Thread: New guy just lost his first auction

Hey everyone, first post on these forums, although I've been lurking for a little bit.

I'm new to straight razors, and am looking to fill out a daily shaving set. I recently bid on this one, and at the last minute the price really went though the roof.

How often do razors go up like this? Do I really need to be around at the last second in order to get it?

Welcome to SRP. Yes IME the last few seconds is your best bet. OTOH, if you want a shave ready razor at a reasonable price the SRP classifieds might be a better place to start. Check out the link in my sig line for the SRP Wiki beginner's guide. You'll also find a page on 'razors to avoid'. Might save you some $$.

Welcome to SRP!

Sniping is pretty common these days on ebay....another reason I stay away from that dump. If you're looking to get into the game on the cheap, check out the classifieds. Good, competitive pricing without all the hype of auctions. Another plus is that the razors on the classifieds usually are shave ready. Anything on ebay will require honing.

Stay away from eBay. I have bought more than a few razors in my time, but I recently managed to acquire a dud even after all that time. It would have looked completely alright for a beginner, but I had my doubts and only bid €20, so no big loss. Yet still, if you want a decent vintage with limited risk, get one from the Classifieds. But make sure to buy from an experienced seller (high post count is an indication but not proof).

And stay away from the fancy ones for now. An USD 50 razor has every potential to shave as well as, or better, than an USD 300 one. One particular brand that makes me chuckle is Filarmonica. Two small brain teasers: which German company made double tempered steel, and who made blades stamped #14?

Regards,
Robin

Ebite is not for the newbe, so to speak. Yes you can get a good one now and again but you can also get in to more than you bargined for.

You really have to know what your looking at, and what your willing to spend. Auctions can bring out the competitve bidder in a person and you will spend to much before you know it.

I'm a auction shopper but only place low bids unless there is something I really want. I set my price and stay away from it on the last day. So if it gets into a bid war I'm not tempted to jump in and blow it. There will always be more razors popping up, especially in my aquisition zone (low end razors), so if i miss one I really like I know another one like it will pop up sooner or later and I'll have another shot at it.

Checking the Buy it now tab often also turns up a few good buys now and again

+1 on Robins post, avoid eBay..! Its far too easy to pick up a dud on there, and even experienced guys get caught out. Just avoid until you've got a few shaves under your belt and know what to look for in a razor.

The classifieds here are a good place to start, and there are many reputable vendors here on the site in the Vendors Corner who can sell you a good shave ready razor and all the other kit as well.

I use a program that places a bid in the last 10 seconds. The reason it goes up like crazy at the end is what they call "sniping", people enter bids in the last few seconds hoping nobody has a max entered higher and they can get the item for cheap without having to fight back and forth with the original person interested in the item.

If you really want the item then put in the max you'd be willing to pay for it and let Ebay's automatic bidding system fight for you.

If you hope to get it on the cheap, download one of the many sniping programs and use that. I suppose some people think that's shady, in my opinion you're just playing the game with everyone else.

With the low quality of the seller pictures posted, I would not have bid more than a few dollars for that razor. You have heard lots of good advice here! With that said, there is really a rush in winning a manual bidding dogfight over a razor on eBay in the final few seconds! Addictive, too and a very expensive habit. Stay away from the Bay until you get more experience using straight razors.

Originally Posted by markevens

How often do razors go up like this? Do I really need to be around at the last second in order to get it?

The answer to the first question is ; all the time , if the razor is any good . The answer to the second question is ; yes , if you don't have a sniping program . I prefer the old fashioned sniping , where I manually throw my snipe in the last 10 seconds . I never bid more than I think a razor is worth , so sometimes I win and sometimes I don't .