As a frequent ebay buyer and seller i have noticed an interesting trend with ebay auctions on items from trainz.com. I have lost more auctions in the last 5 seconds on there items than anyone else. Now losing auctions on ebay in the last few minutes is normal. losing auctions in the last minute is common. The uncommon part is this. On my auctions with there products I have been the only bidder numerous times been winning the auction as the only bidder up until l there are 5 seconds left than lost. Take tonight for example. 5 days ago I put a bid in for three tenders. The opening bid was .99 cents. I put in a .99 cent bid with a max bid of $10.00 With 20 seconds left i called my wife over and I said watch this. I will lose this auction to a bid of10.50 she said your the only one who has bid on it. As I hit the refresh button when it got to 5 seconds I said here it goes. Sure enough lost to 10.50 . Has anyone else seen this trend with there train items or amI just cursed. Any feedback is`appreciated.
This happens with many auctions everyday, I believe that most of these instances are caused by bidders using what I have heard called “sniper software”. If what you are inferring in your posting is what I think it is I believe it to be totally unfounded, when you move as much product as they do why would you risk your reputation. [2c]
Im not sure, but there were services one could subscribe to that would bid your amount at a predetermined time before auction closing. that may be what is happening to you.
Im not a fan of eBay anymore. they have changed how bidders show up in the bidder list. Supposedly to protect the bidders, but what im sure is happening is shill bidding, now that you cant check just who is bidding against you.
FWIW, I use sniping software almost exclusively for my bidding and still lose a fair number of items. If someone wants the item more than you do, and puts in the bid to show that, you lose. For highly desirable items in any area (not just trains) it is interesting to glance at the bidding history after close. There may be and often are several bids landing within a few seconds of the close, and most if not all of those are from sniping services and/or software.
Sometimes I set a snipe to “lowball” an item when I only want it at a “good price”. Other times I’ll set the snipe high enough that I can tell myself “at least if I lose I made the other guy reach for it”.
There is no “manipulation”…you just got outbid. With the eBay proxy bid system, the trick is to place your maximum proxy bid very late in the auction - preferably within the last few seconds. You do not want to broadcast the fact that you are interested in the auction item days or hours ahead of the closing time. There are no rules as to when you can place your maximum proxy bid, only that it must be done during the auction. Some bidders do it live, at the keyboard, smart bidders do it using a subcontractor(I use AuctionSniper) while they are out sailing, hiking, or fishing, running trains… or sleeping.
Also, it may appear that you got outbid by 50 cents, but you don’t know that… again due to the eBay proxy bid system. The bidder may have placed a maximum proxy bid 1-50-100 or even 1000 dollars more than yours if the auction is “won” by a full increment.
Under proxy bidding, the price paid is determined only by competitors’ bids and not by the amount of the new bid, and so there is no economically rational reason to place a bid below the amount one is willing to pay, or to place multiple increasing bids. An “economically rational” bidder will therefore bid the maximum amount they are willing to pay on their first bid, and never raise their bid, and do so very late in the auction.
I agree with Rob, chances are it is bidding, not hanky-panky.
If the seller wants more than, say, $10 on an item, they can place a minimum bid.
I’d done last-minute bidding quite often in a variety of areas. What has surprised me is that when I really really want something, and there is a $2 bid on it, and I made a last 60-seconds bid with a $75 or $100 high bid - and it goes for … drum roll please … $2.50.
Like anything else in life, if there’s a will, someone will find a way - especially if it relates to money. I have no knowledge about trainz.com, but I do know of other instances personally where a seller will arrange to have something bid on so that it will not sell for a lower price.
I think eBay does their best to try and stay on top of the frauds. But it’s a little like the TCA, in that they have their rules, but it takes time to enforce them and catch people who are in violation. I mean, I’ve been to enough train shows and seen sellers with the TCA label who are selling trains sets in soda boxes, listing them as mint, and trying to sell them at higher than book. So in other words, it’s always a case of buyer beware.
On wBay, for example there was a time where you could easily find bootleg recordings for example. Close to 10 years ago, I had been looking for the missing Neil Young recordings on CD format - which hadn’t been released at the time. At one time you could find them, but later you’d find an announcement the item had been pulled. Someplace I was told either the record labels or Neil’s management was after eBay to not allow such items. Holocaust and Nazi related items are now not allowed or scrutinized.
So I think eBay tries to keep on top of things - and so things change. One thing I notice you don’t see anymore is the “reserve price” which permitted a seller to not sell something unless his reserve had been met. But today, you see far more buy-it-now listings, which I actually rather like. And of course, prices can be all over the place. If the prices are more than I like, I pass it by. But if I am really looking for something and don’t want to haggle with bidding and waiting a week, for me, buy-it-now is the way to go if the price is reasonable.
When I have seen somthing I want on Ebay, I know the maximum dollar I am going to pay. I set my computer snipe program to bid that amount and no more. Normally, I have set my bid three to four days ahead of the ending time.
In the last six months I have only won one auction out of maybe ten tries, because my last minute bid was not high enough. I know what I will pay, and I don’t nickle and dime myself to death. I also know that I’m not bidding on one of a kind type of an item.
One of my favorite features of Ebay is the “Save this Search”. It took almost eight months for me to find a specific type of Amtrak car, but I found it and used the “Buy it Now” feature. Currently I have the “save the search” feature looking for U.S. Steel, U S Steel and Monon. (Mis-spelling are common on Ebay. Amtrak many times is spelled Amtrack or Amtrac. You can really find the deals when they mis-spell. ) I’ll only bid if it is what I am looking for.
In addition to the comments already posted, I might offer a suggestion that has worked for me:
Check the auction ending times. Except for the “snipers”, auctions ending very early based on EST tend to have less activity. (5:00 am EST is 2:00 am PDT)
The advice about setting your price and only bidding once is great. Let the other bidders run up the ladder. You will get it at your price or just move on. Good Luck!
I used to keep a ebay bid screen up ready to go in the last three seconds. That is about as fast as the DSL can upload the bid and get a response in time. Dailups are finished in last 20 seconds and yer down to broadband bidders and automated programs.
When one really wants an item, well… sometimes a war chest of 200 dollars will secure the item regardless of the bidding maximums put in on a typical auction. Carry a club and speak softly. Certain OOP items are worth it winning this way. I think one of the structures retailing at 30 dollars ran me 75+ with 10 bidders fighting for it. Im still happy with it. Basically those with most money wins. Everyone else goes home on ebay.
I prefer buy it now auctions because they are usually more reasonable.
I always, always check with hobby shop or online hobby shops first to see if that item is availible somewhere else.
I no longer use dialup, nor have I sniped in quite a while. But, when I did, I had no problem sniping manually to within about 1 second of the ending time, simply by calibrating the transmission delay with my wristwatch’s second hand.
This is pretty much how ebay works on all items - i sold a scooter last summer - 15 seconds to go and the price jumped 500 dollars. Any train item i buy on ebay is bought in the last 10-15 seconds or you will lose out. I place my top bid at 10 seconds and hope for the best (but i often lose even at this late stage of the bidding process).
Update the computer’s local clock before you snipe. Click on the time in your lower right on windows machines and you should have a internet time tab with a choice of update servers. Set, match and shoot.
I once won three boxcars one by one, intermountain sentinels that were done very well. That was 4 seconds of terror but 110 dollars later, the three were bought and paid for. I had a window open for each one all at once. I still have the sentinels.
Now I find myself getting online and checking hobby shops that are availible via webpage or Email seeking out a specific stock number for the oop item. Much more relaxing than escam.
You got sniped. Happens to me frequently. Trainz is a knowledgeble straight shooter, moves a ton of stuff, and gets lots of bidders.
If I want something bad enough, I will proxy a bit more than what I think the market will bare. If someone else gets it 5 seconds before the auction closes, fine. I made someone overpay and I have that much more cash to play with on other auctions. Plus another item like the one I lost, will come up again.
The same thing has happened to me many times. I buy from trainz often. If you are worried about losing for 50 cents more and are willing to pay that 50 cents to win then you need to put in your maximum bid of what you are willing to pay for that item. I learned this lesson and if I bid scared and loose I know it is my own fault. If I loose and someone beats my absolute maximum willing bid then they could have it. Either way it does suck to be beaten by half a dollar.
I agree what goes around comes around, again. Just got to be patient. As far as patients… wish ebay had just a 3 day auction on all stuff then there would be a larger turn over rate of stuff to be delt. Maybe not too much sniping? Just my opine.