvious that a lot of people are buying them and putting them on eBay for more than twice the price, or if an auction, starting at the regular price plus inflated postage.

It's the same way with model railway items. 

I wanted an etched brass kit for one of those old fashioned tin windmill pumps and there was one with a start bid of £10.

The bidding went silly because they are apparently unavailable new. It ended up fetching over £40. 

I did my homework and found that Scale Link is now partly under Fretcetera. Got a new one for £18. 

I know some will say that they don't have time to trawl through the internet, but I looked at it as getting paid around £25 for half an hour's work, that basically involved sitting on the couch after I had dinner and scrolling through the phone. 

[jcredfer]

2 hours ago, Geoff Endacott said:

I generally open the bidding at £10,000 which means I always win the auction, but it does get very expensive.

 

Geoff Endacott

 

I'm really sorry, I have misjudged your postings, for a long time.  I simply hadn't realised that you were an Gov't Minister.

 

Julian

PS. Alright, it was just a joke - no-one deserves that kind of an insult.

 

[Railfreight1998]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/R867-Hornby-Train-Pacer-Twin-Railbus-Provincial-Sector-Class-142/324257466095?hash=item4b7f4046ef:g:xIoAAOSwr-hfMZj~

 

#$%^&!

[MrWolf]

44 minutes ago, Railfreight1998 said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/R867-Hornby-Train-Pacer-Twin-Railbus-Provincial-Sector-Class-142/324257466095?hash=item4b7f4046ef:g:xIoAAOSwr-hfMZj~

 

#$%^&!

 

You can say that #$%^&! again!

[rab]

10 hours ago, Brassey said:

 

Seems to be missing the point or am I in the minority of 1 as per usual.  I am not a novice having been on eBay for 17 years.  Over those years it has become more of a marketplace than an auction with far more buy-it-now items which I do for most commodities.  I rarely bid for things nowadays.

I'm struggling to understand how you've been on eBay for 17 yrs

and have only now found out about lat minute bid sniping

[rob D2]

48 minutes ago, rab said:

I'm struggling to understand how you've been on eBay for 17 yrs

and have only now found out about lat minute bid sniping

I’ve been on it since 2002 and the way round sniping is purely decide from the outset what your max is, bid that , and never be tempted 

[CHAZ D]

4 hours ago, rob D2 said:

I’ve been on it since 2002 and the way round sniping is purely decide from the outset what your max is, bid that , and never be tempted 

 

The disadvantage is that this wil push up the price. The last minute snipe may work at your ideal bid without having pushed up the price provided that nobody has put in a previous higher bid. In which case you would not have "won" anyway.

So you may win with a lower bid?

[eldomtom2]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Model-Railway-Kitbuilt-Electric-King-Richard-I-6027-GWR-locomotive-oo-gauge/392943694435?hash=item5b7d44f263:g:xEYAAOSws~pfYd-T

 

Okay, the price seems not entirely stupid - but why has someone stuck King nameplates onto a Royal Scot?

[J. S. Bach]

50 minutes ago, eldomtom2 said:

Okay, the price seems not entirely stupid - but why has someone stuck King nameplates onto a Royal Scot?

Somewhere I have a Manor class that will eventually be re-named "DUNGFIELD MANOR".

[sandwich station]

1 hour ago, eldomtom2 said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Model-Railway-Kitbuilt-Electric-King-Richard-I-6027-GWR-locomotive-oo-gauge/392943694435?hash=item5b7d44f263:g:xEYAAOSws~pfYd-T

 

Okay, the price seems not entirely stupid - but why has someone stuck King nameplates onto a Royal Scot?

 

Has A Triang Hornby Flying Scotsman Chassis, Royal Scot boiler and GWR nameplates.  

[rob D2]

4 hours ago, CHAZ D said:

 

The disadvantage is that this wil push up the price. The last minute snipe may work at your ideal bid without having pushed up the price provided that nobody has put in a previous higher bid. In which case you would not have "won" anyway.

So you may win with a lower bid?

Like I say , I only put the maximum I’m willing to go to in and that’s conservative, so if doesn’t really matter if it might have gone for slightly less - if I couldn’t afford it , I wouldn’t have set the limit there .

[Enterprisingwestern]

6 hours ago, CHAZ D said:

 

The disadvantage is that this wil push up the price. The last minute snipe may work at your ideal bid without having pushed up the price provided that nobody has put in a previous higher bid. In which case you would not have "won" anyway.

So you may win with a lower bid?

 

1 hour ago, rob D2 said:

Like I say , I only put the maximum I’m willing to go to in and that’s conservative, so if doesn’t really matter if it might have gone for slightly less - if I couldn’t afford it , I wouldn’t have set the limit there .

 

How does sniping push up the price you are willing to pay?

As Rob says, your limit is what you are willing to pay, when you put that bid in is of no consequence, if someone wishes to pay more it doesn't matter when anybody puts their bid in, it will sell for whatever a bidder is willing to pay, sometimes that bidder will be you, sometimes it won't.

 

Mike.

[Bucoops]

You need to take into account people who put a bid in which pushes the price up, then decides to put another one in a bit higher and so on - if you leave your maximum bid as late as possible it does not give them time to think about putting another bid in.

 

Bidding early with your maximum bid can and does make you pay more for something.

[sandwich station]

I always bid in the last few seconds, I put in the price I'm willing to pay. If I get it good, if I don't, well it's to late to put stupid overpriced bids on just to get it.