Rant: Why are some Ebay bidders so, uh, not smart?

[Ultra Magnus]

yes, I'm trying to be polite... I'm watching a few items, a lens, some flash guns, and this stupid like Minolta FS-1200 adapter that allows you to stick you minolta flash to a standard hot shoe accessory (in my case, a radio trigger)... So, there's a few online sources selling old stock or used parts for the $25 to $35 range, + shipping... I was watching one on ebay, that was at like $4 this morning... Now it's jumped to over $40, and it still has 22hrs left on the auction!!! I just don't understand for the life of me, why anyone would bid so aggressively so early in the auction!!?? All they are doing is running up the price on themselves and everyone else... My wife (the ninja ebayer in the house) never bids on anything until like hte last 5 secs, otherwise you will only be outbid, and end up paying more, or losing the auction...

My dad goes to public auctions often, and he's come back with stories of "less than smart" bidders... Where the auctioneer is calling something like $4k for a car, lets say, asking $4.5k, and some silly (being polite again) person in the back would blurt out "$10k!!!", all excitedly on a car that would easily have gone for $5 or $6k...

They did the same thing on a lens I was watching... It was at $40, with like 2 days to go, but then two people bid it up to $152 in a couple of hours...

Clowns..

Where do these people come from?

/end rant

BM

[megan]

...that said, "There's a sucker born every minute?"

And today, might he have continued.... "And then they shop on Ebay?"

[mjs1973]

I get a kick out of watching people bid for used gear on ebay when they could go to B&H and buy it new with a warranty for the same, or even less.

When I bid on an item, I always wait till the end and try to sneek in at the last second. My wife on the other hand, decides what she's willing to pay, and sets that as her max bid right away. That way she doesn't get all caught up in the excitement of the whole thing and end up over paying for it.

[Xia_Ke]

Yep, never ceases to amaze me either. I usually keep an eye out on Ebay for film lots and other items. I particularly get a good laugh out of people routinely paying $5+ a roll for film that can be purchased at most online retailers for $3 - $4 a roll new...LOL Patience always pays off on Ebay though as I just picked up 40 rolls of Ilford HP5 for $70 shipped and 4 like new Hewes 120 reels for $23 shipped Now if I could just find someone selling a bunch of graded FB paper for cheap :idea:

[rylan]

i see that all the time, its stupid, why bid that much when you could of possibly got it in the end for that much....

some people make me chuckle

[freygr]

Then there the ones that bit on stuff with out reading the description..... The funny thing I had read the description and was offered a second chance on the back after the person screwed the seller saying opps it not a 4 by 5 back.........

[Ultra Magnus]

Well, I gave up on that auction, and found another that was listed differntly in the description that didn't come up in the standard searches. The other one kept climbing and finally was won by a bidder who only ever bid once, at the last moment, beating the other guy by just a couple of seconds.

So, a happy ending after all- I got a beercan lens for my A700, for my birthday...



BM

[another view]

Ebay is a great place to SELL stuff.

Cases in point: The carbon fiber Gitzo tripod + Nikon 20-35 f2.8 lens I got out of a (one) transaction basically for free. Then there was the $3 clearance paperback I sold for $40. Others too, I'm sure - oh yeah, like the Manfrotto tripod I used a few times and sold for a decent profit. I like ebay.

[Tyson L. Sparks]

Ebay is a ripoff for sure. I never buy on ebay.

[Axle]

My wife on the other hand, decides what she's willing to pay, and sets that as her max bid right away. That way she doesn't get all caught up in the excitement of the whole thing and end up over paying for it.

When I was doing the Ebay thing I would do something similar. I'd get in my mind the max I would pay for an item, then start bidding at the low end to see if I'd get it at a cheaper cost. It worked some of the time.

I've stopped using ebay, got burned once. Never again.

[jgredline]

I get a kick out of watching people bid for used gear on ebay when they could go to B&H and buy it new with a warranty for the same, or even less.

Yep, same here. ''ONCE'' I bid and won a lens on eekbay that I paid appx $125.00 more than it was when it was new, ''but'' I did this knowing this lens had been out of production for some 10 years and I really wanted it..

Right now there is another very good lens on eekbay. It is a tokina 28-70 F/2.8.
This lens had a buy me price $200.00. This lens sells new for $400.00, Someone bid $50.00 and so the buy me mow was eliminated. It is now up to $475.00. ''Stupid''

When I bid on an item, I always wait till the end and try to sneek in at the last second. My wife on the other hand, decides what she's willing to pay, and sets that as her max bid right away. That way she doesn't get all caught up in the excitement of the whole thing and end up over paying for it.

This is a lesson I learned early on. I am convinced that many sellers have some kind of generator that increases the bids automatically. When I get into those, I don't bother...Those simply get me mad. So now I watch things or put what I am willing to pay and I am done...

Funny thing though, Now when looking through eekbay, I remember ''MB1's'' signature''...

''I don't need that'' And I leave.

[mn shutterbug]

I have to admit, Ebay can be frustrating, but I've got a lot of good deals there and I also keep track of the good sellers and find myself coming back to them for repeat items. I just bought a car off Ebay for $9800. I can't say I'm disappointed with the purchase. It was one I had been looking for, for almost 3 months. I got it for $3000 below book price.

[Ballen Photo]

I think it's just a game for some of these "Intellectually Challenged" individuals. And then there are those that simply have more money than brains. Either way, the only winners there are the sellers.
While on the subject, Some of those sellers seem to have the Pawn Shop mentality as well. Example; I was looking at Wein safety adapters for flash and found sellers pushing it for $xx, then checked with B & H only to find they had a better price? Go figure.
I still shop on eBay, but like you, I'm finding that the Einstiens of the world are making it tougher all the while.
-Bruce

[natgaines]

Can't fix stupid.It applies in so many scenarios.

I think most people don't understand bidding in general. It's doubtful anyone will ever take the time to teach them. Our generation has money to burn right??

[fx101]

Whenever I bid on stuff I use auction-sniper, beats having to wait until the last second.

Ebay is a great place to buy stuff for cheap, as long as you do your homework on the seller and you know how much you want to pay.