Ebay strategies (was Re: Ebay Altair)

From: CLASSICCMP_at_trailing-edge.com <(CLASSICCMP_at_trailing-edge.com)>
Date: Wed May 10 08:04:28 2000

John Wilson wrote:

>I seriously think eBay is likely to trigger some kind of 12-step program
>for auction junkies. Really, it's a bit like gambling, people get really
>competitive sometimes and end up paying prices that have nothing to do with
>anyone's concept of what the item is worth, just because they feel that they
>need to win at any cost.

Sure, that's the "auction fever" that E-bay has been so good at tapping
into.

There is one very simple rule to follow at any auction: know what you're
willing to pay at the start, and never go over it. And it's actually easy,
with E-bay's Proxy Bidding, to do this on E-bay by simply bidding your
highest amount early on. No more worry about someone outbidding you by
'sniping' at the end!

Of course, whenever I mention this strategy I get flamed horribly by
"E-bay experts" at how awful it is. How they tried it once and got outbid
by $1 and lost. Or how it drives up prices for all buyers. I don't agree,
E-bay provides you with a powerful tool - proxy bidding - and you should
use it to its full advantage. Getting caught up in the frenzy is the
sure way to lose in the big picture (though you may "win" the auction),
because you end up paying more than you wanted to.

Tim.
Received on Wed May 10 2000 - 08:04:28 BST