Ebay bidding question: I was watching an item on ebay that had a current bid of $160, with 15 seconds left I bid $265. My screen said "current bid $160 you bid $265". A few seconds...

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

I was watching an item on ebay that had a current bid of $160, with 15 seconds left I bid $265. My screen said "current bid $160 you bid $265". A few seconds later it said "ended"and the item went for $193 to somebody else.
What am I missing?

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

It's called "sniping", there are even App's you can get to do it for you. MOST bids happen in the last 10 seconds.
Also, you have not bid unless you "confirm".

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

BassmanBruce wrote:

I was watching an item on ebay that had a current bid of $160, with 15 seconds left I bid $265. My screen said "current bid $160 you bid $265". A few seconds later it said "ended"and the item went for $193 to somebody else.
What am I missing?

First thing you want to do is to go to the item and look at the bidding history, if you do not find your bid in the list then it did not make it into the bid for some reason, if it IS in the list then either it did not make it in in time or some other glitch happened.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

BassmanBruce wrote:

I was watching an item on ebay that had a current bid of $160, with 15 seconds left I bid $265. My screen said "current bid $160 you bid $265". A few seconds later it said "ended"and the item went for $193 to somebody else.
What am I missing?

A couple of possible scenarios and an opinion.

Possible: To answer your question, there was probably someone who bid higher than you within the last few seconds the item was open for bid. That $193 was probably the next highest acceptable amount. The person who outbid you was awarded the item for that amount.

Opinion:
Whenever I've bid on anything on ebay, my first question is how much am I willing to pay for that item? That's what I bid right out of the box, regardless of the amount of time left on the clock. If I win it, great. If not, too bad.

I've seen many items purchased, in the bidding frenzy, for more than the street value of said item.

Additionally, you're up against people who are using software to bid. Yeah, these apps skirt the system as it was planned by ebay. This is why I tend to purchase those items with a fair "Buy it Now" price. Additionally, I won't deal with anyone who requires that I pay through Paypal. Paypal is a less than honourable institution.
--Bob

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

rmalarz wrote:

Opinion:
Whenever I've bid on anything on ebay, my first question is how much am I willing to pay for that item? That's what I bid right out of the box, regardless of the amount of time left on the clock. If I win it, great. If not, too bad.

Good advice! I do the same! ;)

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

Thanks for the replies, I went back to the bidding history and my bid is not there so I likely failed to hit confirm or just didn't get to it on time. Funny thing is the bid window dissapeared and my screen went back to the last few seconds of the auction then on to the "sorry you missed out' routine.
Bob, if you don't use paypal, how do you pay?

Again, thanks to all.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

BassmanBruce wrote:

Thanks for the replies, I went back to the bidding history and my bid is not there so I likely failed to hit confirm or just didn't get to it on time. Funny thing is the bid window dissapeared and my screen went back to the last few seconds of the auction then on to the "sorry you missed out' routine.
Bob, if you don't use paypal, how do you pay?

Again, thanks to all.

I simply inquire from the seller if a certified bank check would be acceptable, along with the advice to NOT ship the item until the seller is completely satisfied that the payment was made. If they don't agree to that, I'll go else where.
--Bob

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

BassmanBruce wrote:

Thanks for the replies, I went back to the bidding history and my bid is not there so I likely failed to hit confirm or just didn't get to it on time. Funny thing is the bid window dissapeared and my screen went back to the last few seconds of the auction then on to the "sorry you missed out' routine.
Bob, if you don't use paypal, how do you pay?

Again, thanks to all.

For what it is worth, I have used paypal for years now - never any issue with Paypal or Ebay.

BassmanBruce Loc: Middle of the Mitten

rmalarz wrote:

I simply inquire from the seller if a certified bank check would be acceptable, along with the advice to NOT ship the item until the seller is completely satisfied that the payment was made. If they don't agree to that, I'll go else where.
--Bob

Ok, got it. I too have used paypal for years with no problems (knocking on wood).

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Dngallagher wrote:

For what it is worth, I have used paypal for years now - never any issue with Paypal or Ebay.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

WessoJPEG wrote:

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

I love Pay Pay, have never had a problem. used it for years.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

rmalarz wrote:

I simply inquire from the seller if a certified bank check would be acceptable, along with the advice to NOT ship the item until the seller is completely satisfied that the payment was made. If they don't agree to that, I'll go else where.
--Bob

NEVER send a bank check! You have absolutely no recourse if you are scammed. Years ago I sent a bank check ($1400) for a piece of medical equipment. It turns out the guy never had any of the ten items he "sold". With this type of crime, no one cares - no one knows who has jurisdiction. The local police where this guy lived didn't care and referred me to the FBI cybercrimes unit. They had no interest in pursuing such a "small" crime. So I was simply screwed. My wife buys and sells on EBay and has over 700 transactions - she uses PayPal and has no problems at all. Additionally, these days ANYONE can accept credit cards (using Square or other aps), so there is no reason to buy anything without using a method that offers you protection and recourse.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

sb wrote:

NEVER send a bank check! You have absolutely no r... (show quote)

Your problem was with the law enforcement, not the bank. The one case I was faced with a similar issue, I requested the bank cancel payment on the check, problem solved. Except for the pissed off seller who complained. Enter the idiots at paypal.
--Bob

Mary Kate Loc: NYC

Dngallagher wrote:

For what it is worth, I have used paypal for years now - never any issue with Paypal or Ebay.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

sb wrote:

NEVER send a bank check! You have absolutely no r... (show quote)

:thumbup: :thumbup: