# Auction Buying



## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

I hope I'm not inviting a beating here, but what the heck. 

Sometimes I've sensed negative feelings against buying on Ebay and other auction sites. Is it my imagination, or is there an issue? And if so, what is it?

From my end, I bought my first couple of locos and several cars retail, but after that couldn't do much else but bide my time and check auctions. That's been my way to break into the hobby. 

I'd like to share a couple things I've learned in this regard over the last 3 years, and learn from others as well. 

===>Cliffy


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## Garratt (Sep 15, 2012)

Ebay attracts all kinds. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.


Recently I saw a first generation Bachmann Lyn engine that was clearly listed as the more recent one with 'metal gear box' and with the latest model number. It was later admitted to me that it was the earlier model number. Falsely advertised, complete lies! Of course they were on the road and did not get back to me for days until the auction was almost done. Some sucker bought it! Buyer beware, there a deceptive scoundrels all over eBay that play the BS and dumb cards. 
The best one is 'As New' then getting a nicotine coated engine with rusty non original screws and broken parts. I'd nail them to post if I had the chance. 
Another trick is they will pretend there is a shipping problem and take heaps of time to communicate each time, wasting time so the Buyer Protection time is up after months of evasion and lies, keeping my money and not shipping.


Having just said that, most people are honest though. Just be aware of the warning signs:
Never assume, ask questions for a definitive answer or ditch them. 
Look at their feedback and number of sales. 
Watch out for excessive handling charges. 
Watch out for the BS excessive shipping companies that have 'Seller incentive programs'. 
Don't go outside of eBay, even in messages. 
The excessive communication time (weeks) when there is a problem etc. Don't buy into it! 
You can usually spot the scum from miles away. 
The narcissist, con artists scream blue murder when I destroy their 100% after they assume they can bargain their way out of a deliberate deception.
I won't be bought, I have my integrity. The feedback is there for a reason. To warn others. 

Andrew


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## RailCat (Apr 10, 2009)

I don't buy a lot on eBay but I haven't had any bad experiences. I have a few important purchases that I probably wouldn't have found otherwise because they are out of production. My fleet of USAT 44-Ton switchers is one of my best examples. They have been out of production for years but they are the best size 1:29 locomotive for my space. 

As Andrew says, It is important to be knowledgeable about what you are shopping for. All of the 44-Ton switchers were in new condition. I believe three out of the four may never even have been out of their boxes. All four had USAT split axle syndrome. However, I had expected this from the date of their production and I have a stockpile of new replacement wheelsets. Feedback can be very important too although the sellers with low sales volumes can also be good people. They just aren't dealers. 

To me, One of the most important things is good photography. The better sellers will have several large, clear photos from all angles of both the item and packaging. I can check for myself if there is visible damage or discoloration of the item. I also watch for moisture or impact damage on the packaging. It's usually pretty easy to separate the models that really are in new condition from the ones that have seen hard service if you have good pictures. Pictures that are small, out of focus or shot with poor lighting can hide a lot however. 

Just my two cents worth. 

-Scott


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Great tips, Andrew and Scott.

Since I've chosen to model the V&T, I need moguls and 4-4-0's. That pushes me to out-of-production engines, as you mention Scott. Except for Spectrum models, the online auctions have been my only choice.


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## Blk69 (Dec 6, 2009)

I have limited my Ebay purchase to used track only. It has been hard, but I have been able to get used LGB brass track for $4 foot or less. You have to be careful thou, I have seen some track go for significantly more, a lot more! 

Prefer swap meets as you can hold items in your hand and evaluate. With the fall coming up hopefully a swap meet will be in your area.


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## adir tom (Dec 4, 2011)

I purchase many items from ebay. I often buy junkers for the spare parts, but pay accordingly. over the years I have had only two major problems. One recently was a bogus dealer who wanted a charge card number sent over email. After much hastling with Ebay, they finally shut is listings, but I see he has listed the same items under a new account! The one issue I have is that a few major train listers with stores have robo bidders that push the price up to what they wish to receive or the robo buys it and is relisted again. 
I find a big indicator is to enlarge the photos and look for missing or broken small detail parts. It well much about the overall condition. Generally I have found MOST train sellers to be more than honest and will continue to do business with them.


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## Homo Habilis (Jul 29, 2011)

In my experience I have found that there is not much difference between Ebay, Internet , traditional mail-order, swap meets, yard sales and retail store purchases. I have had the full range of excellent to horrible experiences regardless of the venue.


I will state that, with Ebay, you at least have a fighting chance of escalating a problem purchase due to its rating and resolution services. While obviously not perfect, it gives the purchaser a reasonable edge over more "traditional" buying.


As many have said before - Caveat Emptor!


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

The most important part of purchasing anything anywhere is learning what the item is and what they are generally selling for. With many trains being updated from earlier versions with sometimes serious problems, you need to be able to identify the older units, otherwise you're apt to get taken. 
Same with price, you need to look at the completed items to see what a particular item has been selling for before buying something that is over priced. This is where Ebay has a great resource that other forms of business typically don't have. Also, check the dealers that advertise on this site to see what their selling price is before clicking the buy it now price on new product listed on Ebay. A lot of the brand new product listed on Ebay are priced higher than the dealers advertising on this site.


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

I don't buy on e-bay anymore! I cost more then if you go to a good dealer. 

Don


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Do not worry about the negativity concerning E bay 


I have bought quite a bit of Train Stuff on E bay.

I look at a item and if it is a Buy It Now auction and that is what I am will to give for it I buy it.

If it is a Auction I figure the max I will pay for it and enter that amount. 

If I get it for less or the limit I am fine. If I am out bid that is Ok and I do not Increase my bid. 

I got a lot of bargains both ways.

I would not hesitate to buy on E bay. 

JJ

PS I have seen Items I bid on go for 3 to 4 times the limit is set ...


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## vsmith (Jan 2, 2008)

My only beef is that Ebay has become over run with greedy sellers who have flooded the site with "Buy It Now" items that are often priced over brand new MSRP, thats including used junk that is quite literally "junk". Granted its caveat emptor but the BIN sales now outnumber the traditional auctions by 5 to 1. It makes finding stuff a much more challenging and time consuming affair. 

Using keyword searches is very important as is searching specifically within the various categories. For example, If I am looking for an 0-4-0 locomotive, I go to the 'Model Railroad' category, then 'G Scale' trains and enter my search, that gives me everything under the 0-4-0 search parameter, if I wanted an LGB 0-4-0, then I would open the 'LGB' category in 'G Scale' and then enter 0-4-0, and so on, if I had a specific LGB model number I could enter that as well, it really helps to know WHAT your searching for. I also almost always once I have my search results click OFF the Buy it Now tab, so I can see the auctions only first, and then review the overprice BIN stuff if I choose to. 

Having a Paypal account is now a requirement. Its not as bad as we thought it would be when they mandated the switch, the only caveat for me was that due to the amount of stuff I buy and sell, I decided to set up a dedicated bank account to handle the funds, this account is not tied or linked to any other bank accounts so its effectively isolated and that exactly what I wanted, makes dealing with Ebay funding safer IMO. Either that or having a dedicated stand alone credit card is a good idea. DONT mix accounts like tying your everyday bank account to the Paypal account, just dont. 

Other than that, its still the best place to buy alot of stuff, not as good as it used to be before the BIN days, but for the time there still be deals to be had.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Here's some of my nits (this is just me):

- The dude who keeps buying up Big Hauler sets and selling the bits individually
- Any use of "RARE!" and "[email protected]@K!" 
- The constant flood of doll house furniture (OK, G-Scale Larry is a good guy, but a pack of 5 autopsy tables?







) 
- Items listed with an initial bid that's about double what a good deal would be 

Another thing that used to drive me absolutely ape poo was staying up late for the closing on something I really needed, only to get beat out by 50 cents, with 2 seconds to go. Ebay doesn't offer such snipe bidding services, but I finally figured out how these people were doing it: snipe software. Now, I mainly use that technique (using Gixen, a totally free product) for collecting V&T ephemera. But once in a while, if no one's biting on something G-gauge-ish that I really would like, I'll use it there. But like JJ says, I just put in a bid that I'd consider a good deal, and don't sweat it otherwise. 

I've seen a lot of great ebay tips described in this thread, and I'll add a couple more -- piggybacking on things Vic brought up. Ebay can be a great too for seeing what's out there. It's always amazing just how much product LGB turned out, and eventually it shows up on Ebay. Second, if there's something you just have to have, you can set it up to get emails when that item is first listed. Just tune your search string to cough up only what you're intending, and click "Save Search". Over in "My EBay," in the options for that search, you can switch on the email notification. Using that approach, over a year's time, I scanned Aristo snow plow car prices for a good deal. 

My biggest non-Ebay source of stuff is via "traditional" auctions, where you can have a virtual presence (and often see / hear what's going on). The service I use is Proxibid, which usually posts the catalog 2 or 3 weeks in advance. Some auctions you bid live; some you place your bids in secret. You pay a higher premium than being there; and watch the shipping prices, if you can. Anyway, you can get some killer random deals. Last thing I got there was a garbage sack full of unopened Evergreen styrene packs (an entire dealer's display). Paid $50, plus 15% plus shipping for a lot of plastic. LiveAuctioneers.com is very similar, and Stout (the big train auction house) seems to go through them.

Once in a while, I search on Yakaz.com for fun. If you don't want ebay results, type -ebay in your searches. Anyway, it goes through all the Craig's lists in the country, and also other non-ebay sites. I found an excellent-condition Spectrum 4-4-0 for $75 that way (from a Craig's list somewhere in California). 

It's also fun to check http://www.shopgoodwill.com, they have all kinds of crazy stuff; and I've seen LGB and Bachmann BH stuff their, though I haven't chased them. I did pick up a New Bright set for a friend, for ~$25 (incl. shipping). Oh, and if you can't get rid of certain valuable items on Ebay / etc., Goodwill is a great avenue for a tax deduction. 

A word of caution with any of the non-ebay approaches: always understand the shipping method (and ballpark shipping price, if possible) before bidding. Some auctions houses, and some Goodwill stores, just don't ship. And though using the UPS Store is convenient, you really pay for their fetching the thing, packing it, and shipping it. 

One final thing, though it's not an auction: Freecycle. Though you have to wade through a lot, sometimes you can find nice construction materials. I've gotten full sheets of masonite and partial sheets of acrylic, for example. Pavers, bricks, rr ties sometimes pop up. All random, but worth a gander for a month to see if anything is a help to you. 

Well, that's my two cents... 

===>Cliffy


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## Tom Parkins (Jan 2, 2008)

Generally good experience on Ebay. Some terrific buys, some hard to get stuff. My biggest complaint.....


*SNIPING.....* It seems to me that ebay could mitigate this by simply publishing the minute but not the seconds that remain for a bid. That would render most sniping programs ineffective. Sure the regular buyers would be a little in the dark on the final bids. Hey enter your max and let it roll.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a better idea... run it like a REAL "AUCTION"... the bidding continues until nobody submits a new bid. you know... "Going once, going twice, three times, SOLD to the little old lady in the red shawl." Anybody can jump in during that call to outbid the old lady.

Granted, in on-line auctions, you can't see someone shake their head, saying, "I'm done." in order to stop the auction and complete the sale.

So, I suggest that if someone offers a bid, the countdown clock resets to 24 hours to give the other bidders a chance to offer a new bid. Might need a minimum increase to the bid price, like $1 or maybe some percentage of the present bid, to cut down on petty one-cent increases.

But "Sniping" would be useless as it would just give everybody the chance to bid again within 24 hours.

I would think that sellers would like this as it would guarantee the highest bids.

Maybe the seller should have the say-so over how long the bid extension is, so that long protracted bidding could be stopped... set a closing time, and then extend it by 5 minutes at a time with a final closing time and a minimum bid increase.

I have seen auctioneers start increasing the bid step to cause people to drop out of a petty bidding war. Where the bidders might have been leapfrogging by a dollar at a time, the auctioneer will start jumping his call to $10 or $20 per bid; that sometimes will get the penny-ante bidders to go away.


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

I have bought and sold on EBay and only have has 2-3, maybe 4 issues..nothing real serious...most people you contact are honest and will either refund some cash or take it back even if stated no refunds etc...so I fail to see why all the Ebay bashing.
What I do see ALL THE FRICKIN time is *CHEAP PEOPLE* trying to low ball sellers, wanting everything for nothing.......or asking *STUPID* questions that are were posted in the verbage of the listing.....

I look at it this way if I want something bad enough I will pay for it...I expect the same.......if you refrain form getting what you want you probubly do the same in other aspects of your life, I don't....you only live 80 years if you are lucky!

The way you can protect yourself is ONLY do business with sellers that have 100% feedback.
Only pay by Pay-Pal, I have gotten my money back more then a couple of times, when I did have trouble with sellers falsely listing, and or not getting what I paid for...they always side with the buyer, at least in my case...I have 100% feedback!
Ask questions BEFORE you bid.
Know what you are buying and what the product is about.
AND last MAKE SURE YOU READ THE ENTIRE LISTING..I have been burned on that one, which was MY fault!

I have even done business with people with less then 100% feedback and still have not been burned by them........so it is hard to say just who will burn you or not, but if you pay by Pay-Pal, the money is in the bank!

AND I have even done business outside of ebay, but still paid by Pay-Pal and have yet to be burned, so again I fail to see what all the hub-bub is about!

Maybe I'm lucky but I have been buying and selling on the Bay since 1999...still happy...advice......just use common sense.....MIOST of all....have fun!

That is what Ebay is all about..I have gotten some NEAT stuff on Ebay, and npt always trains.....

Did I say I hate CHEAP people!!!

IMHO

Bubba


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Posted By Tom Parkins on 01 Sep 2013 01:49 PM 
Generally good experience on Ebay. Some terrific buys, some hard to get stuff. My biggest complaint.....


*SNIPING.....* It seems to me that ebay could mitigate this by simply publishing the minute but not the seconds that remain for a bid. That would render most sniping programs ineffective. Sure the regular buyers would be a little in the dark on the final bids. Hey enter your max and let it roll. 
Good point. The main thing is an equal playing field, in my book. In many (even most) Ebay auctions I've bid on, the winning bid was placed in the final seconds. The only way to beat that guy's sniping software is to have the same thing, which not everyone does. That's why I pointed it out, and how to get it. If Ebay disabled sniping by some means, then that would be the other way to equalize things, which I'm perfectly ok with.


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## FlagstaffLGB (Jul 15, 2012)

Didn't really see anyone indicate their experiences with Craig's List. I find that the cash and carry policy and normally being able to actually see the product (if it is being sold locally), is a great way to know what you are buying. It also avoids PayPal or bank card issues, Ebay commissions and of course...shipping. I have only had one "bad" experience on Ebay and that was my own fault...should have paid better attention. I also find that local club swap meets are a great place to get heavy items, like used track. So, good advice and as always....buyers beware. 

Ed


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Sometimes you see stuff on the bay that you just won't find elsewhere at any price. I have some "legacy" rolling stock from the Woodland Railroad that I won't repaint. I know that there is one among us who will instantly recognize this crane from his father's railroad.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

OK Todd, so YOU'RE the guy who got that...









Just kidding. But I agree, I remember a collection of truly "craftsman" type MOW and other cars, super-detailed, and the son was selling them all. One was a blacksmith car, so cool. Different from your sale probably, but my point is, you're so right, sometimes something truly unique comes along.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Another comment about SNIPING... 

Doesn't E-Bay have a feature where you enter a starting bid, and a MAX bid and a STEP for your bids? The system, as I understand it, is that your starting bid is entered and if someone bids more, your bid is automatically upped by your entered STEP. If someone else has done the same thing then the two bids compete, jumping by the respective STEP until one reaches the MAX that one of the bidders entered.

Seems to me that if your MAX has not been reached and someone SNIPES by a few cents at the close of the bidding, the automatic system would re-enter your next STEP bid and you would win.

Is there something that inhibits this from happening? Is there some time period required for the automatic system to enter the STEP bid that could be cut short by the close of the bidding such that the SNIPE would win?


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Posted By Semper Vaporo on 02 Sep 2013 02:08 PM 
Another comment about SNIPING... 

Doesn't E-Bay have a feature where you enter a starting bid, and a MAX bid and a STEP for your bids? The system, as I understand it, is that your starting bid is entered and if someone bids more, your bid is automatically upped by your entered STEP. If someone else has done the same thing then the two bids compete, jumping by the respective STEP until one reaches the MAX that one of the bidders entered.

Seems to me that if your MAX has not been reached and someone SNIPES by a few cents at the close of the bidding, the automatic system would re-enter your next STEP bid and you would win.

Is there something that inhibits this from happening? Is there some time period required for the automatic system to enter the STEP bid that could be cut short by the close of the bidding such that the SNIPE would win?

You're entirely correct. Max bids are max bids, and the highest one wins. I'm sure there are nuances when it comes down to closing seconds, but I'm no expert on that. The main diff is that EBay max's go up in real time, covering other higher bids instantly until they're run up. So if two EBay-only bidders try to max-bid each other, the highest one comes out on top, every time, almost instantly. But, after all that, the current highest bid might have further "headroom" before it max's out. 


The advantage with snipe bidding is that no one knows about that bid, whereas with Ebay max-bidding, everyone knows about it because it keeps covering other bids until it reaches its max. Speaking for myself, many times I've felt quite confident and comfy with my current and max bid, only to find my max out-bid by pocket change at the last moment. That drove my nuts. 

Bottom line, when all is said and done, in the last few seconds, all the max bids (whether Ebay or snipe) duke it out until one comes out on top. 

The other bottom line is that, if you keep getting outbid at the last moment, they're using robo-bidding, and you need an equalizer. There are many snipe-bidding services, and they cost $$$. But, as I've said, Gixen is completely free. 

===>Cliffy


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

I believe that if you still have more to your MAX bid, it would keep on going. But it seems the sniper always has a higher MAX than you. It would be interesting to put in a ridiculously high MAX. Would the sniper end up paying one cent more than your ridiculously high MAX? 

Maybe we need to hear from someone who has the sniper software. 

I like your idea of allowing the seller to extend the auction for another day after the highest bid. Sounds like that would give the regular buyer an level playing field with the sniper. 

From my experience, I've sold lots of stuff on eBay, particularly during a period of extended unemployment (before it became fashionable) and had very few dissatisfied customers. Likewise I've bought a number of things and have been mostly very satisfied. Right now I'm in the "nervous" phase. I won a $20 auction for a metric oil filter wrench from an outfit in England. I'm supposed to receive it by Sept. 1st. Let's see, today is... 

On the other hand, five years ago I bought a 19 year-old car (Buy It Now) for $2000 cash from a guy 350 miles away. But not before I talked to him and drove down to see the car and take a test drive. I gave him half the money then and came back the following weekend with the rest of the money and drove the car home. But I'd already had three of the same model car, so I knew what to look for and knew what I could fix myself. It's been my daily driver for five years now. The moral: know what you're buying. 

A twenty dollar wrench, I can take the risk. 

JackM


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Posted By JackM on 02 Sep 2013 02:58 PM 

Maybe we need to hear from someone who has the sniper software. 

JackM I'm not a pro, just trying to pass on what I've found. 

Here's an example. On Ebay at this moment is something I'd like: 










So let's say I'm comfortable with $70 + $20 (shipping) for both, I think that would be a great deal. Anything over that, I'm not going to worry about, because it's over my threshold.

Now, I could place a max bid on Ebay for $70. It might get run up, it might not. But everyone would know if I had the high bid, and would have a chance to manually respond and cover it.

Or, I could use Gixen, and place that $70 bid at the "last moment."










The "Item ID" shows up on the Ebay screen , in the Description portion for the item, on the right hand side. So I double-clicked that, CTRL-C to copy to clipboard, and switch to the Gixen screen. CTRL+V to paste the Item ID in the upper left box, type in my max bid of $70 in the Max Bid box. I'm OK with a 6-second countdown time for my bid being placed. I click Add, and the item is registered for action as shown above.

That's about it. I'm sure that others will have max's or snipes well above my $70, and I'm just fine with that. Unless I change my mind in a couple hours. Because if someone bids close to my $70 in real time, maybe I'll want to bump up my snipe. And if someone exceeds my snipe before closing, the Gixen line will be in yellow, as a sort of alert that it's all over for me (unless the snipe bid is increased).

I'm guessing this pair of buildings will go for $150-ish, and that's way out of my comfort zone. 

I apologize for how tawdry this sounds, but think it's only fair that everyone have the same tools, especially when those tools are FREE. 

===>Cliffy


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

One other point I would like to share is that in any auction, it's so important to know what your max bid is, regardless of when and how you enter that bid. That "max" must factor in shipping and any premiums the auction house might charge. 

The reason I'm beating this horse is that, especially with real-time bidding, it's easy to get caught up in the moment. Maybe it's just me, and maybe I'm the only one susceptible to the fun of the chase, but from my perspective it can get very heady in some cases. If I don't have a firm grip on what I need, and my max for it, it's easy to either get something I don't need, pay too much, or both.

And then comes that unfortunate morning-after conversation... "Honey, you know that auction I was doing last night? Well, it was so fun, and I actually won that [whatever]. So cool, you'll love it! But..." 

Not that I've done that... 

Just sayin...


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

Hmmmm. Much as I've thought bad thoughts about snipers up to now, your description seems to simply put sniping into a category of "speed bidding". I find myself thinking one would be a fool not to use Gixen. 

I had thought that the sniper program would simply outbid you, no matter what you bid. From your description, the Gixen bidder has also placed his MAX bid at some point well before the end of the auction, it just isn't revealed until the last second or so, giving him an advantage by preventing your final, manual, bid from being received before the auctioneer says "sold". There is a rationalization that the Gixen bidder is simply quicker. We all try to enter an increased bid late enough that no one else can enter another bid. Gixen simply has a "mechanical" advantage. 

Thanks for taking the time to explain it. One might wish that sniping had never been invented, but, as you said, it's only fair that everyone have the same tools. 

JackM


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

You got it, Jack, it's purely an automated method of max bid delivery, at the moment in the countdown that you decide to deliver that max bid. However, your bid will only be delivered in an incremental fashion, covering other bids (automated and manual) until time runs out. So, a max bid of a million bucks might not win, if delivered at the one second point, because it might not be placed with enough time for transmission & etc. But the same bid at the 6 second point would, I expect, win anything G-gauge that is listed on Ebay. Even so, the million-dollar-bidder wouldn't pay a million bucks, only the amount needed to cover all other max's received in a timely manner. 

At least, that's how I understand it. 

There are plenty of snipe bid services one could pay for, I know, because I searched. And I searched because I was getting beaten out by automated means, at every turn, by only pennies; and it was ticking me off. I'm referring mainly to my experiences in document collecting, not G-gauge stuff, but it's all the same mechanisms. 

In that effort I found Gixen, and I'm recommending it because it's free, and does what it says, and does it well. One can get the ungraded version for a monthly fee, but it's not mandatory. 

===>Cliffy


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By CliffyJ on 02 Sep 2013 05:05 PM 
You got it, Jack, it's purely an automated method of max bid delivery, at the moment in the countdown that you decide to deliver that max bid. However, your bid will only be delivered in an incremental fashion, covering other bids (automated and manual) until time runs out. So, a max bid of a million bucks might not win, if delivered at the one second point, because it might not be placed with enough time for transmission & etc. But the same bid at the 6 second point would, I expect, win anything G-gauge that is listed on Ebay. Even so, the million-dollar-bidder wouldn't pay a million bucks, only the amount needed to cover all other max's received in a timely manner. 

At least, that's how I understand it. 

There are plenty of snipe bid services one could pay for, I know, because I searched. And I searched because I was getting beaten out by automated means, at every turn, by only pennies; and it was ticking me off. I'm referring mainly to my experiences in document collecting, not G-gauge stuff, but it's all the same mechanisms. 

In that effort I found Gixen, and I'm recommending it because it's free, and does what it says, and does it well. One can get the ungraded version for a monthly fee, but it's not mandatory. 

===>Cliffy 



OH! The TWO poor FOOLS that put a million bucks as their MAX! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Not a good idea... not at all! hee hee hee hee hee! 
This SNIPING software is almost the same as what is built-in to e-bay. The advantage is that you withhold your MAX until the last few seconds. The disadvantage is that you are limited by the data transmission rate you are experiencing at the end of the bid. If you are on a T1 internet connection, you can probably beat bids by milliseconds, but if you are on a 1200-Baud dialup through America OnLine, you might not be able to beat anything unless you start your sniping 10 minutes before the end of the auction, and then you will probably be beaten by somebody on a more standard internet connection. 

Might have problems if you are using a busy WiFi where someone is playing a realtime game and someone else is streaming live video and your neighbor's WiFi is on the same channel and so interfering with you being able to send and receive data packets without a lot of re-transmission.


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## CliffyJ (Apr 29, 2009)

Posted By Semper Vaporo on 02 Sep 2013 05:28 PM 

OH! The TWO poor FOOLS that put a million bucks as their MAX! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Not a good idea... not at all! hee hee hee hee hee! 
This SNIPING software is almost the same as what is built-in to e-bay. The advantage is that you withhold your MAX until the last few seconds. The disadvantage is that you are limited by the data transmission rate you are experiencing at the end of the bid. If you are on a T1 internet connection, you can probably beat bids by milliseconds, but if you are on a 1200-Baud dialup through America OnLine, you might not be able to beat anything unless you start your sniping 10 minutes before the end of the auction, and then you will probably be beaten by somebody on a more standard internet connection. 

Might have problems if you are using a busy WiFi where someone is playing a realtime game and someone else is streaming live video and your neighbor's WiFi is on the same channel and so interfering with you being able to send and receive data packets without a lot of re-transmission 


Well said, Semper. 

So just to continue with my example, and using myself as the guinea pig, here's the current state of affairs:










With about an hour to go, folks have already bid over my max, so my Gixen bid is yellow now. That person now having the upper hand can have a million-dollar-max bid; I only now that he or she has the upper hand, and that's all. 

At this point, I can click Edit, and modify my Max Bid. In some auctions, several people might be doing just this, asking themselves what their absolute max might be. And in those final seconds, the computers take over, and do their best in view of transmission speeds. Manual bidders are left in the dust; there's just no way to compete in real time, except for leaving a max bid and hoping your software and comm's are up to snuff. 

I won't bid up my example, but I just wanted to show how the game is sometimes played, for those that might be interested. 

===>Cliffy


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

The way to beat sniping is set a MAX amount you want to spend on ANY item......this way you know what you want to spen then walk away......then sniping is a non-issue......

I have set a $200 max because I wanted that item badly...and still didn't get it......but all I was willing to spend/lose was $200....no harm no foul...anyway at any given time the EXACT same Item can be had for less..it depends on who is interested at any given time....TIMING is everything......

IMHO

Bubba


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