Soft Close...?!?!?!

I am buying on ebay right now for school clothes for 4 kids. I read somewhere years ago that people do "emotional bidding". That if they get outbid, they bid again just because they were outbid, even if its more than they really wanted to pay. I dont bid until the last minute because buying clothes for 4 kids, is EXPENSIVE and I try and save all that I can. I am not sure what you are selling, so clothing might be completely different from that, but for me, I save my bids for the last second to try and cut my costs. Steph

I think people have been asking that question for years. Yes, sellers would make more money, but I think eBay would say "when would it end?" How many times would you extend the auction?

Also, and you're not going to like this, but I use a separate buying ID and I bid at the last minute because I don't want people who buy/collect the same thing as me, to watch my ID and find items they may have otherwise missed.

As a seller I really like it when people bid early and often.

But bidding your maximum only once -- and at the end of the time period -- is the smart way to bid. Maybe more people are just figuring it out..

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Bradford:
As a seller I really like it when people bid early and often.

But bidding your maximum only once -- and at the end of the time period -- is the smart way to bid. Maybe more people are just figuring it out..

That's the way I do it if I even bid on an auction.

I haven't bid in so long. For years, I just find what I want on a buy it now and bada, bing, bada boom. The item's mine!

And face it folks, bid snipers are widely used now..just look at stats if you have one that shows it and they'll prove it to be so.

My Best,
Donna

I use eSnipe and I bid at the last second. It's nobody's business that I am interested in an item, playing games trying to figure out my max by bidding in $1 increments, so I decide what it's worth to me, set the eSnipe bid early on, and forget it. If I win, I win. If I loose, oh well, somebody wanted it more than me.

I bid at the last few seconds. I rarely lose. I'm talking 30 seconds and less. I throw out the highest amount. Even if they try to outbid me, it's too late. It works for me as a 'buyer'.

As a seller, buyers waiting until the last day, minute, seconds drives me batty. I'm sick of it.

Hence, my choice to list mostly Fixed Priced listings. So far, so good. First come, first served. Heck, it could be the same day I listed an item. As a seller, I like this and I think, many buyers like it as well. FP listings rock!

Agree...don't like last minute bids, I prefer BIN-Pay Now- I always pay right after an auction ends, and as a buyer I prefer BIN, don't like to bid to much,(don't like to lose!) My friend who got me started on ebay, is the luckiest guy, he always gets early bids, sometimes in hours, he amazes me, I always watch his auctions, so often he gets top dollar for the craziest things, he's a good garage sale/thrift store finder, knows his stuff well, I'm jealous!

Oh got a question..why do people watch BIN auctions? as they could end at anytime..I'm newer on ebay and just don't get this one.

quote:

Originally posted by California Girl:


Oh got a question..why do people watch BIN auctions? as they could end at anytime..I'm newer on ebay and just don't get this one.

Good question. I dunno. Competitors maybe? Undecided buyers? Waiting to see if the price is lowered? Former auction buyers who always watched but forgot to bid, carrying on their tradition with FP listing? It is a bizzare thing, watchers on FP listings.

I've learned watchers don't mean very much.

I've read somewhere that the more bids an item has, the more buyers are attracted to it...

This is true of me as well. If I see something up for auction that has a ton of bids on it...I'm more likely to click on it than I am to click on something (even if the price is lower) that has no bids on it.

All this stuff that we have here ( the store window, the fancy templates ) are to me what helps maybe set me apart from every other person selling on eBay. However, none of it is any good if someone does not click on my listing. They will never see all the work I've done on my listings and they won't see the other things I'm offering in the store window...

I facing that uphill battle of getting people to bid on my auctions so that more people will bid on my auctions...

Right now we're mostly selling Brand-Name Collectibles. I find most of my stuff at sales where people are just trying to unload their items... So I have a little bit of money invested in these things, and I could make a decent profit when they sell.

I'm leary of starting up auctions at 99 cents and then hoping that they go past my cost point...and I don't know if I have enough of a "customer base" to put things up for BIN and hope that they sell before the listing expires. If I have to keep re-listing things...that really eats into my profit potential...

It just seems to me that bids generate bids...and having a system in place that does not discourage people from bidding early would be a better thing. Look at how many that responded here have said they no longer use auctions and just do BIN...

Maybe I'm just being an old timer and still trying to hit the home-run every once in a while...

Mike

quote:

why do people watch BIN auctions?

Yeah, this question is up there with "why did I have so many watchers but got so few bids?".

There are probably a lot of varying reasons. I know I watch the occasional BIN as I think about whether I really want it or not. And some I watch just to see if they sell (if they're similar to what I'm selling, for example).

Question: Why do people have items in their watching?

I have 27 BINs in my watching right now.

Am I going to buy them? Do I want the item? Why watch the items?

Nope..I have NO intention of buying them whatsoever.

I'm watching them for research on items I have and will begin selling soon. Some are even the same items but by different sellers who took two different vantage points of selling the same item.

I'm watching to see which item sells faster, for more money and what mistakes the seller with less money and more time on a buy it now made.

That way I don't duplicate their slow or low bid auction.

My Best,
Donna

quote:

Originally posted by Suthrnjewl:
Question: Why do people have items in their watching?

I have 27 BINs in my watching right now.

Am I going to buy them? Do I want the item? Why watch the items?

Nope..I have NO intention of buying them whatsoever.

I'm watching them for research on items I have and will begin selling soon. Some are even the same items but by different sellers who took two different vantage points of selling the same item.

I'm watching to see which item sells faster, for more money and what mistakes the seller with less money and more time on a buy it now made.

That way I don't duplicate their slow or low bid auction.

My Best,
Donna

Yep, this would be my first guess.

Competitors / other sellers. I also what auctions and BINs to see what the market / sellers does. Sometimes, I have too many saved in watch to watch anymore, lol. So, there it is.

Hi Everyone!
Thanks for replying on my BIN auction question.
Cal Girl

quote:

Originally posted by Rick Bradford:

quote:

why do people watch BIN auctions?

Yeah, this question is up there with "why did I have so many watchers but got so few bids?".

There are probably a lot of varying reasons. I know I watch the occasional BIN as I think about whether I really want it or not. And some I watch just to see if they sell (if they're similar to what I'm selling, for example).

I watch BIN's while I'm shopping. Lets say I'm looking fora bathing suit, there are thousands of them in my size so each time I find one I like I "watch" it. Then after I've weeded my way through the thousands of listings I can go to my watch list and pick the best one

Then again I should say I used to do this because I no longer shop ebay if I don't have to. I'm trying to support those who have left ebay!

As far as the last minute bids I think its because ebay is flooded with thousands of the same kind of item so they don't get looked at until they are ending.

Just my .02