eBay

[Eric]

eBay entertains me.

I've been shopping for a wah pedal, and eBay (along with craigslist) is a good place for me to stalk right now, as I'm in no hurry and there seem to be many many used wahs out there. However, the dynamic that exists on eBay just makes me roll my eyes.

Example: I've seen a few crybaby wahs go for somewhere around $36, ones that I bid low on and was OK with not winning. I just wanted to see what would happen. Recently, I figured why not put in a more reasonable bid and try to win one? I bid $38 on a nice-looking one a couple of days ago, figuring the market wouldn't bear much more than that. Now that it's in its final day of auction, what happens? My bid gets maxed out. No biggie, I'll just put in a few more bucks as padding. Now, probably to nobody's surprise, I've been outbid on said wah to the tune of $43.

I find it kind of funny/stupid how people's internal price gauges turn off when the whole must-beat-you-and-win-auction thing comes into play. I really don't believe this pedal would have sold for more than $40 if I hadn't bid high on it early, but some people just have to outbid somebody else to feel like they're tough enough. Ah well, I guess somebody's getting a few more bucks for their pedal thanks to me!

Curious, the land of auctions is.

That's all.

 

[Tone2TheBone]

$50 for a used wah pedal is a good price. People outbid others because they really want it.

 

[Heywood Jablomie]

I've seen the "feeding frenzy" mentality on eBay, too. Logic, true market value, etc. seem to have little to do with the eventual price.

 

[progrmr]

Yea, I don't do eBay anymore. Too many times of winning up until the last minute then have the rug pulled out from under me.

 

[FrankenFretter]

I try to avoid the bidding war by putting my max bid in at 20 seconds (or less if possible) before the end of the auction. It's ridiculous how silly people can be with the whole bidding competition thing. I'm not there to play, I'm only there to win (at my price).

Try that method sometime, Eric. Just make sure your Interwebs connection is fast enough that you have time to enter your bid before the auction closes.

 

[Eric]

I try to avoid the bidding war by putting my max bid in at 20 seconds (or less if possible) before the end of the auction. It's ridiculous how silly people can be with the whole bidding competition thing. I'm not there to play, I'm only there to win (at my price).

I think that's the smart way to do it. I've done something similar in the past when I'm really serious about buying, but it wasn't quite as cut-and-dry as your approach, which seems more reasonable.

More than anything, this was an interesting observation for me that yes, preliminary price does indeed impact the final bids, which seems to point toward the adrenaline-fueled bidding wars.

I suppose in the end, that's the whole point of ebay, but I find it interesting nonetheless.

 

[Tig]

I'm an evil sniper when I occasionally bid on ebay. I'll only go with my maximum price, regardless of it being ebay or a pawn shop, etc., and will wait until 6-8 seconds left. If I'm not awake, I'll use a bid sniper service for something I really want.

That said, the last thing I bid on was over a year ago! I'll use Buy It Now for stuff that is well priced only.

My best ebay experience was selling some new in box bike derailleurs (Campy) that I bought for 15 bucks total at an estate sale. Each sold for between $147 and $175. They more than paid for a fixed gear build. Sometimes, there really is luck in the world, but I rarely see it.

 

[sumitomo]

Yea, I don't do eBay anymore. Too many times of winning up until the last minute then have the rug pulled out from under me.

Sometimes I wish the rug got pulled out!!!! LOL! I got a good deal and thought,I really don't need that.Sumi:thwap