Ebay bid increase

[Velorum]

How about when an item has no bids, you place an opening bid and within seconds are told that you have been outbid?

Its happened to me a number or times.

So, if purely by coincidence someone else is placing their bid seconds after you then fair enough - however its happened too me too often to be coincidence. On each occasion the seller has been a dealer.

I am wondering whether there is some kind of programme that allows the seller to monitor an item and then beat any bids placed up to a pre-set amount.

[PhilipK]

There is never[*] any point in placing a bid on an eBay item before the final seconds of that auction - otherwise you give other people (whether the seller themself - where it's called shill bidding, and is illegal - or another user) an opportunity to decide to outbid you.

The three basic rules for placing a bid on eBay are:

1. Bid once, and once only, on any auction
   
2. Bid the maximum you would be happy to pay
3. Bid as late as possible

[*] If you understand the concept of BIN Stomping, then you know enough to devise your own bidding strategy.

[watchcollector1]

There is never[*] any point in placing a bid on an eBay item before the final seconds of that auction - otherwise you give other people (whether the seller themself - where it's called shill bidding, and is illegal - or another user) an opportunity to decide to outbid you.

The three basic rules for placing a bid on eBay are:

1. Bid once, and once only, on any auction
   
2. Bid the maximum you would be happy to pay
3. Bid as late as possible

[*] If you understand the concept of BIN Stomping, then you know enough to devise your own bidding strategy.

This. Plus the forth rule is always use a Sniping App to bid for you right at the last minute - I use "Mybidder Auction Sniper for Ebay" on Andriod. It'll do all the work for you and can bid 3 seconds before the end so no-one else will have time to react before the auction finishes.

[Franky Four Fingers]

This. Plus the forth rule is always use a Sniping App to bid for you right at the last minute - I use "Mybidder Auction Sniper for Ebay" on Andriod. It'll do all the work for you and can bid 3 seconds before the end so no-one else will have time to react before the auction finishes.

Well apart from anyone else using the app, which is probably about 100000000 people ?

[watchcollector1]

Well apart from anyone else using the app, which is probably about 100000000 people ?

Yes of course another sniper may have bid higher anyway but the point is no-one else will see my bid before it's too late to react. If you try to bid manually at the end you risk being too early so that your bid is visible in time for others react and bid higher than they would have otherwise done in order to beat you.

You wouldn't show your cards early if you were playing poker would you?

[Franky Four Fingers]

Yes of course another sniper may have bid higher anyway but the point is no-one else will see my bid before it's too late to react. If you try to bid manually at the end you risk being too early so that your bid is visible in time for others react and bid higher than they would have otherwise done in order to beat you.

You wouldn't show your cards early if you were playing poker would you?

I don't play poker so the analogy is wasted on me but I was commenting on the bit about no one else having time to react, no one else having time to react apart from anyone else who has the app which kind of makes it pointless surely?

[watchcollector1]

I don't play poker so the analogy is wasted on me but I was commenting on the bit about no one else having time to react, no one else having time to react apart from anyone else who has the app which kind of makes it pointless surely?

The other people using the app wont know what I've bid either until it's too late so they wont be able to react if their snipe bid is lower than mine. The psychology of auctions is that people get caught up in the bidding process and have to make quick decisions on whether to increase their maximum bid above what they were originally comfortable with or miss out on the item. If you don't reveal your bid you don't give other bidders that chance to change their bid after yours (whether they are using a sniping app or not).

Using a sniper app isn't pointless because it puts you at an advantage over anyone who doesn't use a sniper (and there are plenty who don't) and you are also therefore not at a disadvantage to other snipers.

Bidding earlier (manually) than you need to on an ebay auction is completely pointless - all you are doing is pushing the price up and unless you've bid quite a way over the odds you are going to get outbid on most occasions.

[groyn]

There is never[*] any point in placing a bid on an eBay item before the final seconds of that auction - otherwise you give other people (whether the seller themself - where it's called shill bidding, and is illegal - or another user) an opportunity to decide to outbid you.

The three basic rules for placing a bid on eBay are:

1. Bid once, and once only, on any auction
   
2. Bid the maximum you would be happy to pay
3. Bid as late as possible

[*] If you understand the concept of BIN Stomping, then you know enough to devise your own bidding strategy.

I don't know what BIN Stomping is, but otherwise, totally agree. I assume sniping apps are in use, so assume I will only get the chance to bid once, doing it within the last 10 secs. I also often bid MORE than I would be happy to pay, taking a wild guess at a limit that the competition would NOT be happy to pay. More often (a lot more) than not, I end up paying what I am happy to pay, or less.