[LifesGood]

How do you make sure you win an item you want without overspending?

For that matter, what are your tips for ensuring an item you have listed sells, and for the highest possible price?

[PatG]

How do you make sure you win an item you want without overspending?

Decide exactly how much you are willing spend (taking into account postage) and only bid that amount and know that you may not win it. If you are in the habit of getting caught up in the bidding or getting overly attached to an item and therefore bidding too much just bid once and let the automatic system do the work for you and do not check the item until after the auction finish time.

How do you make sure you win an item you want without overspending?
For that matter, what are your tips for ensuring an item you have listed sells, and for the highest possible price?

Have it listed in the appropriate category with no typos (so it can be searched for easily), a detailed, clear and accurate description and very good photos. Ensure your location details are correct. Make sure you respond to queries promptly.

[Luxe]

Place the highest bid I'm willing to make 5 seconds before the auction ends so there's not enough time for someone elses auto bid to take effect.


This post has been edited by Luxe: 23/01/2013, 06:50 PM

[LifesGood]

Place the highest bid I'm willing to make 5 seconds before the auction ends so there's not enough time for someone elses auto bid to take effect.

Really? I thought auto bids were....automatic. Don't they register the autobids in advance?

[PatG]

Place the highest bid I'm willing to make 5 seconds before the auction ends so there's not enough time for someone elses auto bid to take effect.

People who have sniper software set up will beat you. Or if their auto bid was placed earlier than yours then they win. e.g. if they put in a max bid of $26 at 10am and you put in your max bid of $26 at 10:30 and the action finishes at 10:35am then they win and you lose.

[MoonPie]

I search for the items in the category I am looking for that are ending soonest. Except I do it at 4am when no one else is up

[Ehill]

Place the highest bid I'm willing to make 5 seconds before the auction ends so there's not enough time for someone elses auto bid to take effect.

Yes, but there are autobids. The trick is to pick an 'odd' amount. People generally bid rounded amounts ie. $10.50 or $45.00. If autobids are in $5 increments, well you bid $5.10 more so it overrides the highest autobid. You do a test to see if autobids are there about 1min before the end of the auction and then you do you final guess about 10secs before the end. It is hard to explain but I was the MASTER of it! I never lost an auction. You need to guess what people will bid and bid slightly above it.

As for listing, here are a few rules to stick to:

Selling prices are highest on a Sunday night so you need to list so your auction ends on a Sunday night. So 10 day auction, list it on a Thursday evening, for a 7 day auction, list on a Sunday evening. That way you dont pay extra to choose a listing time. The longer your auction, the better the prices are generally.

It is all in your title. People seach by keywords so you need a keyword in your title. Brandnames work brilliantly. Include as much description as you can fit in that title.

Good photo of course.

Hope that helps.

[Georgette47]

I bid in the last 15 secs or less too, but I do it so that anyone I outbid doesn't have time to react and increase their top bid.

[Luxe]

Really? I thought auto bids were....automatic. Don't they register the autobids in advance?

Yes. But my bid amount is the highest auto bid I'm willing to pay. So my auto bid pairs off against their auto bid in the last 1-2 seconds of an auction. I have no idea how fast the logic takes to out bid mine, but I've won every auction I've used this strategy on so far.

[lsolaBella]

Another last second bidder. Bid an odd amount with cents like PP. also usually test the waters with a single bid at 1-5mins to go. Final bid will be the maximum I am prepared to pay. S if I get out bid on someone else's earlier larger bid well that is life.