[78-L] Bantering about bidding.

[Michael Biel]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [78-L] Bantering about bidding.
From: Julian Vein <julianvein at blueyonder.co.uk>
Date: Tue, January 19, 2010 4:53 am
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

jack palmer wrote:
> I've been watching this discussion on sniping or high bidding. I 
> have bought many records off oboy and have never sniped. First I
> don't have the time to wait until the last minute to bid, although
> I understand you can do it automatically now. If you know how - I don't. 

It's easy, and it only costs a quarter.  The services have been around
for as long as ebay has.  It's not new.

> As for the step bidders. I think that often they are a bidder
> who bid a high amount and others are bidding forcing an automatic
> raise in his bid. I am oftern shown as bidding half a dozen times
> but it is all due to the high bid I placed originally. Jack

There are two ways the bid list is shown.  Usually the default is not to
show the automatic bids, and that will only show the actual bids and the
actual rebids.  When the automatic bids are shown they are in a lighter
type with the actual bids in heavier type.  But remember, those
automatic bids raise the bidding amounts faster, so the ultimate price
ends up higher with fewer actual bids.

>> I have a rule-of-thumb which is that I don't bid on a record
>> if it has already received a bid, unless it's a must-have item.
>> Julian Vein

And that lucky bidder gets it at minimum bid.  You're such a pal!  But I
bet you have lost out on a lot of things that the other guy had only bid
that minimum or just a few cents higher.  It's worth putting in an
auto-snipe.  

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com