How do you folks bid on eBay horns? Do you constantly raise

ARB · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 9:49 am Post subject:

do you place your highest bid then wait till it's reached, or are there other ways of bidding.

_________________
Allen - 'Chops-in-Hotlanta'

Schilke S22
77 LA Benge
Warburton 4MC/6SV

"It's what we think we know that keeps us from knowing"

[ This Message was edited by: ARB on 2003-09-17 12:51 ]

drunkiq · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 9:58 am Post subject:

snipe - last 3-5 sec - put in the highest price i will go....

Tim80 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 11 Nov 2001 Posts: 1415

Sometimes I'll put the highest bid I'll wager early and then dare people to outbid me. But if it is something I really want I'll snipe it at the last second.

Tim

pfrank · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 10:23 am Post subject:

I was taught by a pro e-bayer, have your bid ready to go, and launch it with 30 seconds left. It works most of the time, but it must be over that previous bid.

Geri · Regular Member Joined: 14 Oct 2002 Posts: 78

I was very proud of my most recent victory on ebay. I scored a King Master cornet for $138. I initially bid the absolute minimum of ~$125 just to see if I could flush out any of the lurkers, but I had a feeling that someone was going to snipe it at the last moment. With about 12 seconds left I bid my absolute highest price ($200). Sure enough, with 2 seconds left in the auction someone bid $130 to beat my $125, but my proxy bid beat them. Since they bid so late they didn't have time to respond with a higher price.

Victory!!! =)

[ This Message was edited by: Geri on 2003-09-17 13:26 ]

livertwist · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 10:29 am Post subject:

I'm a sniper... To be completely honest, people who continuously bid on horns I really want with 6 days left drive me nuts. I know it doesn't make a difference since I'll only pay what I can afford - it it goes over that, there's nothing I can do - but I still have this fantasy that if no one bids during the auction I'll get it at some super-low price. Doesn't happen often though. Last night, I got an 51 Olds Special cornet that looks to be in good shape for $66 though... Sometimes it works!

Oliver

_Happy Canuck · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 11:00 am Post subject:

Yep, Snipe ... but there is also snipe software available now!

It is called iSnipeIt http://www.isnipeit.com/index.html. I know that Alan Rouse used it 'against' me on an Olds Custom C trumpet, he wasn't even home at the time!!

The process I use is if I see a horn I'd be interested in I set it to Watch. I monitor the bids and see who is bidding and how. I set my own max and if it goes by that before the end of the auction I pass. But if it is still under my max I'll bid in the last minute. If I lose it, too bad. Mind you I've also had horns pulled in the last minute when the bids were lower than a seller wanted and it was listed without a reserve!!

So far 6 horns and 2 cameras won using this process ... and a number lost too!
_________________
Bill

Olds Mendez, Recording, Super, Special & Ambassador trumpets/GR Butcher 65.6M
Olds Opera, Ambassador Shepherds Crook cornets/Sparx 4B
Olds L-12 Flug/GR Butcher 65.6FL
Schilke MII trumpet/GR Butcher 65.6M

trumpetmike · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 11:03 am Post subject:

So, it's you lot that keep getting the instruments I want at the last minute!!

OK folks, it's war!!

Sniping could be the next big game.

Maybe we should all put up a list of our Ebay monikers so we don't do this to each other, at least, not too often!!

[ This Message was edited by: trumpetmike on 2003-09-17 14:03 ]

Tootsall · Heavyweight Member Joined: 05 May 2002 Posts: 2952

Snipe, same as Marc. Figure out what it's worth TO ME, and enter that number in last 10 seconds. Broadband connection helps. Dialup users are at a definite disadvantage.

livertwist · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 11:07 am Post subject:

trumpetmike,

I've long since thought that we should all make our eBay nicks apparent to other THers. Luckily mine is easy - they're the same. I'd hate to be in a bidding war with someone from here when we could simply work it out in advance by telling each other our max bids in advance via email or something.

Oliver

livertwist · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 11:10 am Post subject:

On this topic - I've found that different areas of the continent must have a definite advantage for buying New Items. At times, work is so slow that I can literally just sit there and refresh the New Items screen while I'm doing something else... and yet often, I've found some great deals pass me by because by the time I open the listing, someone has bought it with the BiN. What's up with that? We're on a T1 at work too. There's not a lot I can do about it, but it bugs me! (when it happens that is...)

Oliver

[ This Message was edited by: livertwist on 2003-09-17 14:12 ]

trumpetmike · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 11:10 am Post subject:

Okay, so that's one of us named.

Mine is TrumpetMike42

Anybody else want to reveal?

Tootsall · Heavyweight Member Joined: 05 May 2002 Posts: 2952

Of course, knowing someone's Ebay name isn't going to help when they're sniping too! (well, not until AFTER THE FACT that is!)

Same nick on Ebay.

Edit: BTW, Oliver...nice webcam shot of downtown Calgary on TheWeatherNetwork. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" (2" of snow here last night...and three weeks ago it was approaching 100 deg!).

_________________
Schilke B1 (GR 66***)
Getzen Eterna 800 LB (Sparx #4)
Jupiter 846L (Jupiter #7)

[ This Message was edited by: Tootsall on 2003-09-17 14:41 ]

livertwist · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 11:52 am Post subject:

I know! Snow is ridiculous when it's in September. I actually had to scrape my windshield this morning. !!! Calgary... you love it, you hate it, but as long as there's oil & gas, you're employed....

Oliver

drunkiq · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 12:06 pm Post subject:

drunkiq on ebay....

but don't worry - no Bb's for me ever, had not found one in 15 years worth switching to....

Beware, next year I will probably have my eye's open for a Schilke P5-4, EL3 (both rare to find used at a good price) and may buy my brother a C Trumpet...

I just spent to much money on replaceing the floors in my house (just because I hate carpet) and restoring my Schilke to get anything for the rest of the year...

besides you won't see my name untill there is 3 seconds left....

-marc
Schilke X3LB in satin gold
Jupiter 845BL
All custom Schilke mouthpieces

[ This Message was edited by: drunkiq on 2004-03-31 06:33 ]

trumpetmike · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 12:14 pm Post subject:

If it's a Schilke P5-4 - you are welcome to it!
I have never seen what people see in that instrument. The tuning is good, but so are many other piccolos (F Besson, Kanstul, Scherzer, Blackburn). The sound has always struck me as being the trumpet equivalent of a laser beam.
Still each to their own.
I'm saving for a Blackburn myself.

James B. Quick · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2003 8:41 pm Post subject:

I used to be sure to be there at the last few minutes, and then bid. Now, I use eBay's sniper program. People say it's not nice, but, it is an auction and the highest bid wins...You can still lose on a snipe if someone else snipes at a higher price, after all....jbqd

Jazzalive · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 1:27 pm Post subject:

After I sold my Bobby Shew flugel on ebay, that night I received two separate emails from folks that were trying to snipe, but it didn't go through! They both said if the winning bidder falls through, they would like to purchase the item. Of course as a seller, it's cool to see the frenzy at the end of a bid. But sometimes, sniping can hurt. Especially if you're on a dialup.

BTW, my ebay ID is Jazzalive also.

jhatpro · Posted: Thu Sep 18, 2003 2:22 pm Post subject:

If you find a horn you really want, I think the best approach is Buy It Now. It's more costly (with BIN, you never know how high the bidding might have gone), but it's a lot more convenient and much easier on the nerves.
_________________
Jim Hatfield

"The notes are there - find them.” Mingus

2021 Martinus Geelan Custom
2005 Bach 180-72R
1965 Getzen Eterna Severinsen
1946 Conn Victor
1998 Scodwell flugel
1986 Bach 181 cornet
1954 Conn 80A cornet
2002 Getzen bugle

DecentDude · Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2003 7:42 am Post subject:

I usually take up a well-concealed position about 30 minutes before the auction ends. I make sure that my route to and from said position is also concealed.
I check and recheck my weaponry (bank balance, cookie jar total, etc) then settle in to watch and wait. As the end nears, my trigger finger tightens on the "Submit" button, always with a bid I believe will lay waste all opposition. Then, with 5 seconds left, I fire! Hasn't failed yet.
D. Dude (Who has too darned many horns as it is)