eBayers...help needed

[cap'njack.]

I'm really new to eBay. I'm looking at buying a car from eBay. I've been to see the car and done all the checks on the car etc and they have come back as clean as a whistle.

I need help with bidding. There is currently 8hr and 11m left with zero bids.

When should I put a bid in? Should I do it now? Leave it a while? Do I bid my maximum amount and then let someone else beat it if they want?

I'm really so as much help as possible would be lovely

 

[natalielongstaff]

Don't bid now if there are 8hrs left ! leave it a few more hours and see what happens

 

[joolz1910]

Hiya, my family call me the eBay queen at home. I always wait until there is about 30 seconds to go before bidding. I enter my maximum bid and then if someone beats me, so be it. The way I see it is this: I'm not giving the 'competition' (rival bidders) time to consider whether they want to outbid me. If you bid too early, other bidders might be tempted to outbid you over the hours before the auction closes - with seconds to go this is less likely. The main reason though is that I am not tempted to enter a bidding war and pay more than I intended. It is very easy to keep adding a higher bid and get locked into needing to win.
Good luck with the auction!

 

[Goofyish]

You can enter you maximum bid now. But if you win the auction you only pay the winning amount and not necessarily your maximum bid.

If your maximum bid is £3000 and the winning bid is £2550 then you only pay £2550.

As people make higher bids, as long as your maximum bid is higher you will automatically jump to the lead by the Ebay pre-set bid increment.

So you don't need to wait until the last few seconds of an auction to jump in with your highest bid

See here for more information.

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/proxy-bidding.html

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

I would wait untill the last minute before putting a bid in.

 

[Boss Hogg]

Tim's right about being able to put a maximum bid in before the last minute and ebay will bid automatically for you, albeit you would need to put a bid of some size in now to use that. I'm pretty sure that the earlier you put your max bid in means in the event of a tied max bid you'd win it.

Maybe just bid 99p now? You may also bring any other watchers out of the woodwork by doing this.

 

[Pinky166]

Definately do not bid yet. You run the risk of being outbid & end up paying more if you really want to win the item. As it's your first time bidding I would enter your maximum amount at the last 60 seconds as you also have to confirm the amount on the next screen. Once you have bidded keep clicking the refresh button until the auction ends.

Don't just enter a round amount, ie £100.00 enter something like £102.37, the reason for this is if someone else tries to jump in and out bid in the last few seconds they will have to bid higher than you the chances are they will enter a round figure. I hope that makes sense.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

 

[joolz1910]

Definately do not bid yet. You run the risk of being outbid & end up paying more if you really want to win the item. As it's your first time bidding I would enter your maximum amount at the last 60 seconds as you also have to confirm the amount on the next screen. Once you have bidded keep clicking the refresh button until the auction ends.

Don't just enter a round amount, ie £100.00 enter something like £102.37, the reason for this is if someone else tries to jump in and out bid in the last few seconds they will have to bid higher than you the chances are they will enter a round figure. I hope that makes sense.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

That is a good tip I have won a few auctions by doing this.

I would be wary of putting in a maximum bid for an expensive item because of shill bidding. This (I believe) is where a seller gets a friend to bid against you to increase the amount you eventually pay - this is of course not allowed by eBay but it would be difficult to prove. If the fake bidder 'outbids' you, all the seller needs to do is say that the winning bidder has pulled out and offer to sell you the car for your highest bid, meaning you end up paying a lot more than you would have if it had been fair.

 

[pixiepower04]

I've won 2 cars from e-bay in the past and agree with previous posters about waiting until the last minute BUT because this is your first time and it is a big item I would do it at about 40 seconds out and bid the full amount you are prepared to pay.

Make sure you put a random number like £2003.51 because if someone puts on £2003.00 you will win but if you put £2000.00 and someone puts £2000.01 they will win.

Just keep on the actual page and keep refreshing and at about 40 seconds put you bid on and then keep refreshing whilst you watch the seconds tick by.

If you put a bid on now other people will start putting bids on and then it will escalate so be patient.

Good luck, let us know how you get on

 

[Cyrano]

Good luck Jon Let us know how you get on

 

[cap'njack.]

Thanks for all of your help!

I'm finding it a real struggle not to put bids on at the moment but it really makes sense not to as then people have time to think how much thier max bid would be. Think I'll leave it until a minute before then enter my max bid which would be £3,500, so probably either £3499.** or £3501.**

I'll let you know how I get on!!

 

[Chilly]

don't just go one penny more, lots of people do that.

 

[joolz1910]

Hey John, has the auction ended yet?

 

[Pinky166]

Thanks for all of your help!

I'm finding it a real struggle not to put bids on at the moment but it really makes sense not to as then people have time to think how much thier max bid would be. Think I'll leave it until a minute before then enter my max bid which would be £3,500, so probably either £3499.** or £3501.**

I'll let you know how I get on!!

It is so tempting to bid early....but you really need to sit on your hands & wait it out otherwise you may end up paying more as if you bid then someone else may bid and this continues to go up and up.

I would go a few pounds above, eg £3503.13...something like that.

 

[jns]

Hey John, has the auction ended yet?

maybe hes away to get his new car

 

[joolz1910]

maybe hes away to get his new car

Hope so. Maybe he got it for 99p.

 

[cap'njack.]

Hope so. Maybe he got it for 99p.

I wish, the minimum bid is £3,300 and my max is £3,500. It ends in 12 minutes!!! I'm getting really excited

I see how this can be addictive.

 

[cap'njack.]

I won it!!! Thank you all for your help, I left it until 44 seconds before the end when I bid!!

 

[joolz1910]

Woo Hoooooooooooooo!

 

[gemmybear83]

Congratulations!!!!!!!!