eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line

Feb 10, 05 12:58

Post #1 of 29 (4175 views)

Well it was to good to be true. It seemed I had the win in the bag right up until the final few metres and then I was pipped right at the line.

I made my first foray into buying on eBay. I put in a few early bids that kept me comfortably in the lead and then I waited, and waited, and waited as the clock ticked down. Then in the final minute, even the final few seconds, there where four bids in quick succession and I lost out. It was frantic. I could not seem to click my mouse fast enough.

I felt like I had Zabel, Cipollini and Petacchi sitting on my wheel, laughing right up until the line and then all blowing by me in the final few seconds. A review of the photo finish showed the guy that "won" had 168 successful buys on ebay and the two ahead of me had over 100. Do these folks live on eBay waiting to sprint "buy" unsuspecting newbies like me? Crazy!

Fleck

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:00

Post #2 of 29 (4162 views)

What was the prize?? Just curious.........

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:02

Post #3 of 29 (4145 views)

I always wait until there's only about 10-15 seconds left when I make my bid if it's something I REALLY want.

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:02

Post #4 of 29 (4144 views)

Never bid until the last 30 seconds if doing it manually. If you buy periodically, look into subscribing to a bid sniping service. They are worth every penny.

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [cmetri] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:05

Post #5 of 29 (4131 views)

I thought about doing that, but I figured if I didn't make the effort to do it manually I probably didn't want it badly enough. Nothing against those programs, it just keeps my spending in line.

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [jman] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:07

Post #6 of 29 (4121 views)

The prize was the new Specialized S Works Carbon Road Shoes. They eventually went for less than 1/2 of the MSRP!!

Fleck

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:08

Post #7 of 29 (4113 views)

I have had that EXACT same experience on ebay. When I finally bought something, I had learned to wait until the end. Kind of makes you wonder what the point of 1- or 2-week auctions is, eh?

-Colin

------------------------------------------------------------
Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:08

Post #8 of 29 (4112 views)

The beautiful thing about this is customers are competing to see how much they are willing to pay. It is the opposite of buying logic. Absolute brilliance.

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [M J Moquin] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:10

Post #9 of 29 (4094 views)

Obviously, that's the game.Throwing in a surge to seal the deal at the midway point as I had done is NOT the way to win this race. It seems that it comes down to a frantic field sprint very often. Something that I was not very good at on the bike in real life, nor electronically on eBay!!

Fleck

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:15

Post #10 of 29 (4075 views)

Tom,

Indeed, it's odd game. However, I am still trying to figure out in the first place these top of the line shoes(Specialized S-Works Carbon Road Shoes) can be "sold" for less than 1/2 of MSRP and anyone make any money.

Perhaps I am missing something.

Fleck

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:28

Post #11 of 29 (4044 views)

Stolen!

Seriously, never make a serious bid until the end. It just jacks up the price. Wait until the very end, and do like they say: put in the max you'd be willing to pay for it. If someone else gets it, well it was too expensive for you anyway.

The most frustrating ebay experiences for me is letting something I really want slip away for a price I would have been willing to top.

_______________________________________________

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:28

Post #12 of 29 (4043 views)

You might literally have been unable to click your mouse fast enough. Check this service. It, and others like it, can take some of the hassle out of ebay bidding.

www.ezsniper.com

Ken

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [kenwil] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:32

Post #13 of 29 (4027 views)

Last year I bid on a used Litespeed. I was in the lead until about 30 seconds left and then the robots took over and I could not get a final bid in.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me. Now I have a new bike instead of a used bike.

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [kenwil] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:34

Post #14 of 29 (4018 views)

Thanks.

Figures. There is software for just about everything these days - even eBay. Who knew??

Fleck

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:44

Post #15 of 29 (3990 views)

I feel your pain--I had the winning bid on a 2004 once-used Renn 575 disc--$299.99 up until 10 minutes left in the auction. I had to leave my computer to go to a meeting. Some SOB outbid me by ONE CENT!!!

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 13:49

Post #16 of 29 (3975 views)

In Reply To:

The prize was the new Specialized S Works Carbon Road Shoes. They eventually went for less than 1/2 of the MSRP!!

Fleck

I was checking those out in the store the other day just for fun. They were very nice and pretty comfy, but what do you do if that single micro-thread snaps during a ride? The whole shoe would come off. I don't know what it's made out of, but it doesn't look like it would last that long.

__________________________________________________
What a drag it is getting old. -- Stones

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [tri-direwolf] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 14:03

Post #17 of 29 (3942 views)

Best advice I can give - and this is something my wife now does when looking into odds and ends on ebay.

Put in the bid amount at the beginning - to the maximum amount you are prepared to spend.

Your bids will automatically go in - right up to your max - if you lose the auction - then it is only because it ended up going higher than you were prepared to pay.

As a seller on ebay - the best thing you want is people bidding at the last minute - it drives the price up - often beyond what you expected to get for the item

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [tri-direwolf] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 14:04

Post #18 of 29 (3939 views)

I thought about that too. The BOA closure does seem a bit risky when you first look at it. But I have a similar closure mech., on my Salomon xc ski boots and they almost 10 years old and working just fine.

I doubt a company would take someting like this to market unless the failure rate was so low as to be insignificant. Not saying that it has not or will not happen, just that it's a real rarity.

My feeling with cycling shoes is that if you take good care of them, they last for years.

Fleck

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 14:26

Post #19 of 29 (3893 views)

Just yesterday I got out bid for a performance trainer. It costs $209 new and the sucker ended up paying $180 plus shipping for it used. I laughed.

------------------------------------------------------------
"One thing I have found there are just two ways to go
It all comes down to livin' fast or dyin' slow"- Robert Earlk Keen Jr.

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 10, 05 14:27

Post #20 of 29 (3884 views)

Ebay has proxy bidding for a reason. Use it. Bid early and you will never be outbid if the final price is under your max. If it is over your max, then you wouldn't have paid the final price anyway. Ebay's proxy bidding takes all the hassle out of it. Bidding late in the game (assuming everyone does) just leaves the current price nice and low so more people get overly interested in your item. Bid early on and people will move on looking for a steal.

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [BenDavis] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 05 9:22

Post #21 of 29 (3786 views)

Like getting eaten up and spit out the back in a bike racing field sprint for the first time, I learned a great deal from my first eBay buying experience. Not sure if it is all positive, but I learned a great deal.

Fleck

Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [notafish] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 05 10:21

Post #22 of 29 (3727 views)

In Reply To:

Just yesterday I got out bid for a performance trainer. It costs $209 new and the sucker ended up paying $180 plus shipping for it used. I laughed.

I rarely bid on ebay, but have sold some bike stuff in the past. My all-time favorite auction (speaking in terms of comedic value):

Chris King 1" black threadless headset - new/never installed.

Final bid price. $98.75 (+ 1/2 of paypal fees & shipping)

Supergo's price at the time: $99.00. Including shipping, choice of color, legitimate dealer, option to return etc.

Of course I wasn't complaining - just laughing.

GB

Oh, and someone bid $38 on my broken DVD player (which I fully disclosed as DOA and possibly requiring a $175 part)

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Fleck] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 05 10:35

Post #23 of 29 (3705 views)

Happens to me all the time as I low bid a lot but the only times I have been successful was during Christmas or major holidays when everyone else was out in the real stores. I bought two bikes this way! The last one this past Christmas, I did the usual low bid (late but not that late) and instead of getting out bid I ended up with another frame and fork!

__________________________________________________
Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [BenDavis] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 05 12:31

Post #24 of 29 (3634 views)

Ben and That guy nail it. Although you think last minute bidding yields a better deal, it often causes emotionally irrational decisions. Sniping will give you a technical advantage, but you still need to be a the highest bidder. The only way to win at sniping is through a much higher proxy bid. If you don't want to "win", but rather get a good deal (from no one else bidding), it's a nice service.

Net result.....ebay is market pricing, period.

Make sure you do your homework to understand what your max bid should be. Bid high early and let the proxy bid deter others from their incremental bids. It's pretty funny seeing people bid 15 times to figure out the high mark!!!

Re: eBay Like A Road Race - Outsprinted At The Line [Smitty8] [ In reply to ]

Feb 11, 05 12:33

Post #25 of 29 (3629 views)

"Net result.....ebay is market pricing, period."

As is our entire economy.

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

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