eBay auction help

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Inferno
Joined: Sun 30 Sep, 2012 07:35
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eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

i have never attempted to buy something from eBay in an auction, however this time, i found a rare part for the Z3 in an auction and i made my move, i set my highest bid, and i am currently the highest bidder, auction ends on Sunday, do you have any tips how to win it? (except from having infinite money)
do i have to increase my max bid on the last seconds?
what is the difference between max bid and simple bid ammount? for example, public bid was at 60€, i setted my max bid at 70€ and the public bid went at 61€..
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BladeRunner919
Joined: Fri 17 Feb, 2012 20:18
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by BladeRunner919 »

If it's something you desperately want, then bid as much as you're willing to pay - you won't necessarily have to pay that much, it just depends on who else bids. Basically, if you have set €70 as a maximum, that means your bids will be entered automatically up to that maximum amount if other bidders push the bidding up.

There are online tools to bid at the last second, but the principle is still the same.

If I'm after something that I really want, I will try to watch the last few minutes of the auction so that I can react if it looks like there's lots of interest, but that's also why some items go for much more that they're worth (or cost to buy new), because people get caught up in the drama!
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Inferno
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

Ok, i got it, so i can put my max budget from now,

BTW. it's something you can easily live without, but it's a must have on the other hand, it's very expensive as new and it gives a nice look on the Z3. (take a guess :) )

Edit: in the listing, it says that i am the highest bider, this means that my maximum bid is higher than anybody's else, correct?
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Zedona
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Zedona »

Only at the moment. If you really want this you have to wait until the very last moment experienced ebayers
don't bid early as this only serves to push the price up. Never get caught up in a bidding war days before the end
you tip your hand to the other bidder(s). Good luck and be aware of the retail price of the item (if still available)
as I have seen people pay well over the shop price by getting carried away in a bidding fever. Good Luck
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Cloz
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Cloz »

I went thru a few auctions on eBay. If I do not wont the item badly I bid the maximum that I would like to pay. To do so the maximum amount I bid is never like 70.00 I prefer bidding 71.77. If I really need the item I bet between 2 and 5 second before the auction end. That way you do not give any chance or not much chance for the other to react. In that case to I am bidding the same way than said earlier I bet 72.27
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Southernboy
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Southernboy »

........ If it says your bid is the highest, it means that at the current amount reflected as the highest bid is your bid - not that your maximum bid is the highest.... Although if anyone else was bidding and did have a max bid higher than yours, the current bid amount would keep going up until it was higher than your max bid.
Hope that helps explain where you stand in the process ... :wink:
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Inferno
Joined: Sun 30 Sep, 2012 07:35
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

Southernboy wrote:........ If it says your bid is the highest, it means that at the current amount reflected as the highest bid is your bid - not that your maximum bid is the highest.... Although if anyone else was bidding and did have a max bid higher than yours, the current bid amount would keep going up until it was higher than your max bid.
Hope that helps explain where you stand in the process ... :wink:

So it's possible that the other guys has set a higher maximum bid than me? And what must i do at the last seconds? Raise my max bid or just raise the current ammount bid?
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Southernboy
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Southernboy »

No... your max is the current highest. As I said, if he had a higher max than you, the bids would keep going up until it would show £1 more than your highest bid because his max is greater than yours, but obviously his max is lower than the current highest bid amount which in this case is you...

Here's a graphic example:-
YOUR MAX BID = £100
HIS MAX BID - £80
CURRENT WINNING BID £81 (ie. £1 more than the next highest MAX posted by another bidder)

Then he comes back and makes his Max bid £110
The item page will reflect the winning bid at £101 and tell you you have been outbid.
You can then raise your Max to say £120 - the item page will show the winning bid is now £111 (ie £1 more than his MAX )and it'll also say that you are the highest bidder.... and so it goes on....

Ideally you must decide what the actual max you are prepared to pay for the item, and enter that as your "Max bid"... If you win the auction, eBay will send you a message to notify you and ask you to pay - if you are outbid, they will send you a message to tell you so too...at which point you must decide to ante up or quit.... :wink:
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Inferno
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

thank you southernboy! let's hope i will win it, i just called BMW price for new is 375€...
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Southernboy
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Southernboy »

Good luck, hope you get what you're after. :wink:
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deni2s
Joined: Mon 25 Mar, 2013 22:02
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by deni2s »

BTW. it's something you can easily live without, but it's a must have on the other hand, it's very expensive as new and it gives a nice look on the Z3. (take a guess :) )
Z3M mirrors? You do realise that now all members of this forum are checking all z3 parts ending on Sunday to find what you are after and there is very little chance, that you will be the highest bider?

And place your bid few seconds before the auction ends. Psychologically its harder to adjust to thought that you have to outbid 100$ on item which had max bid 1$ most of the time, than on item which had max bid 99$ most of the time.
therealdb1
Joined: Tue 25 Jun, 2013 21:47
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by therealdb1 »

Hi Inferno, you don't say what time on Sunday the auction ends. If the seller is experienced and wants top dollar it shall end late afternoon early evening. This is when there is maximum traffic on the site.
Be prepared for the price to escalate many times in the last minute so if you really want the item don't just place you max€ now and walk away thinking you are in with a chance. Either track the auction live and put in what you are prepared to pay within the last 5 seconds or get one of the online auction bidding sites to do it for you.
You are unlikely to win by entering a round number as other more experienced bidders will beat you so follow the advice of Cloz.
The main advice is common to all auctions, do your homework regarding what you can buy the item for elsewhere, fix in your mind what it is worth to you including the shipping costs which can often add a fair bit these days since Ebay seem to think that they are entitled to a share of the profit from a service that the Post Office etc. provide, and stick to that price.
I'm not saying that there are not bargains to be had on Ebay but remember that you are in competition with the entire world and in my opinion with well over 1000 Ebay transactions to my name from USA, Germany, Poland, Australia (postage is crippling and you always get caught for customs duty ouch!) as well as the UK and Eire you are most unlikely to obtain a €375 part for €70 especially since you have now shown your hand.
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Inferno
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

hey thanx for the help, first of all i never said i want it THAT bad, i can always buy a new one from BMW, of course i don't expect to buy a 375€ part for 70€ my bugdet is higher than that, i just used this ammount as an example. I am not new at ebay, i have made many transactions since 2007 so i know how it works, i am new only in auctions, i never participated in one.
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Inferno
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

i won it for 83€!! (plus 50€ shipping) someone outbid me 1h before the end but i increased my max bid 7 sec before the end! :D 8-)
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David
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by David »

Go on then... spill the beans - what did you buy/win?
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David
Joined: Mon 16 Sep, 2013 18:33
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by David »

Ahh, no need to spills the beans; I've found them!

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Original-BMW-Z3- ... 4ae6764883

Congrats on your purchase.
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Inferno
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

Hello mr. Sherlock! :D
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David
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by David »

Nothing to difficult...

Elementary, dear Inferno.
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deni2s
Joined: Mon 25 Mar, 2013 22:02
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by deni2s »

I think that is regular price for this cover. It's available quite often at similar price. Congrats on getting what you wanted anyway! It gets your car to look cleaner.
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Inferno
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

deni2s wrote:I think that is regular price for this cover. It's available quite often at similar price. Congrats on getting what you wanted anyway! It gets your car to look cleaner.
Thanks!, problem with me is that i couldn't easily find a black one and shipping in Greece as well, most of them was in auctions (which i was avoiding), they were beige or/and they didn't ship at Greece, that's why i said it is rare in the first post
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Inferno
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Inferno »

guys with tonneaus, do you fasten the middle clips too? i only the fasten the other 2, is it necessary?
Bowler
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by Bowler »

Inferno wrote:guys with tonneaus, do you fasten the middle clips too? i only the fasten the other 2, is it necessary?
Never bothered with the middle ones with mine as Wind deflector uses the stud. Never been a problem
In love with driving again (its the Z effect)
deni2s
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by deni2s »

Inferno wrote: Thanks!, problem with me is that i couldn't easily find a black one and shipping in Greece as well, most of them was in auctions (which i was avoiding), they were beige or/and they didn't ship at Greece, that's why i said it is rare in the first post
Don't trust delivery descriptions, just ask seller to quote shipping to Greece before buying. Not all, but many will agree to ship.
peter2b
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by peter2b »

I lost out on an item for swmbo put in a bid 2 seconds before the end no other bidders as the sale ended a bid came in 20p more, I could not believe some one could be that quick until I found out you can get software that will bid for you automatically to beat any bid put in in person, (did a Google search)
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Re: eBay auction help

Post by gookah »

sniping... I have used it myself, however it is not without risk as you end up letting the software company know your eBay password
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