How the hell do you actually win an auction????

[fifitot]

I am regularly outbid by pence - right at the end!

I do auto bidding but have also tried coming in at the end as heard it only accepts bids with 30 secs to go.

Am always beaten by pence with seconds to go, from someone who hasn't been bidding until the last minute.

Is there some secret to this? I know I should let it lie because I should set my price and stick to it, but to lose out by so little is infuriating - what can I do?

bid a really odd pence price eg if it says bids of £3.50 or more, bid £yourmax.69
or similar

Thanks have tried that. Am a bit of a buying virgin - though have sold a fair bit on ebay.

Is it worth getting that package I have heard of (snipe?) which bids last minute for you? or is it illegal or something?

I usually try to time it so I'm clicking confirm bid in the last 15 seconds. I've never had a problem being able to bid with less than 30 seconds to go.

I haven't but then I am strict and don't get carried away. Put my max in and that's it!
Was recently bidding ELC garages. There are lots on there but took me 6 weeks to get one at a decent price (£10 instead of the £30 tat they seem to go for!)

I use a sniper; it's not illegal, and there have been times I've been very glad I had it.

See www.myibay.com

Thanks - will try again tomorrow!

in advance decide your maximum
bid that amount with 45 seconds to go
if you win, good, if you lose you've not over spent.
do not faff with partial bids
i've been selling on there since 2001 - sellers are used to watchers and the last minute rush

I bid at 3 or 4 secs to go...:) and I usually bid £xx.53 or £xx.03 I use the candy clock to time it accurately.
I never bid as early as 45 seconds! ;)

I just sit next to my loudly ticking clock usually bid at about 3 seconds

3 seconds? I find my internet connection can be a bit rubbish at times so that doesn't help. I bid on something tonight with less than a minute to go. I think you need nerves of steel to do with 3 seconds!

Still if it gets results!

my internet has let me down before but honestly, I put my bid typed in at about 10 secs, lsitening to my clock as I go (saddo) then click the confirm bid at 3 seconds - going off my thud thud thud clock

fifitot if you want to be really sneaky, have an apparent "maximum bid" placed in the normal way via eBay, eg, if the current bid is £10, you can bid £20 but only £10.50 will show (or £11, or whatever - not your full £20 iyswim, just ebay bidding increments). So your opponent/s may work out that your maximum is £20, and think they'll outbid at £20.50/£21; they may even snipe at that.

Then you put in a cheeky snipe at 3/4/5/6 seconds of £25.51.

This doesn't guarantee that you win; someone else may have a maximum bid of £30, either via ebay or snipe, but it does make the end of the auction fun.

(Not sure if that makes sense...)

also that can be a bit crap because it might be at £5 and you've stuck £20 on. then people keep bidding and bidding pushing your price up til they are in the lead. Whereas they might be in the lead at £5.50 then leave it as they are in the lead. Then by chance you bid at last few seconds and bam win it for £6 all circumstatial of course

bidding early, with your maximum, can be completely pointless & also pushes the price up for everybody else...

Holding out until the last minute (with your best fat bid in another window ready to go) to see who else is in, is much safer; if you are beaten at that point you haven't wasted days thinking that you might have won it!

Lots of people massively overbid for things on eBay. I was astonished at how much things went for, when I was shopping for my not so pfb.

Anyone can "win" an auction if s/he wants to pay enough!

Well, obviously it depends how much you want the object, and how much you can afford to pay. But snipers definitely have their uses. :)

what is really really frustrating is hanging on to do your own sniping & then seeing rank amateurs bidding up against each other in the last 5/10 minutes

What's all this about having your bid in another window? How?

just keep 2 ebay windows open, sShetc - one to monitor bidding, the other with your own top bid ready to go

I am hardly ever around when things are finishing so I bid what I am happy to pay - putting in a weird number - I favour .79 and then I leave it and see what happens. If I love the item and it's a convenient time then I will wath it - but tbh I think that's almost a guarantee that you'll get carried away!

I put the max I'm prepared to pay in at the last few seconds and always add on 10p so say if I'm happy to pay £10, then £10.10 or £10.60 or whatever. I do have success .

me too, monty.

but, for example, the last time I bought something it was at £50 with 2 minutes to go & then 2 newbies (ie 6/7 feedbacks each) bid against each other up to £74 so when I eventually sniped it cost me £76

(this was for a bike, pick up only - limited choice geographically!)

Ponders - grrr I know what you mean.

I never understand why anybody bids before the last 10 minutes or so.