Are You A Bidding Addict
By Brian
@wolfie34 (26771)
United Kingdom
March 31, 2008 8:41am CST
Ebay lets face it has taken the world by storm and most of us have at least checked out Ebay once or twice, or those that use Ebay as a money making scheme or use it to save a small fortune or to earn a small fortune (I never could!) too much time, energy and all your profits eaten by Paypal and tax etc...
Anyhow, have you even been addicted to bidding on stuff that you desperately want, but you know you are paying way over the odds for?
Do you get carried away in bidding, because you want to win the item, or you want to show off? Or you are so determined and so adamant that you will WIN that any money doesn't matter how much you will win it!
Do you get so embroiled in bidding that it takes over?
Or do you bid once and if it goes, then that's it, no big deal?
Are you a hot bidder, frequent bidder or do you just dabble?
There have been a lot of stories where there has been a war between two bidders desperate to get their hands on stuff that the price has gone sky high and things get crazy!
4 people like this
20 responses
@creationsbyrobin (3071)
• United States
31 Mar 08
I bid on craft supplies to use in my creations, to sell in my online shop. I set a price that I'm willing to pay and bid accordingly. If there are no bids on the item, I might bid about 50% of what I'm willing to spend and wait until the last day to see if the bid holds up.
In cases when I know the item will get bids, I always wait until the last day and usually I'll snipe the item with a bid in the last 10 seconds of the auction.
I sent you a friend request... Have a great day!
@creationsbyrobin (3071)
• United States
31 Mar 08
Waiting until the end is the way to go. If only 1 person besides yourself is interested in an item, you stand a great chance of "stealing" the item with a last second bid. If you bid early, you could end up paying more money, if a bidding war occurs. I read through you're thread and your right... set your limit and if the bidding goes higher than your set limit, don't worry, the same item is likely to come up in the near future!
I sent you a pm with a way to get cash back when you win an Ebay auction and it works EVERY time, plus the price is right...FREE!
Take care my friend!
1 person likes this
@cinderella2007 (2662)
•
1 Apr 08
I tend to buy Wallace and Gromit stuff of eBay, I must admit I am abit of a mad bidder. I do think afterwards about how much I paid for it and that it wasnt worth that much but since its Wallace and Gromit, Ive go to have it!!
I do get carried away with bidding, but try to leave it to the last few minutes just to make sure that I have won. I have been able to restrict myself now but I find that Im still saying to myself "I want it but that's too much".
Ive got to try and make room in the spare room for my collection as its growing, Im getting to the point where I dont know what Ive got and havent got!
Ive seen stuff that is priced high and think to myself is it really worth it!?? Ebay sure is addictive!!
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
1 Apr 08
That's very interesting thank you. Nick Park created them didn't he, I'm sure you saw The Curse of the Wererabbit, that was such a funny film and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mind you the best film was the one with the penguin and the train set, brilliant piece of filming, sorry to digress but I enjoyed reading your response.
@cinderella2007 (2662)
•
2 Apr 08
Yeah, Nick Park creating them! I did se Curse of the Were-rabbit, it was fantastic - PS2 game is fun too!!! That pesky penguin - Feathers McGraw, always causes trouble to Wallace and Gromit. Good job they managed to lock him up at the end, would be good if he manages to escape and comes back for revenge hehe!!
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
31 Mar 08
Well, it has really depended on the item. If it was something that I was really wanting that was harder to get, sometimes I will probably Bid higher than I should just for that item, but overall when I go into Ebay I go in there looking for certain items. I do my homework before hand, and due to the High Cost of shipping on items, I will keep that in mind now before bidding on an item, and how high I will go.
But back in the Beanie Baby days there are times I probably spent more than I should on some items, but was Happy when I won, so it is what you are needing at the time that will often work the best for you.
@ellie333 (21016)
•
1 Apr 08
I am a realistic bidder so will place a bid then place a maximum bid and if it goes over that I obviously was not supposed to have the item. I have in fact sold more than I have bought and one item was a pair of retro four wheel roller skates and they went for £21.00 when I was prepared to accept a fiver. Result! Ellie :D
@ruby222 (4847)
•
31 Mar 08
Blimey Wolfie lol thats some list to answer!!!...well ive had a bid or two on ebay..but i dont really like it too much!!! i bought a couple of things to wear...well i resold them..they werent any good...
Ive seen the bidding wars that you are talking about...and how the heck people afford to bid like that i will neve r know..its plain daft!!!
I had a go and sold a few things thatt werent any good to me...but i think its a bit counterproductive....cor..that took some spelling!!..the fees are high..then its the postage...and the packing...no i dont think i will bother!!!But its interesting to look at...i tell you the onlythnig i bought that was any good...was a lovely old denby jug...for my mum..for a pressie...and yes that was lovely !!
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
31 Mar 08
LOL I don't believe in easy discussions or yes or no answers or do you like this or that. But I know I always get great responses. Some people will stop at nothing to get an item and lose control totally, it's ok if you are the seller and you have a bidding war on because you cash in big time! Never me though. I mostly buy than sell.
@Darkwing (21583)
•
1 Apr 08
I've never sold through E-Bay but I've bought a lot. I'm not manic about it though! 
I will only bid to the value of an item in the shops, with postage taken into account. In fact, I've got to the stage where I purchase more "Buy It Now" or "Make an Offer" items, because now that the automatic bidder has come in, it's taken all the fun out of the last minute bids.
Brightest Blessings.
I will only bid to the value of an item in the shops, with postage taken into account. In fact, I've got to the stage where I purchase more "Buy It Now" or "Make an Offer" items, because now that the automatic bidder has come in, it's taken all the fun out of the last minute bids.
Brightest Blessings.@creationsbyrobin (3071)
• United States
7 Apr 08
Darkwing...I agree! Using "buy It now", "make an offer" are great ways to keep bidding war prices down. I also use a free snipe program that allows me to place my top bid days before the end of the auction. The bid gets place in the last 10 seconds of the auction... this keeps possible re-bidding down and is very effective when only 1 other person is interested in the item.
I also get money back from Ebay on every auction I win through another Free program. It really works and pays out monthly. If you're interested, I sent you a friend request... I know this is now available in the UK!
Have a great week!
1 person likes this
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
3 Apr 08
I have tried to follow a simple rule,
Bid late
Bid once
Bid your maximum
However there have been a couple of occasions when a bidding war has erupted and I got swept up in the excitement. :-(
@creationsbyrobin (3071)
• United States
7 Apr 08
There are Free snipe programs that allow you to do this a few days in advance of the auction's end. It's helped me from re-bidding if some tops my offer. I set my top bid a couple days before the end and the program bids for me (my bid is set to trigger with 6 seconds left) I also use another Free program that gets me cash back on every Ebay auction I win (plus it gets cash back from 200+ online shops) and it pays out every month!
It's available in the UK...accept my friend request and I''' be happy to share the free snipe and free cash back programs!
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
31 Mar 08
Hi wolfie, I have bought only a couple of things from Ebay in the past but I am always afraid to do it. I hear too many stories how people got ripped off. I prefer to go into a store and purchase what I want if it's possible. Ebay is a great place but it's those few scammers that we find every where that bothers me.
@mummymo (23706)
•
31 Mar 08
Thankfully that is not one of my vices sweety! yes I use ebay sometimes and yes I have got some great bargains but I refuse to go above a price I have set for myself just to get it! It is one of the few areas where I am really , really reasonable and sensible! xxx
1 person likes this
@suehan1 (4344)
• Australia
31 Mar 08
yes i use to be a e-bay junkie wolfie,and i use to sell on e-bay,but their fees got so high its not worth it.i now only use an aussie site called oztion and i have cut down my bidding frenzy a lot.there should be a organisation for us bidding junkies like a gamblers anonymous.lol cheers sue
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
31 Mar 08
That would be EA, Ebay Anonymous then LOL! Very true, and yes Ebay fees have got right out of hand, trouble is because they have become giants they can dictate what they charge and it's us their customers who have made them into giants in the first place, same with the world over isn't it, they get too big for their boots and become the bully, ho hum!
1 person likes this
@mindofdude (69)
•
1 Apr 08
I certainly may not be a bidding addict. I do bid on things now and again but not too often.
My girlfriend on the other hand can't help herself. 1st few days she was on ebay she spent over £150, and then i ended up having to pay for half of it cuz she didnt have the money.
She didnt even notice how much she was spending. She just decided "oh i'll bid on that, its only £2"
or "oh thats only £3, i can afford that"
yeah but all those bids added up to over £150. She managed to hold herself backa lil bit after that but still goes on ebay everyday and makes small bids on things.
thankfully she isnt winning everything she bids on but she just can't help herself looking and bidding on things on ebay all the time.
@wickedangel (1636)
• Dominican Republic
7 Apr 08
I have only been on ebay once and that was enough for me thank you very much. I have a friend who is on it all the time. She buys and sells things on it as though it were the shop next door. I just couldn't be bothered personally.
She even goes out and buys things just to sell on it. Obviously she buys when there is a sale on and she buys things that have a well known label. Nah, not for me...
@twiztidsoul19 (92)
• United States
2 Apr 08
im not really an ebay addict as much as im a mail addict....i LOVE recieving things by mail especially when i have a tracking number...sounds goofy i know but i feel like its christmas everytime a package comes! lol
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
2 Apr 08
I have never bid on anything in my life, but I am afraid of all this online stuff.
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
1 Apr 08
I am one of those who gets addicted to ebay and to online shopping. I buy a lot of books from ebay and even if I no longer have enough budget, I could still have a hard time preventing myself from buying more books. If I really dont' have money to spare, I just keep on looking over those items that interests me and wait it out until i get the money. I am soooo crazy with ebay.
@phillygirl606 (1112)
• United States
1 Apr 08
It seems like there is always more than one of the same item listed. I will usually go for the lower priced ones and look for the ones with the least bids and less time. I keep an eye on the auction and than will bid when the auction is just about over. I set a limit though, I will not get into the bidding wars. If someone else overbids me than oh well no big deal I'll have a chance again.
@twiztidsoul19 (92)
• United States
1 Apr 08
anyone know why ebay is not working at this moment its 4:42am i need to check my auctions! lol
