Ebay Feature missing

[Dalex]

Did they eliminate the feature where Ebay / paypal bids for you automatically in increments up to a preset limit?? I want something that's gonna end at 1am , but not bad enough to stay up for it !!

 

[Pete-IN]

No they did not eliminate that feature. Just place your max bid. If it is the high bid at the end you will get it.

 

[Gary MN]

Do as Pete recomends. This metheod works great, I have uesd it many times with no problems.
Decide your max bid and if no one is willing to bid higher you win.
Gary

 

[Coloken]

I'll say it again for you. Just bid your maximum amount (as high as you want to go) and go to bed. They will not use the higher amounts unless they have to.

 

[bc]

It works except for us cheapskate bargain hunters. Every time I lose by a dollar, I kick myself and say I would have bid a couple more bucks to get it. However, I never know what the winning bidder's max bid was.

 

[rustyfarmall]

There is a service called "auction sniper". There is a very small fee for using it, but basically it lets you enter your maximum bid, and then your bid is submitted in the last 5 seconds of the auction. No one knows you are even in the game until right at the end. I have used it a few times, but only when I suspect shill bidding.

 

[Dalex]

But what if I misjudge an item , and over bid by say $20 , , I'm wasting $18 by Pete's method . I remember seeing a little box on the item page a few mo's ago that said "Let Ebay Bid for you" and it's not there now.......

 

[TomH in PA]

Automatic bids in small increments were only useful for shills who want you to see that they just barely outbid you.

If you want the item, enter your max bid or use a sniping service. You'll only pay a little more than the second highest bidder whichever system you use.

 

[bc]

I think I've been hit with that auction sniper. I can think of a few times where I'm bidding with someone in the last minute or two and it takes a number of seconds to type in a bid and confirm it and someone else still gets it.

So I guess whenever I enter a short max bid and do this a few times with someone who outbids me, then I'm unwittingly playing into the shill game. I try to vary it a little bit and use odd dollars and cents like $52.16 or something since I figure most people are going to bid at even number increments such as 40, 45, 50, or by even dollar, etc.

 

[Eric SEI]

I'm with you. I figure what I'm willing to pay, subtract the shipping charge, and that's my bid. It doesn't matter if someone outbids me 10 seconds after I bid or 1 second before the auction ends, if they are willing to pay more than me then they get it.

 

[rustyfarmall]

Eric, that is the only way to play the ebay game. That is the same way I do it, and I always factor in the cost of shipping as part of the maximum amount. If a shill bidder outbids me, then he owns it.