E-bay bidding

[Kentish]

I've had several e-mails from interested buyers and I have 18 people watching an item and 14 another but no bids on either.

There appears to be interest, the starting prices are fairly low/reasonable and there is just over two days to go on both items.

Is it normal to get no bids when there is obvious interest or is it the norm these days to get no bids and then post auction "silly" offers?

[Kentish]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Cheers for info BR.

I liked the look of your Merc, I'd have bought it had I already parted with one of mine

A coupe was first choice but your saloon was in excellent original condition.

[eccles]

i think people stick an initial bid in, just in case no one else does and they get a bargain, then leave it all untill the last minute.
i recently sold my car, it had 138 watchers, but only a couple of bids that were nowhere near the reserve, then in the last 2 minutes it went from £1700, to £4500!

[soir]

I always bid at the very last moment so prevent pushing the price up earlier.

[tvrbob]

soir said:

I always bid at the very last moment so prevent pushing the price up earlier.

Me too. I've got it down to a fine art. Enter an amount I'm willing to pay and wait until there's 25 seconds to go then press confirm. I need the item open in a second window to keep a check on the time. No time for anyone to out bid me unless there's an automated bid program running.

[Byff]

tvrbob said:

soir said: I always bid at the very last moment so prevent pushing the price up earlier. Me too. I've got it down to a fine art. Enter an amount I'm willing to pay and wait until there's 25 seconds to go then press confirm. I need the item open in a second window to keep a check on the time. No time for anyone to out bid me unless there's an automated bid program running.

That's what I do too. If someone is running a snipe program to buy it at whatever cost, they're welcome to it. I've put in what I'm prepared to pay, so it's tough if I get beat.

I don't understand these people that chase the highest bid, but it's great when they do it on your own auctions.

[princeperch]

soir said:

I always bid at the very last moment so prevent pushing the price up earlier.

best thing to do. I know of too many sellers who have different accounts and "plant" bidders who bid up their own auction at the early stage to get value out of the initial bids made..always leave it till the last minute

[Kentish]

Trouble is, if everyone leaves it 'til the last minute I'm likely to pull them from sale a few minutes before auction end if I've not had a reasonable price bid for them.

>> Edited by Kentish on Wednesday 19th October 10:43

[beano500]

Then, that's a sensible strategy to take since you can't be assured of a sensible price.

...and remember, you're still not sure that you've made a sale at a good price until the deal is done the money in your account and cleared!

[cotty]

Kentish said:

Trouble is, if everyone leaves it 'til the last money I'm likely to pull them from sale a few minutes before auction end if I've not had a reasonable price bid for them.

I know someone who sells lots of stuff on Ebay but advises that if there are no bids by X amount of hour before the end of the auction the item will be relisted

[Kentish]

I have bids

And it's almost at the prices I need

Still more than a day left to end of auction

[Kentish]

The two winning bidders for the two different lots happened to be in the same town in Wales.

I sent them both e-mail after their bids won and I've had no response back from either.

What do I do if I don't hear back and teh sale isn't completed?

I have their names & addresses, do I take them to small claims?

[thanuk]

Kentish said:

The two winning bidders for the two different lots happened to be in the same town in Wales.

Are they the same person with 2 accounts?

Kentish said:

I have their names & addresses, do I take them to small claims?

Probably not worth the bother.
Fill in a non-paying bidder complaint and get the listing fee refunded.
Then you have to decide whether to leave -ve feedback. The trouble is if you do you'll probably get -ve feedback left for you too. This seems a big flaw to me as I don't see why a non-payer should be allowed to leave any feedback as they haven't completed the transaction.

[Kentish]

Thanks for the info.

Bl00dy annoying idiots aren't they?

Just wasted 10 days for me

I guess I could offer to next highest bidder but you then look like a desperate seller and may have to reduce price!

I will leave negative feedback because I always look at both sets of comments and I'd imagine most people are the same.

I did notice before close that one had negative feedback from others for non-payment, I wish I'd cancel his bid now. I'll always cancel any in the future that have any record of non-payment.

[Byff]

My listing :-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7189444067&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1

has a zero feedback bidder winning ATM. I e-mailed him 2 days ago with a reminder yesterday that I want confirmation of his intention to buy. I've gave him till Saturday morning to respond or his bid gets cancelled.

My idea is that if he is on-line to put in a bid, he should be able to recieve his messages and if he's not responding at this stage, if he wins the auction, what chance do I have of contacting him then?

I think this is fair, what do you lot reckon?