I usually don't let the facts get in the way of a good story... but unfortunately, that story was true, word for word. 
Ebay $&@!?
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I believe a well known no reserve guy has been using shills for years. Not you Steve.
You can see partial user names with the number of transactions next to their name. When I see a guy bidding hundreds of times and 62% is with one seller, I look at the pipes he is bidding on. You can easily see a pattern.
You can see partial user names with the number of transactions next to their name. When I see a guy bidding hundreds of times and 62% is with one seller, I look at the pipes he is bidding on. You can easily see a pattern.
Cigar: some bidder like that could easily be any collector, including me. I bid on many pipes each week with the big 3 no reserve sellers. I bid erratically, I’ll bid daily or hourly out of boredom or entertainment, I sit at a desk for 9 hours a day . I push up bids on pipes I don’t really want but I feel as underpriced, I end up as a second place bidder frequently . I believe in eBay and their algorithmic forensic ability to ferret out bogus bidders from real bidders like myself, especially with the high volume sellers mentioned.
Over 60% of my bids have been with one particular pipe seller, he does consistently have the best pipes every week.
Over 60% of my bids have been with one particular pipe seller, he does consistently have the best pipes every week.
I am a value investor by profession, just because I don’t REALLY like a pipe, I’d still be willing to pay a minimum price for it, if there is value ... may end up as part of my collection if it is a great smoker or it’ll end up back in the secondary market ... For a pipe I really like, I’ll push the bid up to my pain threshold , which usually is above others... I don’t suffer from the OPs issues, I win almost every pipe I really like, and get a good bargain on the rest
Alan, so you think it is cool to drive prices up on pipes you have no interest in just because it is fun? You really see nothing wrong with this?
peck, lol. In reality peck and I check with each other if we think we might be on the same pipe. I have never bid up a pipe just for shits and giggles, it just isn't cool.
Yeah man, just run people up until you're #1 and then bail, ebay sticks it to the next highest bidder!
This is why the timing of a bid does matter, and waiting until the last second seems to be the most logical time to bid, because people will sit there and shill you up when you leave a proxy hanging there with enough time left for them to think about it.
This is why the timing of a bid does matter, and waiting until the last second seems to be the most logical time to bid, because people will sit there and shill you up when you leave a proxy hanging there with enough time left for them to think about it.
I disagree. The winner is the one who bids highest whenever that bid is placed. If you don't bid more than the dingus is worth to you, the rest doesn't matter a bit, because you would have been outbid anyway. On the other hand, if you're desperate enough, or stupid enough, to put in a high bid, then timing may matter, but as I've witnessed time and time again, snipers destroy each other financially by putting in ridiculously high bids in the last second as a strategy to "win" the auction. It's a terrible strategy but a very good way to overpay, and very entertaining.
I've sniped plenty with a low bid, many times a pipe will only have one bid at the close of the auction, I'll enter a few bucks more and win (in the last second). The other bidder only entered the mininum, with the hope I guess, that no one else would bid. Works sometimes. Bidding early on a contested piece makes little sense to me, in fact bidding early on any auction is not a great strategy and will only decrease your success ratio.
Harris:
I don't bid on pipes I don't have an interest in. I only bid on certain artisan makers and pipes that are attractive to me, attractive is subjective so my bidding aggressiveness is variable based on relative attractiveness (to me). I bid on 10-20 pipes each week, and have done so for years. After bidding on thousands of pipes or a couple million dollars worth, I finally have a strong idea of value. I'm rarely way off from my estimates, and when something is too low, I'll place a bid because I find value.
For example if I bid on an estate Rad Davis pipe (since I know you like his pipes) and near the end of the auction the pipe is only $50....I know it should be more $, so I'll bid on it, which by definition "bids up the price".
If pipe auction losers don't like that, too bad. That is what an auction is supposed to be. Now, will I bid it up to $300? Nope. I don't think most estate Rads' should cost $300, I bid it up to where I find value.
I don't bid on pipes I don't have an interest in. I only bid on certain artisan makers and pipes that are attractive to me, attractive is subjective so my bidding aggressiveness is variable based on relative attractiveness (to me). I bid on 10-20 pipes each week, and have done so for years. After bidding on thousands of pipes or a couple million dollars worth, I finally have a strong idea of value. I'm rarely way off from my estimates, and when something is too low, I'll place a bid because I find value.
For example if I bid on an estate Rad Davis pipe (since I know you like his pipes) and near the end of the auction the pipe is only $50....I know it should be more $, so I'll bid on it, which by definition "bids up the price".
If pipe auction losers don't like that, too bad. That is what an auction is supposed to be. Now, will I bid it up to $300? Nope. I don't think most estate Rads' should cost $300, I bid it up to where I find value.
balkansobranies: That is NOT how eBay works. Know your facts. If the winning bidder "bails", the #2 guy does not have to pay anything. Additionally, the person would lose their ability to keep bidding on eBay if they did that repeatedly.
I have heard many complainers about people repeatedly bidding in small increments being a shill. Most likely not a schill, probably someone raising the bid by $1 at a time, because that's their bid style for that pipe.
There are many ways to bid, just because you or others don't like someones' bidding style, too bad. It's a free world.
I have heard many complainers about people repeatedly bidding in small increments being a shill. Most likely not a schill, probably someone raising the bid by $1 at a time, because that's their bid style for that pipe.
There are many ways to bid, just because you or others don't like someones' bidding style, too bad. It's a free world.
Yep, I call them "creepers". They creep up on a price and sit there until outbid, then creep up to the next level and sit there until outbid again, and so on, and so on.
When a winning bidder bails, the second highest may be offered a "second chance" offer by the seller. I've bought a few pipes that way, and turned down a few. The seller isn't obligated to make a second chance offer, nor is a bidder obligated to accept it.
I follow about 40 auctions a week. A few I bid on, most I follow to learn market rates and to enjoy the sometimes peculiar habits of bidders.
Interesting thread. If your max bid is $175 and you lose my one cent meaning the sales price is $175.01, the winning bidder potentially bid $10,000 but nobody else bid past him.
Ebay is easy. You either bid enough or you lose.
Why does everyone make it so complicated.
Ebay is easy. You either bid enough or you lose.
Why does everyone make it so complicated.
If you bid someone up & take the lead, and then jump off before the auction ends, the 2nd-place max bid is now number one. If you're bidding people up bit by bit & not intending to max them out, you're basically just playing games by nibbling up the bid. More reasons not to bid with much time left. :
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