Ebay $&@!?

[DotAndBang’sPipes]

No matter how many eBay estate pipes I bid on, I lose them all. Forgive me if I’m just complaining... but does anyone else experience this? I’m bidding on pipes that are not super popular and are often not worth more than $50, but I still lose. Maybe I just don’t enjoy the competition of Ebay. Ugh. P.S. It’s the same bidder every time. And based on his/her bidding and winning habits, he/she must be smoking a lot of pipes. Thoughts?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Bid more or patience. The competitive bidder will eventually buy all he wants. He may have one of those bot programs that bids higher in the final milliseconds. I'd recommend patience. You'll eventually get pipes you want at the price you feel is fair to pay.

 

[woodsroad]

I buy quite a bit on eBay. Some pipes, but a lot more $ worth of photo gear.
I determine the price that I want to pay, then bid it in the last few seconds. If I lose, then the pipe went for more than I wanted to pay, and I move on. The only regrets that I ever have is when I forget to bid on something and it goes really cheap.
I also sell my old photo gear on eBay, so I'm subject to the same behavior from my customers. Sometimes stuff goes cheap, so be it. I treat the winner like any other valued customer, and move on.

 

[ashdigger]

Ebay is what you make of it. Can you get the once in a lifetime deal, yes. Can you get a decent deal, yes. Can you succumb to Ebay fever and go berserk, yes.
Think about your budget and what you are willing to pay, just like Woodsroad stated.

 

[mso489]

I don't do ebay. I want to focus on the pipe I'm buying, not the auction process, and for me that's more a binary choice. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't some bidders have software that tracks and bids for them? Hence, unless you're playing the software game, you chances are lower. I'd rather pay a little more and get what I order, but that's just me. Some members here get nifty pipes on ebay; more power to them.

 

[DotAndBang’sPipes]

I think you have clearly articulated my feelings on the matter. I’m guessing automated bidding is involved and I’m not really wanting to play that kind of eBay game.

 

[ashdigger]

Anglo, luckily for you there are plenty of places to buy new and estate pipes. Forum sponsors are highly recommended because of their selection and service.

 

[woodsroad]

Automated bidding (sniping) has absolutely zero effect on the way that I bid. If you bid up to your limit, then it doesn't matter how fast someone else outbids you. They've outbid your highest offer. They were willing to pay more than you were. Game over, try again tomorrow.
I don't win everything that I bid on. But I don't overpay for what I do win, either. Many times, I'm pleasantly surprised to get a bargain.

 

[jmsmitty6]

When I first got into the hobby I used Ebay quite a bit to build my collection. Now that I'm further along I don't use it at all, not that it isn't a great resource, I just didn't have much luck. I have since found out that there are indeed various apps/programs that are designed to outbid you.
At this point, I buy directly from a B&M (rare) and directly from Smokingpipes. True, I pay more. However, I get exactly what I want and for a price that is predetermined. My personal philosophy is that I'd honestly rather buy new than estate. That is something I learned buying many estate pipes via Ebay and other sources.

 

[ashdigger]

To be quite honest I enjoy Ebay. I stick to my internal price rules and I've done pretty good.

 

[sablebrush52]

Automated bidding (sniping) has absolutely zero effect on the way that I bid. If you bid up to your limit, then it doesn't matter how fast someone else outbids you. They've outbid your highest offer. They were willing to pay more than you were. Game over, try again tomorrow.
I don't win everything that I bid on. But I don't overpay for what I do win, either. Many times, I'm pleasantly surprised to get a bargain.

This pretty well sums it up for me. Sniping isn't any kind of an edge, since so many are doing it. Sniping software will go as high as the user allows, so if you're outbid by a bot it's because that user was willing to go higher than you were. I decide what an item is worth to me and that's my limit, no more. If I win, great, and if I lose, oh well, there's always more.
And I've seen numerous sniping disasters over the years where the users have set a ridiculously high limit and collided in the stratosphere, paying as much as 10 times the market value for a dingus. Highly entertaining.
I look for things on eBay because I don't find them elsewhere. Otherwise I wouldn't bother.
You may get a great deal every now and then, but that's not what eBay is about. eBay pitches itself as the place to get the steal deals in order to bring in the suckers. If that myth was universally true, no one would be selling on eBay. It comes down to who's looking on any given day, and how well the item is presented.
I've found some great deals on eBay, though not nearly so much in recent years since they've improved their cross checking interface. And I've bought some of my best pieces from other collectors, or private dealers.
Know what market values are for what you're bidding on and stick with that. Eventually you'll have some success. And, as others have suggested, look at the online dealers, and at pipe shows. I've found better deals at pipe shows than eBay.

 

[wyfbane]

I have gotten burned a couple times but my overall success rate on getting good values on Ebay is really high.

 

[woodsroad]

Etsy is another site worth perusing for pipes. Much fewer pipes than eBay, but far fewer people looking for them there, too.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

I had a good night on fleabay tonight. Bid on five pipes and ended up winning two. Many nights I don't win a single pipe, which I am fine with because I set my limit and live with it.

 

[kcghost]

That's the key to using eBay. Whether you use a bot or an actual bid, bid once for your max amount, and walk away. If you win great if not someone else wanted it more.

 

[ukbob]

With eBay I think it’s just luck for me ,when I bid I place a maximum bid and hope nobody beats me.

 

[pagan]

Sometimes you eat the Bear, sometimes the Bear eats you

 

[ssjones]

Last second bids (or auto bid) are the only way you'll have much regular success. My strategy is exactly the same as Woodsroad. I enjoy the last seconds angst!

 

[cohibajoe]

Last second bids (or auto bid) are the only way you'll have much regular success. My strategy is exactly the same as Woodsroad. I enjoy the last seconds angst!

What I have also learned from eBay and other auctions sites before eBay...Do your research and set a Price for the item you are Bidding on, Never put a Max bid right from the start and with me Last Seconds then I Bid cause you are also bidding on the Watchers that can bid in the end.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I have heard mention of "auto-bidding" on here for years, but when I look for such an APP or software, I can't find it. What is this phenomena? I usually just wait till I get a notification 30 minutes before the end of an auction that I am watching or have bid in, and then if I want the item, I just wait till the last few seconds and bid again. I am not sure whether I would enjoy using software to do this or not. I kind of like the adrenalin of getting the notification, and then pulling the trigger myself.
But, most of the time, if I put in the absolute most that I would pay for said pipe, I get it. That means that if a pipe has been hovering at $25 for a week, I may bid $200 max. I put that in, and sometimes I get the pipe way below my top price. But, I don't expect a pipe that has hovered at $25 to come in at $30. The market is full of buyers with the means to get what they want.