Thread: Is sniping killing Ebay?

Wow looks like a bit of a bidding war on this Dubl Duck LifeTime (Grim Reaper)
This just goes to show you that last minute bidding works best. Looks like 2-3 guy just goin overboard.# 310294737803. A fully restored one sold last year I believe for $179.50 back in December.
Good for the seller.

As a buyer I use a sniping program. Set the max you want to pay and step away. No bidding war , no attachment, no exposing your interest in the item. But, as a seller I love having someone bid early with their max price. This can create a competition between future bidders. If you look at bid histories of items that seem to sell for more than they are worth. There always seem to be a couple of bidders that make multiple bids in increments that drive the prices up more. The bidders are competing with each other, the value of the item becomes secondary. If your upset that you get sniped at the end bid your max and bid later. If you don't get it,, it sold for more than you were willing to pay.

Originally Posted by newb

As a buyer I use a sniping program. Set the max you want to pay and step away. No bidding war , no attachment, no exposing your interest in the item. But, as a seller I love having someone bid early with their max price. This can create a competition between future bidders. If you look at bid histories of items that seem to sell for more than they are worth. There always seem to be a couple of bidders that make multiple bids in increments that drive the prices up more. The bidders are competing with each other, the value of the item becomes secondary. If your upset that you get sniped at the end bid your max and bid later. If you don't get it,, it sold for more than you were willing to pay.

I am with you- sniping program all the way. I have used one for many years. Set your price, walk away, no emotional bidding, win what you win, no regrets. I believe these programs help make the market more efficient, not less.

FWIW --

I've just been looking over recent eBay sale prices.

I see a pattern:

. . . Anything shiny, and anything with fancy scales, will be expensive.

. . . There are few "bargains".

Vintage razors that _aren't_ shiny are still available at reasonable prices. Somewhere between $20 and $30 will buy an "off-brand" razor (and sometimes a W&B or Boker) with patina, sometimes some corrosion, and a sharpenable edge.

That's a bit more than I'd pay in a local antique shop, but it's not far off.

The risk is substantial, of course. What _looks_ OK may be tricky to get into working order.

Shipping can be a financial pain; I've seen shipping costs up to $15.

This assumes that the buyer has the tools and skill to bring an old razor into "shave-ready" condition. Buying a razor on eBay and sending it out for honing and/or restoration will be more costly than buying one from the "Classifieds" here.

Charles

PS -- I'm in the "put in your maximum bid, and walk away" camp. eBay will handle that automatically.

I came to terms with "sniping" before there were any programs for it. There was often someone who was just more skillful with the mouse clicks than me. I do think that sniping keeps bids down in most cases. I think this benefits me as a buyer, even if that means I can't have the exact razor I wanted. Hey. I can't compete with the rest of you on the really nice razors anyway. The nice thing is, there are a reasonable number of straight razors on eBay. If you bid low, you will eventually get a good deal. Before eBay, I could only find razors at antique stores that were barely worth restoring and for far higher prices than what I have to spend on eBay.

Having said that. I don't use a sniping program, but if the razor that you have been looking for shows up on eBay, by all means, get a sniping program, but really, in the end, you just have to bid high if you really want it.

Oh, and I almost forgot, if you get out bid by 50 cents over and over, at least you have the pleasure of knowing you aren't the type to pay too much for something.