is it worth making an offer on a Buy It Now which is halfway through with no bids?

[Ponders]

It's 2 big bookcases (£150 new from Ikea) - starting price is £50, BIN £100 (seems a lot to me), finishes Friday.

I was wondering whether to message & offer eg £75, or grit teeth & hang on for end of auction.

TIA

[Ponders]

they are exactly what I am planning to buy from Ikea, quite local, ready assembled - it does save a lot of faffing

[Ponders]

bump for helpful advice please

[DiscoDonkey]

Well no harm in offering, but they may have loads of watchers so might want to let the auction run.

[Ponders]

thanks, DD

just under 3 days to go now. if the auction runs that's fine; just hoping somebody else doesn't do BIN!

[DiscoDonkey]

I think once there is bids the option to buy it now goes? Could be wrong though

[nicewatch]

Bid 50 now, then that will remove the BIN option.

You can come back when the auction is about to end and raise your bid to 75.

[Ponders]

thanks, nicewatch - I did think about doing that, but thought if anyone else was watching they might bid it up, so I crossed fingers & hung on. someone bid £50 with about 2 mins to go last night & I nipped in got them for £51

£50 was way too high for a starting price, I think

haven't heard from the seller yet though...

[SavoyCabbage]

If they have lots of watchers, they won't care about your offer.

[sarahtigh]

I would email seller and say


"so glad to have won when can i come and collect will bring cash with me my mobile is 077xxxxxxxxx please ring me to arrange suitable time this weekend

many thanks ponders"

[Ponders]

thanks, sarah - I emailed this morning, & did say I'd bring cash, though I didn't give my mobile.

it's such a lovely day though, they may well be out (unlike poor me, toiling on the PC ) so I'll leave it until tomorrow before starting to fret. (but given the forecast for tomorrow I don't think I'll be picking up then - I don't want wet bookcases!)