What’s the preferred method?

I’m not overly successful at winning auctions for reasonable money. I know I could bid over and above others, but is there a method that works for you?

Bid early to your maximum that you will pay or wait until the last few seconds and try to get a bargain?

Bid what it’s worth to you, use sniping tool.

Highest bid wins, no?

As I have loads of stuff to list on eBay over the coming months….

Show your hand early. Big bid or go home 🙂

Or sniping as suggested ^^

Work out what you would pay for it maximum.

Stick that on in the last 10sec.

No point bidding early and “pumping up the price”.

It always seems daft to me, to go sticking a maximum bid in early, that just means the bids go up further. I leave it to the last few seconds to stick a bid in, and if the bids have gone over my maximum, then I withdraw. I don’t use sniping software, I have the same auction open on my pad and phone, so I have a bid ready to go as the countdown reaches about twenty-five seconds. The other trick I use is to put in bids of an awkward amount, a fair bit over the current maximum, but less than my maximum, so, for example the current max bid is £18, I’ll put in £23.78, because most people just go up in two pound or dollar increments, as it’s easier. With an uneven amount, and only a few seconds to amend, it’s really difficult to amend the whole price. My maximum might be fifty or sixty quid, or dollars.
I’ve won a number of items doing this, and usually got them for just a little over the last top bid, for the reason I’ve just said, and the winning bid is only going to pay a pound or whatever more than the losing bid, so I’d win at £21, if the next highest had put in £20.

Countzero
😯

Or just use a snipe that puts what you’re willing to pay in, in the last 3 secs.
😉
Simples

Especially for large bike parts,frames ,forks and wheels etc my mate swears by contacting the seller direct, offering cash and collecting in person or meeting up part way.Seems to work for him,he gets to check the goods before payment and the seller avoids fees and the hassle of posting.Everyone’s a winner.

I think most of it is made up psychology. It makes no odds whether you decide to bid £30 a week to go or 3 seconds to go. What matters is whether what the other person(s) bid

For common items like phones you can patiently weight for one to go cheap. Bidding late does have a benefit here. I won’t bid on another one until I have lost the last one.

Some times I have gone high. I waited for a ages to find some forks with short travel forks but a long enough steerer for me. When I found then I decided to pay over the odds. Only £10 or £15 and well worth it IMHO

I’ve won a number of items doing this, and usually got them for just a little over the last top bid

If you had bid £100,000 you would still win for “a little over the last top bid”

That’s how eBay works.

You don’t win for your highest bid. You win for whatever it takes to beat the second highest bidder.

You bid £1000.00

Next highest bidder is at £79.00

You win It for £80.00.

If I find something I may be interested in with no bids, I put one on. Just incase I forget and or no one else sees it.

If I want it I will put my max on in the last 5 or so mins. If I don’t get it it wasn’t meant to happen.

If I really must have it I ask if I can make an offer or bid a lot more than its really worth.

I tried using a sniper, I have had more success actually manual sniping though. Plus the thrill is greater.

I just bid my maximum amount and then see if i win

Not giving my password to a sniping tool and I forget when they end

It also prevents you getting carried away in an effort to win- I doubt i would ever do this tbh but who knows

+1 joshvegas – bidding in the last few seconds gives me a real buzz!