21 Dec
2000
21 Dec
'00
8:08 a.m.
On December 21, Aaron Nabil wrote:
If I can offer advise, use the proxy system. Enter
the amount maximum
amount you are willing to pay. You have absolutely, irrevocably defused
ANY danger of sniping.
If the item is commonly available through other sources, sure, I
agree. But lots of stuff on eBay isn't. Rare is the "one of a kind"
item, but if I see something that I've been looking for for years on
eBay, my definition of "maximum" is a very subjective thing...and may
have nothing to do with the "street value" of the item...it has more
to do with how badly I want it, and how much trouble I'd have to go
through to get it elsewhere.
A good example of this is classic computers. Despite living in an
area where there's either a three-letter agency or a DRMO warehouse on
every street corner, PDP stuff (for example) is VERY difficult to find
where I live. I'd pay several hundred bucks for a pdp11/34a in a
heartbeat on eBay. Why? Because I've been looking for one for a LONG
time and only recently got one locally by pure luck and the sharp eye
of a good friend. You guys who are swimming in them may think I'm
nuts...but you HAVE them. Get it?
In other words, two points...One, sniping is an essential technique for
non-mainstream items (in any category) on eBay, if your goal is to get
the item. Two, the definition of "non-mainstream" frequently differs
from person to person.
-Dave McGuire
21 Dec
21 Dec
9:05 a.m.
On December 21, Aaron Nabil wrote:
I don't think this invalidates the point Aaron made. In fact it validates
it. Enter several hundred bucks for your maximum and you won't have to
snipe. If it goes above that, well, it was more than you were willing to
pay. What's the problem? If you are disappointed you didn't get it, then
you apparently didn't have your maximum set high enough.
If I can offer advise, use the proxy system.
Enter the amount maximum
amount you are willing to pay. You have absolutely, irrevocably defused
ANY danger of sniping.
If the item is commonly available through other sources, sure, I
agree. [...] my definition of "maximum" is a very subjective thing...
and may have nothing to do with the "street value" of the item.
[...]
. I'd pay several hundred bucks for a pdp11/34a in a
heartbeat on eBay. Why? Because I've been looking for one for a LONG
time [...] In other words, two points...One, sniping is an
essential technique for
non-mainstream items (in any category) on eBay, if your goal is to get
the item.
That's usually not the goal of sniping. The goal of sniping is to get the
item for less that you think others would be willing to pay. Then again
if they really had entered their maximum, the technique wouldn't work. The
problem is that most people really don't think through what their maximum is
and are willing to change their "maximum" several times over the course of
the week.
I usually bid my maximum right away. I'm never disappointed because someone
else was willing to pay more, because I am unwilling to pay more. Sniping
really doesn't buy you anything but the satisfaction of knowing you've paid
more than you were originally willing to.
Eric
9:11 a.m.
On Thu, Dec 21, 2000 at 12:05:01PM -0800, Eric J. Korpela (korpela(a)ellie.ssl.berkeley.edu)
wrote:
On December
21, Aaron Nabil wrote:
I don't think this invalidates the point Aaron made. In fact it validates
it. Enter several hundred bucks for your maximum and you won't have to
snipe. If it goes above that, well, it was more than you were willing to
pay. What's the problem? If I can offer advise, use the proxy system.
Enter the amount maximum
amount you are willing to pay. You have absolutely, irrevocably defused
ANY danger of sniping.
If the item is commonly available through other sources, sure, I
agree. [...] my definition of "maximum" is a very subjective thing...
and may have nothing to do with the "street value" of the item.
[...]
. I'd pay several hundred bucks for a pdp11/34a in a
heartbeat on eBay. Why? Because I've been looking for one for a LONG
time [...] From what I see, the problem is in finding a foolproof
way in which to
determine that maximum. If I think that the market value of
something
is, say $100, and I really want it, I might bid $200. If I come back
to look at the auction and see that it's $300, I might re-evaluate my
initial valuation based on that.
It's just another example of incomplete information, which becomes a
problem when the incompleteness is imbalanced between parties.
To fix eBay would be to find something that doesn't lead to these
imbalances (which lead to market distortion in one direction or
another, since the price-setters will be behaving irrationally).
-Rich
--
------------------------------ Rich Lafferty ---------------------------
Sysadmin/Programmer, Instructional and Information Technology Services
Concordia University, Montreal, QC (514) 848-7625
------------------------- rich(a)alcor.concordia.ca ----------------------
9:26 a.m.
To fix eBay would be to find something that
doesn't lead to these
imbalances (which lead to market distortion in one direction or
another, since the price-setters will be behaving irrationally).
-Rich
Yet another example of knowledge equalling power. Look, if you don't know what
something is worth AND have a good idea what the maximum you're willing to pay
for it AND have a willingness to be happy anyway if someone bids more than that,
You shouldn't bid on e-bay. Auctions work because people believe they can get
a bargain for just one more bid, and they get caught up in it and bid past what
the thing is worth. If you can't play auction hardball (see the terms above)
then you will be fleeced or not get what you want at an auction. Same thing
goes for art auctions at science fiction conventions, and surplus auctions,
all of which I've gone to, spent money at, and enjoyed.
--
Jim Strickland
jim(a)DIESPAMMERSCUMcalico.litterbox.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
BeOS Powered!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
22 Dec
22 Dec
4:21 a.m.
On Thu, 21 Dec 2000, Dave McGuire wrote:
On December 21, Aaron Nabil wrote:
I'm not sure I understand how your "very subjective maximum" at all alters
my assertion that using the proxy system entirely sidesteps the problem
of snipers. I think it is safe to say that the "maximum you are willing
to pay" is ALWAYS very subjective.
How does bidding your maximum via the proxy system fail to defuse
snipers just becuase the item is rare?
--
Aaron Nabil
If I can offer advise, use the proxy system.
Enter the amount maximum
amount you are willing to pay. You have absolutely, irrevocably defused
ANY danger of sniping.
If the item is commonly available through other sources, sure, I
agree. But lots of stuff on eBay isn't. Rare is the "one of a kind"
item, but if I see something that I've been looking for for years on
eBay, my definition of "maximum" is a very subjective thing...and may
have nothing to do with the "street value" of the item...it has more
to do with how badly I want it, and how much trouble I'd have to go
through to get it elsewhere. 
8:21 a.m.
New subject: sniping, Xebec example
Aack! Yesterday and this morning there were auctions for Xebec SASI Sider
(old hard drive for apple) controller cards. Both early on had bids of like
$1, and I slipped in 20 minutes before the close yesterday and bought the
first card (with a 25 pin controller cable) for $2.25 using a proxy bid of
$6.58. I talked to the seller last night and made a combo deal on shipping,
then forgot to bid on the second card this morning (37 pin cable) which the
guy I sniped yesterday won for about $5.
Now I don't "need" both cards, but Murphy's law says my Sider uses a 37
pin
cable, and I haven't checked yet. For the first one I figured my max bid as
$10 including $3.20 for shipping. Since I made a deal on shipping the
"meat" of the second bid would have been maybe just over $8.
As a snipe I "think" that $8 might have won the second auction, but I
really doubt it would have won if I placed it last night as a proxy limit.
I "know" if the tables were turned and I lost the first bid to a snipe,
woke up the next morning with the same person topping my bid on a card that
is both rare and one I need, that I would attempt to outbid them with a new
more agressive maximum, and yes, as a snipe at the last moment too late for
them to react and bid higher.
Making it clear.
I want this card. I have a Sider without a controller, so its a real need.
A real need with a finite budget, ie I wouldn't even think about paying $25
for a card, and $10 is even pushing my limit, but bidding say $15 with a
"fair" chance of getting it for less than $10, is a gamble I am willing to
take. By fair chance, I mean that over several such operations, the
"average" is less than $10. That just doesn't happen with a early proxy
bid.
8608
days inactive
8609
days old
5 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
-
jim＠calico.litterbox.com -
korpela＠ellie.ssl.berkeley.edu -
mcguire＠neurotica.com -
mikeford＠socal.rr.com -
nabil＠SpiritOne.com -
rich＠alcor.concordia.ca