Silly bids Shameless Plug

T

Tony

Model railways
Some of you cinics will just see this post as a shamless plug for some stuff im selling... But as most of you watch Ebay anyway and it has 27 watchers in 12 hours already i hardly need to plug anything
No the point of this post is a Question that has no answer.... one of the great mysterys of life..... Why oh why do people put silly bids on expensive items... I start all my auction ads at 99p no reserve so take a look at this
This Rugens has 4 bids (i know some of you cant see the bidding amounts but they are) 99p ...£5.00 ...£21.00 and now £22... now while im happy that it shows others there is interest in my item why do some people bother putting in such low silly bids. I can see it might work on a hard to sell item but.......:rolf::rolf::rolf:
Anyway Shameless plug over
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180793055136&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Tony
 
Yup, it does look silly but also remember that if I'm first bidder and you start at 99p then it doesn't matter how big my bid it will show as 99p till someone bids more than me. I always look at the 'hidden bids' as well, that shows a truer picture but even that can be confusing.

It's EBAY, say no more!!!
 
Well. you never know. High bids can get out of hand (I know, I've paid more than I should sometimes) but on the other hand, I try low bids and sometimes get some real bargains!
 
When wife is watching hundreds of items, putting a low bid on something is sometimes the only way to watch it.
 
It's simply because some people are eternal optimists! :)

"Silly bids" do sometimes work - I've just sold a pair of professional studio quality audio cards on evilBay, valued at around £100 each. (I too use 99p start with no reserve)
They've sold for 99p !

There was obviously only one person that appreciated what they were, using the auction site during the sale.
However - last year I sold a Mamod for a considerable amount more than it was worth after it ended in an obvious "bidding war".

The point is, I didn't complain about being paid over the odds for the Mamod, so why should I moan about not getting a decent price for the cards?!
 
It could also be said that it "shows interest", in other words, makes it less likely the seller will withdraw the item before end of sale.
 
I know what you mean Tony!
 
I play the optimistic route with stuff I like the look of but not really desparate to have. If I'm lucky with my "silly bid" then brilliant!

As others have said I do feel it registers a bit more interest than simply watching. It may put other buyers off if there are several of the same item and some already have bids, hence you might "spread the load" and get an item cheaper. I think there used to be a theory that it makes it harder for the seller to withdraw if there are bids? No idea, I've never sold anything just bought stuff.
 
I sometimes use the silly bid to flag up a "you've been outbid" warning that acts as a reminder. It's one step up from my watch list! I also use the small bid and a secondary bid to make it look like I'm so keen I've had a second bite (rarely works....).
If it's LGB it will go for a fair price, I don't get many bargains but did get a toy train flatty for £12 inc postage from Germany before Xmas
 
I too will put in a silly bid rather than watch an item. This gets me a reminder when I want it. No point in making a serious bid until a few minutes before the item ends. If the item is still within my decided value then I will stick a bid in for the max I am prepared to pay.
 
I have tried, when selling to put, alongside normal auction start price, a 'buy now' that is set at a reasonable price for anybody who wants to still get a bargain but at a price that is also reasonable for me. UNFORTUNATELY when selling an item in an auction setting and also using 'buy now' option, the 'buy now' disappears as soon as the start price has been bid.
So if I started my item at 99p with the 'buy now' option and somebody bids just 99p then the 'buy now' option just goes (it also costs more in ebay sellers fees to include a 'buy now' option).
Of course the start price can be set higher to keep the 'buy now' option on show until somebody decides to bid the higher start price but that can put people off .
The moral of this is to forget about using 'buy nows' when selling...unless you use a 'buy now' on its own without an auction option and put the item at a very good bargain price and then buyers will actually use the 'buy now'..........ask me how I know........
 
bobg said:
It could also be said that it "shows interest", in other words, makes it less likely the seller will withdraw the item before end of sale.
Click to expand...
I have started to do this after seeing several auctions end early without any bids (I normally wait till 10/20secs before end to bid)
 
darkdaniel100 said:
bobg said:
It could also be said that it "shows interest", in other words, makes it less likely the seller will withdraw the item before end of sale.
Click to expand...
I have started to do this after seeing several auctions end early without any bids (I normally wait till 10/20secs before end to bid)
Click to expand...
They still get pulled if they get a better offer (or sale outside ebay) .
I've had several emails from ebay saying my bid was cancelled & the sale was ended early.
 
Must admit i watch a lot of things to get a price understanding before i buy, also always the optermistic with the 99p bid:bigsmile::bigsmile:

Then when the time is right its last minute bid here:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
If there's something I can't live without, I'll put a huge bid on Sniper - works a treat.

Just have to explain it to SWMBO is all :nail:
 
After boasting I was a loser won this little beauty in France for 24.5 euros leaving it until 12 seconds to go. Bit of a shock as I expected my paltry 30.55 to well beaten. He rated it 9/10 and incl figures so optimistic
45e7b0c4df0446fb8fa197d8221460ed.jpg
 
Looks like a great win, Bazzer, those normally fetch more like £60-£70 in good nick! Even after shipping from France, you're still well up. Never tried French eBay, though I've made some good buys on the German one.
 
Zerogee said:
Looks like a great win, Bazzer, those normally fetch more like £60-£70 in good nick! Even after shipping from France, you're still well up. Never tried French eBay, though I've made some good buys on the German one.
Click to expand...

OH i have a blue one listed so will see how that goes ...i sell a lot of G gauge to France and they normally pay good money but it maybe the exchange rate that helped that one sell so cheap

Tony
 
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