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If you were bidding on an item and the bid was up to $11.25 and you could purchase the same stamp on sale for $2.99 elsewhere online, would you want to know? If a third party were to contact you to let you know that (and it wouldn't be to their benefit at all - just trying to be nice and helpful) would you be thankful for that information or do you think that that is what Ebay is all about and would you be upset that they interfered?
Yes, I would want to know. I would also like to know where I could purchase at a much lower price. Some people do not know how to do a real good search.
__________________ Julie
Today is just another GREAT day and I intend to enjoy it!
I have been that '3rd party' before. Each person I contacted has taken the time to send me a personal 'thank you' email. They seemed sincere in what they said.
In contacting them in the first place, my intention was just to be kind and possibly help that person save a few bucks. Not eveyone is aware of other websites and opportunities for shopping.
If someone were to contact me for the purpose that you mentioned above, I would not be bothered. Why would I bother to be bothered? It's just a simple email/message that I can read and then choose what to do from there (take advice or delete). Seems too simple to me.
__________________ Sheila
<----Gabriel...15 months old May 1, 2011. He loves being outdoors!
I don't think you are allowed to do that. Ebay isn't exactly the place I go to buy it cheap. Just to get it as soon as possible or because I am bored. As a seller, I would be mad if people were doing that to my buyers and if I found out I would report you.
Nice idea but I believe it's against e-bay rules to contact other members for things like that. By e-mailing other 'bayers you might also lose your e-bay ID if it becomes known. Be careful. And if I was the seller and found out, I'd report you. Everyone has the same opportunity to shop around. Sorry to be a pain, but I'd be upset if I was the seller.
I have done that a couple of times. I was bidding on something against someone else, and I found it MUCH cheaper elsewhere, so I just let her bid past me (so I wouldn't have to pay that price.. lol), then I emailed her and told her that I found it much cheaper elsewhere, and sent her the link. She was thankful.
Nice idea but I believe it's against e-bay rules to contact other members for things like that. By e-mailing other 'bayers you might also lose your e-bay ID if it becomes known. Be careful. And if I was the seller and found out, I'd report you. Everyone has the same opportunity to shop around. Sorry to be a pain, but I'd be upset if I was the seller.
I don't know the ebay rules but I agree with JennyAlia. Remember there are TWO parties involved in this transaction--not JUST the buyer. I don't sell on ebay, but I'd hate to think that outside sources are influencing the sales one way or the other. The object of ebay is for the buyer to get the most money they can after all!
And if I had the bid, I wouldn't want to know because you aren't supposed to retract just because you changed your mind. Knowing I had bid foolishly would just upset me!
It's all part of the "buyer beware" for auctions (in-person household auctions, online auctions, etc.). The buyer is responsible for doing their own research. I always research items that I want to buy prior to even hitting eBay. I've been able to find a lot of things much cheaper on eBay like all of my CB alphabets, my iPod case, cell phone chargers, etc.
As a seller, if I were to find out that someone was doing this, I'd make sure to inform eBay.
Kimberly
__________________ "There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness." -- Dave Barry
And.. you can't retract a bid unless it falls under one of these three choices:
Entered wrong amount.
Seller changed description.
Cannot contact seller.
Please remember that every bid on eBay is binding (unless the item is listed in a category under the Non-Binding Bid Policy or the transaction is prohibited by law or by eBay's User Agreement). Bidding on multiple identical items should be done only if you intend to buy all of the items.
I have been BUYING & SELLING on ebay for 4 years...I use an ONLINE program that places bids for me 6 seconds before end of auction.
1) If I change my mind, I can delete the bid, since it was NEVER placed.
2) I can place several bids in the ONLINE PROGRAM (esnipe.com) on several of the same item and later delete one if I won an earlier one.
3) If I place a Proxy bid on eBay, then I don't have a 'BID NIBBLER' running my bid up...esnipe places the bid for me.
4) Keeps you out of bidding wars.
If you change YOUR mind about the bid BEFORE the auction ENDS, just let the Seller know that you wish to retract your BID. The FEEDBACK screen reflects HOW many BIDS you have retracted in the past 6 months. This is ok--JUST as long as you didn't WIN the item, then you are in a LEGAL BINDING contract with the Seller if YOU WIN & change your mind.
Not to hijack, but the best way to protect yourself from those fake up-bids (and yes, I believe they do happen!) is to put in your highest bid and walk away! I know, I know, easier said than done! But I try! If I am searching for something in particular, say a SU set, I decide what I want to pay, subtract the shipping costs, and bid that amount. If I get outbid, so be it!! I may have to bid on several different ones before I get it. And sometimes, I realize that I am way under and decide to go higher on the next one!
Not to hijack, but the best way to protect yourself from those fake up-bids (and yes, I believe they do happen!) is to put in your highest bid and walk away! ...If I am searching for something in particular, say a SU set, I decide what I want to pay, subtract the shipping costs, and bid that amount.
EXACTLY! I can't blame any one (not the seller, not an up-bidder, nor the dog) if I pay more than I meant to on an item!
I say do your research, decide your top price, bid and then live with your decision. There are always times when you could have done better and times when you could have done worse, that's what auctions are all about!
I say do your research, decide your top price, bid and then live with your decision. There are always times when you could have done better and times when you could have done worse, that's what auctions are all about!
You can do a COMPLETED item SEARCH on an item to get an idea of WHAT the current going price is--this can be a great guide to determine if you are bidding enough or paying TOO much...you can always get lucky too.
EXAMPLE--there was this REALLY cute retired SU Chocolate Set that I came across. I had no idea what was a good price to pay---I didn't want to overpay. I did a COMPLETED SEARCH & found out that set was closing at $30-$42! If I wanted that set, then I was going to need to bid in that range.
I DON'T do PROXY BIDS anymore. (PROXY Bidding is when you place a bid at the highest amount you are willing to pay). There is too much SHILL BIDDING going on out there with some dishonest SELLERS. (SHILL BIDDING is when the SELLER has a friend or a 2nd ebay ID, then BIDS on their own auction to drive the price up). SNIPING is the WAY to go for ME!
Well it's your opinion and really it doesn't count when I am bidding.
Hope I never come across you in one of my auctions :( When you registered on ebay you agreed to their TOS. You are lying when you say that you bid the wrong price to retract a bid under those circumstances. Bidding a wrong price is putting in $300 instead of $30.
And to respond to the original post....
No, I would not contact them. Not only is it against Ebay policy, I feel that those bidding are "old enough" to do research and know the going price on an item. If they don't want to take the time to do the research, or can't locate an item elsewhere for cheaper than they pay what they bid and that should be that.
You can do a COMPLETED item SEARCH on an item to get an idea of WHAT the current going price is--this can be a great guide to determine if you are bidding enough or paying TOO much...you can always get lucky too.
exactly! my opinion is, at some point we are all adults and we shouldn't be relying on the kindness of others to stop us from making foolish purchases - theoretically we should all know why we are looking on ebay in the first place..some people do it for the sheer thrill of it (sort of like gambling.)
Also, even if you see something cheaper somewhere else, you may not know why the person is willing to pay more on ebay. For example - if a certain store carries something and only offers ground shipping across the country and I needed it tomorrow, it may be worth it for me to deal with an individual who can work with me on that. I guess someone may mean well, but at the end of the day it's my money and I'm a big girl...
BTW, this may make me hugely unpopular, but I have to tell you, if someone contacted me telling me they saw it cheaper somewhere else, I would probably freak out and either bid even MORE because I would think you just don't want me to "win" it...OR I would think you were trying to scam me. (what can I tell you, I'm from NYC - we are suspicious of everything :mrgreen: )
I contacted ebay about this type of transaction and it IS against the rules. I had some one email me saying check out my..... THey wanted the email and all the detail. I had deleted it all so the person didn't get in trouble but I agree they shouldn't be allowed to hi jack someone's customer. You should do all the research first and then bid. Sorry. It has happened to me. I bid before "shopping" and ended up paying more. Thats my problem not the sellers. IMHO.
I have sold on ebay for years and having a computer program bid for you is called sniping is actually not legal on ebay but lots of people do it. The regular person bidding on ebay can't outbid this type of bidding because a computer program is bidding and a human can't key in the info fast enough. As for withdrawing your bid because you decide you don't want the item is not allowed but this reliess on each persons personal honesty. I have found that there are a lot of dishonest people on ebay and no longer sell there. Also, if you have someone's email address you can email any ebay auction to them but using the messages forum on ebay to inform them of cheaper items is not supposed to be done either. You can use the messages forum to tell someone about a seller that has items they are interested in or about a seller that you have found to be reliable.
I've been a seller in this situation before - that's why I now list any auctions as Private - or whatever that selection is - so no one else can see who else is bidding and no one can contact the other bidders. However, I think this can also make the buyer a little more nervous - so I tend just not to sell anything on ebay any longer. There are too many people on there trying to cheat!
How much is the esnipe program after the 14 day trial period? I couldn't find in on their website. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right place... I'm one of those who waits until the last minute to bid, and then I forget, ha ha!
How much is the esnipe program after the 14 day trial period? I couldn't find in on their website. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right place... I'm one of those who waits until the last minute to bid, and then I forget, ha ha!
I LOVE esnipe! I found out about it from many hours of reading on the EBAY discussion Boards. This is the ONLY way I BID & BUY on ebay (under MY BUYING ID...I have a SELLER ID too).
You BUY a certain about of BIDPOINTS in increments. I buy like $5.00 or $7.50 at a time. $5.00 = 500 BIDPOINTS and if the auction amount is under a certain dollar amount, then it costs like 25 BIDPOINTS(.25 cents). If a BID is placed & you don't win, then it costs nothing. If it is a higher dollar amount, then it costs 25 BIDPOINTS, plus a % of the auction amount. It is pretty reasonable.
BTW--SNIPING is allowed per EBAY:
Placing a high bid in the closing seconds of an auction-style listing is called �sniping� within the eBay Community. Sniping is part of the eBay experience, and all bids placed before a listing ends are valid - even if they're placed one second before the listing ends.
The higher the item SOLD for, the higher the FVF (Final FEE) that EBAY collects from the Seller...
Thanks for the info! As far as I'm concerned, you use ebay at your own risk! Those who maximize their searching and bidding abilities win the most items...just think of us as SAVING you money! lol :-)
I have to say I agree with those that say you shouldn't do it. It's called bid interference. Here is's eBay's official word on it.
Members are not allowed to interfere with another member's transaction.
Members may not contact a seller and offer to purchase a listed item outside of eBay.
Members are not permitted to email buyers in an open or completed transaction to warn them away from a seller or item. If you have a problem with a transaction, please use the feedback forum and review our Fraud Protection Program.
Violations of this policy may result in a range of actions, including:
Listing cancellation
Limits on account privileges
Account suspension
Forfeit of eBay fees on cancelled listings
Loss of PowerSeller status
How would you like it if someone came into your brick & morter store and lead your customers out the door and to the shop across the street? That is essentially what you are doing. And you might not be leading them away from some guy in Nebraska who just bought a truckload of stuff for a song. You might be leading them away from the stay at home mom who is supplementing the household income because her husband is stationed in Iraq (although that's not my story).
I'm a regular seller on eBay and I have an eBay store and a website. It's darned hard work to try to make a living at this. I work 10 to 12 hour days, 6 to 7 days a week usually. I'm the shipping and receiving department, the billing and collections department, accounting, marketing, buyer, decision maker and janitor. Not to mention photograher, item lister and web design (sort of...okay I know a tiny bit of HTML). I'm grateful for every sale I make and I give my customers the best customer service that I possibly can. So sure you can buy a moonstone pendant on ebay for .99 cents but are you going to get it after you sent the payment, if so are you going to get it usually within 3 to 4 days of payment? Are they going to answer your every question and offer you a return policy? And if it doesn't show up are they going to say "oh well, you didn't buy insurance, not my problem"? or are they going to offer a refund or replacement item because they insure every item.
Okay, that's my rant. I return you to our regularly scheduled light hearted discussion, no hard feelings. Thanks for listening.
Hope I never come across you in one of my auctions :( When you registered on ebay you agreed to their TOS. You are lying when you say that you bid the wrong price to retract a bid under those circumstances. Bidding a wrong price is putting in $300 instead of $30.
And to respond to the original post....
No, I would not contact them. Not only is it against Ebay policy, I feel that those bidding are "old enough" to do research and know the going price on an item. If they don't want to take the time to do the research, or can't locate an item elsewhere for cheaper than they pay what they bid and that should be that.
How much is the esnipe program after the 14 day trial period? I couldn't find in on their website. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right place... I'm one of those who waits until the last minute to bid, and then I forget, ha ha!
I've never heard of a program calling esnipe - I always wait until the end and then place a bid.
I would not interfere with an auction - that's very unfair to the seller and against ebay rules that you agree to when you signed up.
I also would not lie if I changed my mind about my bid just to put in a retraction. That is dishonest.
Art is intended to provoke an emotion from a total stranger. If you�ve succeeded in this, consider yourself an artist. Paper Shanks Blog. Love me or hate me, you are still talking about me
check out www.esnipe.com for more info--let the 'program' bid for you (if you change your mind, then you can cancel the bid that was never placed, this is better than retracting).
99.9% of SELLERS LOVE SNIPERS.
RETRACTING a bid is FROWNED upon in the EBAY community
Hypothetical Ebay Question
