Reservations over sniping ?

[monaghj]

So here is my dilemma. So I see an Ebay item, say it opens for 0.99 and its 3 days out... bidding has been 3 or 4 people and its up to 3.99. Being wise to the sniping game I don't put any bid on it until the last moment. Quite often I have found that there is a reservation. So my last min snipe bid of $40.00 $ hits a whopping 4.01 and the auction closes without the reserve being met.

What is the strategy here ?.
A. Should I be bidding early baiting others to get it over the reserve price then holding back for the snipe.
B. Contact the seller after the auction (against Ebay rules) and offer to pay the reserve price.
C. Quit whining and wait for the next item to show up on Ebay.

[vgc]

So here is my dilemma. So I see an Ebay item, say it opens for 0.99 and its 3 days out... bidding has been 3 or 4 people and its up to 3.99. Being wise to the sniping game I don't put any bid on it until the last moment. Quite often I have found that there is a reservation. So my last min snipe bid of $40.00 $ hits a whopping 4.01 and the auction closes without the reserve being met.

What is the strategy here ?.
A. Should I be bidding early baiting others to get it over the reserve price then holding back for the snipe.
B. Contact the seller after the auction (against Ebay rules) and offer to pay the reserve price.
C. Quit whining and wait for the next item to show up on Ebay.

The Correct Answer is B. Mike : )

[luckydog]

That is one reason I don't like bidding on reserve auctions.

Like buses, another one may come up again.

Or check their listings, it may be relisted with a lower reserve.

Never bid more than you are willing to pay for the item.

[dapperdan]

I hate reserves. I don't know why people just don't start it at the lowest price they are willing to sell it for.

[arbycoffee]

The auction will state if there is a reserve. You can ask the seller what is the reserve, some will say other won't.
Bid your max and see what it does at 3 seconds.

[arbycoffee]

For activity on the auction.
Say you have an auction you set the reserve at $850 and a BIN at $2000 and start it at 1¢. Till the reserve is made, the BIN is active.

[Lddrizzt]

So here is my dilemma. So I see an Ebay item, say it opens for 0.99 and its 3 days out... bidding has been 3 or 4 people and its up to 3.99. Being wise to the sniping game I don't put any bid on it until the last moment. Quite often I have found that there is a reservation. So my last min snipe bid of $40.00 $ hits a whopping 4.01 and the auction closes without the reserve being met.

In this situation, the reserve was above $40. If the reserve was say $32 then when the bid of $40 goes through, the reserve will be met, and the high bid will be $32, and the other bidders would be left in the dust at their $3.99 bids.
If you bid above the reserve price then the high bid will be the reserve price.

[shiftdelete]

I always ask the seller what the reserve price is. 90% of the time they tell me. So, that seems to work. It should let you know if the price is right, and where to come in with a snipe (since you know the reserve, you can assume others might too).

[monaghj]

Lddriztt,

I have not seen the behavior you have described. I have only seen the auctions move upwards by the bid increment. So if no one has bid against me then it never moves up to the reserve even if I put in a large bid greater than the reserve.

Kind of wish that the reserve worked like a proxy bid or that the auction started at the reserve price. The way it is now is not cool.

[Tulsa]

Same sniping rules apply. Put in as much as you're willing to pay for an item. If it hits the reserve and your high, you win. If it's not enough to hit the reserve, you were never going to win it in the first place as it was more than you were willing to pay.

You win either way.

[arbycoffee]

when ever you bid. If your bidded amount is at or greater than the reserve and no one has bidded. You will go to the reserve price. That is in ebay's auction rules.
if you bid under the reserve price, even with a proxie amount and still under the reserve. You will only go up to the next incurment above the highest bidder, if you have bid higher than them.
You don't have to belive me, just read the ebay's rules on bidding.
That is how it has worked for me some 4,500+ auctions.

[cwstnsko]

This e-bay behavior is the reason that some auctions look like a person was bidding repeatedly with no counter bids. They were really just fishing for the reserve, but once the reserve is met, their bidding pattern looks odd to those that don't understand.

Before I started sniping, I had bid on some auctions below the reserve amount. After I had stopped bidding, I occaisionally got notices that the seller had lowered the reserve. At first it made me nervous that the seller might be able to drop the reserve a little at a time until my max bid was exposed. I don't think seller can do this, but I've never fully researched it.

[azlew]

I always ask the seller what the reserve price is. 90% of the time they tell me. So, that seems to work. It should let you know if the price is right, and where to come in with a snipe (since you know the reserve, you can assume others might too).

I agree 1000%.

I won't bid on a auction with a seller that won't let me know privately what the reserve price is. That combined with knowing what your maximum is that you are willing to pay makes it either an easy snipe or an just as easy walk away experience. Playing the bidding game is fun but it's more fun when you know that you are doing it intelligently.

[arbycoffee]

I will always tell a reserve, that person is interested, better than a lookie lou.

[Tulsa]

If you're going to tell, what's the point of the reserve? Why not just make that your starting bid?

[arbycoffee]

to get action on the auction = Electroic ownership = higher bids = more funds spent.