Yep, big Preben Holm fan.? Can't afford another for a few weeks, dental appointment, but sure, let's see it!
Auction Sniping
- Thread starter Chasing Embers
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That's such a bizarre looking pipe. But yet I can't look away. It's like a sirens pipe or something.......
Couldn’t figure out how to attach pictures via PM, so, here you go...
I always bid my maximum and let the chips fall where they may. I don't worry about snipers or 'missing out'.
That's the essence of it. Strategies are meaningless, since everyone is using one, At the end it comes down to who is willing to pay more.
Although I understand that concept, it's been my experience that sniping frequently saves me money. Often times people who are kind of interested in an item will throw in a bid. If your max bid is higher they get notified right away and they might throw in another small bid just to see if they were close to being high bidder with their initial bid. And right away, someone's curiosity (more than their desire to actually win) has just raised the auction price $10 or whatever. Then someone else comes along and does the same thing . . .
If I hadn't placed any bids early on then the curious people wouldn't be competing against me.
If I hadn't placed any bids early on then the curious people wouldn't be competing against me.
absolutely.. bidding early is such a bad strategy. unless you like paying more.. maybe it makes you feel better to pay more? The earlier/more bids just drives up the price over where it would end up. If you bid in the last few seconds you are more likely to pay less.
when people see early bids with a reasonable amount on there they just throw a few dollar more bid on there to try to see your max bid. which drives up the price.
when people see early bids with a reasonable amount on there they just throw a few dollar more bid on there to try to see your max bid. which drives up the price.
Yep. Can't avoid it on some of the more expensive pipes. I learn very quickly that I'm just not up for competition on certain items that garner much public attention. For example most Dunhill and Sasieni pipes very quickly reach my level of financial discomfort after only a couple of days.
I think there's an unspoken code when it comes to certain special-interest items. A few place initial bids, but I believe most of us just keep quiet until the end to avoid driving up the prices.
I also somewhat strategically decided to collect pipes that don't particularly get much interest from the public, so more often than not I never spend more than $100 - $200 dollars. I recently purchased what I consider to be a "museum piece" for $200. I'd only ever seen one other of it's kind after scouring the internet for photos. I suppose it's a mistake to conflate scarcity on eBay with real-life scarcity. For all I know people in England might be using them for doorstops--- "What? That old thing? Yeh that was Granddad's"
definitely.. I'm in the same boat that if a pipe seems to be garnering lots of early interest I'm usually out.
Dont' hate the player hate the game.
I usually have a set price I'm not willing to exceed in mind. I watch the auction until the end. If it surpasses that price, I don't bid. If it doesn't, I throw that number down in the last 5 seconds. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't. The wind keeps blowing, the birds keep singing, and life goes on.
I usually have a set price I'm not willing to exceed in mind. I watch the auction until the end. If it surpasses that price, I don't bid. If it doesn't, I throw that number down in the last 5 seconds. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don't. The wind keeps blowing, the birds keep singing, and life goes on.
I set up a bunch of bids at lower than expected prices and let the chips fall where they may. Most of the time I get outbid, that's fine. But when I do win it's usually at a reasonable price.
I love to eBay snipe. It’s like allowing a small child to carry a lollipop around, and then snatching it from him seconds before the first lick. Very gratifying!
I think the numbers game doesn't work so well for me. I used to buy up plenty of pipes but now I really save my efforts for certain very specific things that don't often come up for auction. I pretty much consider a lost auction of these items to be a lost opportunity for an item that I might never see again for a year? perhaps five years? So I try not to spread myself thin (I have plenty of workaday pipes) and go after these specific pipes fairly aggressively.
So you’re the guy driving up the prices for no reason.......
if you were at a live auction would you go up in front of everyone at the beginning and say “I WILL BID $60 on this item” because that’s basically all you’re doing.
Yes that’s actually exactly what you said?
it’s like showing everyone your hand.
if you made the exact same bid at the end of the auction I bet you would win a lot more. People being naturally curious when they see bids, want to see if they can beat it by just $1 or $2. So best not to show them where you’re at if you don’t have to. And you don’t have to.
it’s like showing everyone your hand.
if you made the exact same bid at the end of the auction I bet you would win a lot more. People being naturally curious when they see bids, want to see if they can beat it by just $1 or $2. So best not to show them where you’re at if you don’t have to. And you don’t have to.
Well, it's a theory. But because so many use that theory I often see dramatic price increases at the end, and a lot of overbidding. It seems to be a great strategy for sellers. If someone is willing to pay more than you and I are, it doesn't matter when we bid. We're going to get outbid.
eBay works differently from a live auction in that respect. Your maximum won't be revealed unless someone exceeds it. That 28.50 bid showing might be backed by a $2850.00 maximum, but all anyone sees is the $28.50.
There's a pipe I'm following that has 3 bids on it and 3 dozen watchers. What do you think are the odds that there won't be a shootout at the end?
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