EBAY: Lessons Learned and How Not to Get Burned
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This is sort of off-topic, but not exactly. I have never won a pipe on ebay because of sniping. Every (no exaggeration) auction I have tried to win has come down to a final 2-3 bids in the last 3 seconds. My question is, to you guys who ever actually WON an auction: is sniping the only way to win a pipe on ebay? That is a genuine question.
I would say, yes and no.
Depends on how many people are interested. If I see a pipe I want, and it's still has 5 days to go and there are already 4 bids, I know it's going to be near impossible to win. Too many already are showing great interest. More than likely someone is willing to go higher than me. If there seems to be little interest in an item, often you'll win it with no sniping.
But in all cases, when I really want something on ebay, I make sure I am there 15 mins before the end and am ready to place my highest and final bid 8 secs before it ends. I have won bids that way (I have never used a sniping service because I don't buy that much on ebay to justify it).
Decide beforehand your highest amount and then don't put that bid in, instead wait until the last minute to place it. If you place the bid early on, you're basically showing your hand to other bidders. In that way, it's almost like poker. If you hold off bidding, others will believe there's not a lot of interest and will have confidence that they don't have to watch closely.
I think it boils down to how much you want an item. It takes some effort, but all in all - not a whole lot.
Compare this with the hoards who park themselves outside an Apple store two weeks before a launch. Or the ones who get up at 2AM to be first in line on Black Friday. With ebay, you really don't have to work that hard, nevertheless, you get out what you put in.
One rule I always do that usually helps with sniping is people tend to enter whole dollars or .50. So say a pipe is at 5.00 and I am willing to go about 10.00. I will probably put either 10.06 or 10.56. It helps I promise.
See, last night I bid on a pipe with zero bids and I bid with less than ten seconds left and in the end, someone else won the pipe by beating the person who beat me, so it went from zero bids to three bids in the final 8 or so seconds. o.O I tried two more and they too got sniped, so it got me thinking. Anyway, thanks for the explanation, I think I just have to keep on trying.
Wow - that has never happened to me before.
Well, there are automated snipe apps that may be responsible. I am not sure how close you can safely time those, maybe enough to accomplish what happened to you.
The way I see it, there are people who use ebay for their living—nothing wrong with that. They may have an antique store, or re-sell on ebay.
Either way, one thing is for sure, they are more determined than the rest of us to win because their livelihood depends on it.
Auto sniping is becoming more prevalent. I lost a nice GBD Colossus yesterday that went for $22. I put in a $38 bid 15 seconds before the auction ended, but I was in the boondocks of NY on the side of the road and had no internet connection. No end snipe, but also no assurance my bid would have won the pipe. You never know the upper end of the highest bidder. I do hate tipping my hand on a pipe and if possible, try to bid in the last 15 seconds. If the auction ends at a weird time, sometimes that works (the one yesterday was around 2:30 PM Eastern).
I just grabbed this Comoys on Ebay, $23.XX. Pix and details not real strong. BUT, it looks like a 3-piece Comoys logo, which would be good thing. We'll see, I figured for less than $30, even a Cadogan era Comoys was worth that chance. Lesson or lucky? I'll let you know!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370656253120?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370656253120?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I agree with photoman, adding 90 cents to my dollar amount. I place my final highest bid at 6 seconds and just grabbed a Nording nordcoat for 16 $.It so much depends on the interest in the pipe itself if anyone is sniping. Also as someone mentioned the time of the auction. I think the price of estates on Ebay have dramatically increased in the past year.
A few more comments on sniping, etc:
1. Even if your snipe is the highest bid at the end of the day, you will still not win if it doesn't meet ebay's minimum incremental bid.
2. I've sniped dozens of pipes with Auctionsniper.com. My setting is to bid with 3 seconds left. I've never lost a bid because my bid was late.
3. Sniping is not the only way to win a pipe (or anything else) on ebay but it is definitely the best way.
4. Sellers hate sniping because the person who wins with a snipe has not been increasing the bid price of the pipe throughout the auction.
5. If you decide the absolute most that you will pay for a pipe and bid it in the form of a snipe, you will never lose an auction to a snipe unless your max doesn't meet the minimum incremental bid.
1. Even if your snipe is the highest bid at the end of the day, you will still not win if it doesn't meet ebay's minimum incremental bid.
2. I've sniped dozens of pipes with Auctionsniper.com. My setting is to bid with 3 seconds left. I've never lost a bid because my bid was late.
3. Sniping is not the only way to win a pipe (or anything else) on ebay but it is definitely the best way.
4. Sellers hate sniping because the person who wins with a snipe has not been increasing the bid price of the pipe throughout the auction.
5. If you decide the absolute most that you will pay for a pipe and bid it in the form of a snipe, you will never lose an auction to a snipe unless your max doesn't meet the minimum incremental bid.
I don't think that is correct. If your snipe isn't above the max bid of the current bidder, they will outbid you in the last second by going to the next incremental bid (you'll never know their max bid). That has happened to me a few times, but I was at my limit on my snipe bid, so it wasn't to be.
My read of this was that if you snipe in a "max" bid rather than an incremental bid that's just a $1 over seconds before the auction ends, others who bid incrementally won't have time to outbid you.
But of course if they also toss in a "max" bid over and above yours, they could snag it.
btw AL - nice score on that Comoys!
Another fuzzy picture, another good find at a great price. The Comoy's is indeed a pre-Cadogan "Patina" version with the 3 piece "C" logo. The briar is in great shape with some nice birdsye. The stem just needs a simple shine and two small dents to lift. I'll do a restoration thread on the pipe when I get home from the Richmond show.
I've bought quite a few pipes and tobaccos -- and guitars -- on eBay. And I think if you really want the best chance of snagging something, you really should use a sniping service. (I've used BidNip in the past.) Don't be put off by the fact that many eBayers use such services; they're extremely handy.
I'll also say, though, that even if you just use eBay's built-in bidding service, be sure to put in the maximum you're willing to spend. I know that sounds like a "Duh!" tip, but if a pipe or a tin ends up selling for more than that, you can take comfort from the fact that it went for more than it was worth to you.
A couple of other thoughts: If a pipe/tin has a "Buy It Now" option, and the price is reasonable to you, buy it. As soon as a single bid is placed on an item, the "Buy It Now" option disappears. (And often folks will place a very early bid solely to get rid of that option.) Highly desirable items will often go down to the last few seconds before any real bidding begins, because no one wants to jack the price up along the way. But whether you use a sniping service or eBay's own auto-bid feature, your bids will be part of that frenzy, up to the maximum you've stated.
Finally, don't be afraid to ask sellers questions. If a photo is unclear or something isn't mentioned in the text that you're curious about, ask. Often, a seller will be happy to post or send you additional photos and information. And be sure to scroll down far enough to see if any questions have already been asked/answered, in case your particular concern has already been covered. (These can even be good for an occasional laugh. I recently sold some GLPease Syrian tins on eBay and had a guy from overseas ask if I had any more tins. . . and if I'd be willing to save them for him when he visits the U.S. in April, since my listing stated that I wouldn't ship outside the U.S. Alas, I had to say no.
)
Bob
I'll also say, though, that even if you just use eBay's built-in bidding service, be sure to put in the maximum you're willing to spend. I know that sounds like a "Duh!" tip, but if a pipe or a tin ends up selling for more than that, you can take comfort from the fact that it went for more than it was worth to you.
A couple of other thoughts: If a pipe/tin has a "Buy It Now" option, and the price is reasonable to you, buy it. As soon as a single bid is placed on an item, the "Buy It Now" option disappears. (And often folks will place a very early bid solely to get rid of that option.) Highly desirable items will often go down to the last few seconds before any real bidding begins, because no one wants to jack the price up along the way. But whether you use a sniping service or eBay's own auto-bid feature, your bids will be part of that frenzy, up to the maximum you've stated.
Finally, don't be afraid to ask sellers questions. If a photo is unclear or something isn't mentioned in the text that you're curious about, ask. Often, a seller will be happy to post or send you additional photos and information. And be sure to scroll down far enough to see if any questions have already been asked/answered, in case your particular concern has already been covered. (These can even be good for an occasional laugh. I recently sold some GLPease Syrian tins on eBay and had a guy from overseas ask if I had any more tins. . . and if I'd be willing to save them for him when he visits the U.S. in April, since my listing stated that I wouldn't ship outside the U.S. Alas, I had to say no.
)Bob
mkelaw wrote:
Whether an auction is sniped or not, though, there's always going to be a general reluctance to bid much in the days/hours leading up to an auction's end, because no one wants to see the price escalate. That shouldn't make any seller angry or upset; it's just basic human nature. As a seller, I reconcile myself with this fact by making the starting bid as reasonable as I can while also making sure that if that's all I get from the auction, that's okay.
Bob
I can't speak for any other sellers, but as an occasional seller myself, I don't mind sniping at all. In fact, I expect it; it's how I've gotten most of my eBay items, and I'd be surprised if others weren't doing it too.
Whether an auction is sniped or not, though, there's always going to be a general reluctance to bid much in the days/hours leading up to an auction's end, because no one wants to see the price escalate. That shouldn't make any seller angry or upset; it's just basic human nature. As a seller, I reconcile myself with this fact by making the starting bid as reasonable as I can while also making sure that if that's all I get from the auction, that's okay.
Bob
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