First eBay experience

I use a combination of what the previous posters have said. I find items that I am interested in and decide what it is worth to me. I then wait until the end of the auction and if it's still below my preset limit I bid on it in the last 30 seconds. I found a trunk for my speedster that I bid $125 for and got for the opening bid of $50. I got an exhaust manifold for my 31 Buick that I bid $265 for and also got it for the opening bid of $99. Works for me.
 
I agree with those who have said to decide early how much you want to bid, but don't bid until the very end (snipe). I fail to see any advantage in bidding early - more often than not your bid's going to get run up by someone (frequently several times by the same second place bidder)
 
You can pay more for an item on eBay and justify it IMO. The item is THERE, you don't have to wait weeks/months for the next flea market. There is no garentee the part will be at the flea market and you are out gas, time, and food if you do find the part. eBay and online forum classified adds are great.
 
I also agree with Ross/Kzoo. I bid in the last 20 seconds manually. That way, most people don't have time to re-bid, and neither do I. I bid what I'm willing to pay, and that is my one shot. Interestingly enough tho, I have won most of my auctions, and done really good on most of them. I have actually been rarely disappointed with Ebay, and I don't really understand those who are disgruntled by it. If you understand how it works, and look at pictures closely, ask questions, you can't go too wrong. I even evaluate the sellers responses when I'm interested in bigger items. You can usually get a feel for the type of person you are dealing with by their responses. Occasionally, I will not bid because the response from a seller strikes me as questionable. Ebay works for me.
 
As a seller, put your bid in early. Shows an interest in what I am selling and helps bate the feeding frenzy! Turth is I have noted a down swing in biding and buying. I have picked up a couple of items in the last few weeks that a year ago would have sold for a heck of lot more then what I payed for them.
 
redmodelt said:
As a seller, put your bid in early. Shows an interest in what I am selling and helps bate the feeding frenzy! Turth is I have noted a down swing in biding and buying. I have picked up a couple of items in the last few weeks that a year ago would have sold for a heck of lot more then what I payed for them.
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I wonder of this is because eBay is declining or just the overall state of the economy.

While I never placed a bid on anything before yesterday, I closely monitored the sale of Model A cars for many months in order to get a sense of market value. Over that time prices fell noticeably (along with houses and practically everything else).
 
pdora said:
I wonder of this is because eBay is declining or just the overall state of the economy.
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Good observation, and I'd say both are accurate. BTW, your list of learned reactions is pretty good along with most of the advice.

I use snipe program as well, it's good for self discipline (bid fever is the point of an auction) and I don't have to be slave to the closing time (as mentioned above).

All that being said, when I'm a seller, it changes my game too. I usually sell two times a year (again, JMHO, it works for me), around this time for the winter builders and in spring for those who prefer to work on their cars "in the season". The number of hits, the number of saved watchers, and the bidding are all down from recent past history. It's likely the economy, but also some weariness and justified leariness with ebay buying. As to how it changes my game, I put up an auction as well as advertise on sites like FB/HAMB. If someone on the enthusiast sites steps up with a reasonable offer I end the auction early, the snipers lose because the lack of bidding during the auction duration shows (or implies) a lack of interest. From a sellers point of view if "auction fever" is killed by sniper programs, what's the point in playing the auction game? Basically the advantage ebay has there is it's a world wide classified ad. On some items that's an advantage that those who complain about the fees forget.......can you get the price locally without the bigger audience? In some cases yes, in many cases no.
 
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I won a 29 Model A tudor that was on Ebay a couple of years ago. It was a good experience as the car was within 50 miles and the sale went smooth. The car had been partially dismantled and was kept in storage for 30 years after the previous owner had a stroke. It was mostly original but luckily the drivetrain had been completely rebuilt. I placed a 69 Galaxie convertible on about that time and had to settle for a low reserve I had posted. After it hits reserve it goes to the bidder that beat the reserve. So overall you win some and lose some but it's fun to check every day, it's great if you know your prices etc.
 
Having bought and sold alot of parts on e-bay over the last 10 years I can tell you that the bidding and the final prices make no sence at all. One week a certain part might not sell and the next week the same part brings more than it is worth. many are gouing to the e-bay store style for selling just to keep the price dependable. I can see myself doing the same in the near future. Rod
 
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