How to Buy Items from eBay?

I'm almost always outbid on eBay items is there software or techniques that'll enhance my chances of winning items?

Mike

 

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I think even with something like a bidder program, you'll still lose if your max bid isn't high enough. I hate losing the auctions, but I tell myself "at least I didn't overpay."

 

I'd recommend you keep trying. Try to find auctions that end at less popular times like really late at night or the middle of the day on a weekday. Items seem to get more bids on the weekends. Also, in most auctions the winning bid comes in during the last hour or so, so it doesn't matter if the price seems good when there are five days left to go. EBay final sale prices don't always make sense. Sometimes for some reason a coin will sell for a lot cheaper than a similar coin did the last nine other times, so you just have to keep trying until you get lucky.

If none of that works then you probably just need to accept that you have to pay more.

 

Don't get dismayed if you don't win the bidding. There have been many, many auctions I bid on and don't win. Here are a few things I keep in mind:

-I just set my highest bid that I am willing to pay and leave it at that. If someone outbids me, I know that I personally would be over-paying for the coin.

-I sort by "ending soonest" to see if I can get any last-minute snipes in. I have been able to score some good coins for cheap prices by bidding on the coins that are ending soonest.

-I have a higher chance of success if I bid on an item that ends midday or late at night.

-If I am interested in a specific coin, I keep my eye on multiple listings. In case I lose 1, I have another I can fall back on.

 

@midas1: Gavel Snipe and eSnipe

 

I just wait untill the last 10 seconds of an auction and put in my highest price.

 

Listen to Krispy.

And reap what ya sow.......ya might max out the debit card.

 

I actually ran out the other day

 

Auction bidding assistance tools are a good way to save you time, otherwise spent sitting and waiting at the computer to place a bid at the last moment, or trying to make the time to be there for it when you could be doing anything else in life at the same time. And while you're sitting there waiting to bid, temptation can strike some folks to bid more than they probably know they should have bid. This can get one into a bidding battle and that's no good for anyone. If you miss bidding at the end because of some distraction you've also lost a chance the sniping tool would have given you.

Using tools like this wisely saves you time and money. I have had much success winning auctions using them and I feel less burdened by the manual bidding process. Snipe bidders also get outbid so it's not a sure thing, just know what you are willing to pay for an item and let the automated bidding do the rest. If you loose, move on. Some will say bid high in the beginning and it's doing the same thing, but I feel that many avoid bidding their set amount early on to avoid driving up the visible current bid amount during the course of the auction in hopes the final price will somehow remain lower. That's a perspective to go by, but I also know sniped bids allow those kind of bidders to believe in the visible current that puts them in the lead, but have no idea whether they've understood the amount of interest in a given item to gauge if their bid was even worth entering for the lot, so by the time they do, the auction has ended in favor of a sniped bid.

 

You can fool around with bidding software, or just write down the most you are willing to pay for an item, and stick to it. if there's a question of authenticity or think it may be altered, listen to your instincts; there are lots of shady items on ebay. Get to know a good, honest local coin dealer and buy from them. They usually are willing to move on some of their prices once you stop there a few times.

 

they have snipe programs out there that bid for you in last 5-30 seconds of the auctions. I am not sure where to get/buy those from ??? the key is knowing how much you want to spend for the coins. know the supply and demand for each coin. some coins you might spend more on if you know for a fact they only come up for auction every 10-15 years. I over bid on some coins that I knew would not be on the market again for a long time. so it was worth it to me to bid higher. bid what you are comfortible with. do NOT bid 5 days early that will just bid the price up more. wait to bid on the last 1-10 minutes if you can be that patient. I know some coin collectors that wait until the last 1 minute to 30 seconds to bid. sometimes that works out good if you have the time to wait and be there for the last minute or 2. do NOT give up. get to know what previous/completed auctions for the same coins went for can give you a good indication what the market brings for certain coins.

 

Don't limit yourself to ebay either - check out heritage coins also. Plus there are lots of good online dealers also - check them out also.

 

Thanks all for the useful replies. I'm going to start by trying the bidding software Krispy suggests and by using some of bidding techniques suggested. . I'm buying currency and old stock certificates. I need to replace some of my favorite currency that vaporized.
I do not have an list of my collection so I'm repurchasing from memory and reviewing computer scans of some of the items.

I'll check out some Heritage auctions.

Mike

 

I f an item has not surpassed what I am willing to pay, at 1 min to go. I place my bid but do not confirm until final seconds. Works well for me.

 

I only bid on an item early if nobody else has bid. Otherwise, you'll end up in a bidding war.

If a bunch of people are bidding, always wait untill the last 5-10 seconds of the auction.

 

Bid what you are willing to pay. If someone else is willing to pay more then let them have the lot.

 

I bid what I am willing to pay and use snipe software. That avoids my being involved in a bidding war, and gives me the best shot at getting a top bid at the last minute, when most auctions are resolved anyway. I also tend to use fixed buy now/make offer auctions, and make very fair offers (mutually) for the coin I want. These strategies have been very successful.

 

I'd also like to just let you know, midas1, that ebay tends to be a dumping ground for problem related items in the numismatic field. Study the pictures closely, ask questions, and follow your gut feeling. And DO NOT buy from a seller who claims to not accept returns, or a feedback rating under 90%.

 

In fact I would go further and say buy from sellers whom you know, although I have not always followed my own rule and bought some nice coins (and "met" some nice people -- mostly) by not doing so.

Best Regards,

George