topic Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out? in Buying

Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

pucks_dream — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:21:23 GMT

I am after a specific item and two were listed....tthey both met my needs thats easy... I bid on the one ending soonest and was subsequently outbid...Oh well, I bid on the second one! No problems there UNTIL the highest bidder on the first item withdrew their bid! NOW Ive got the highest bid on TWO items and trust me, I only want/can afford 1!

What can I do? Whats Ebays Policy? Do I hope that some one else outbids me on ONE of the items?...HELP!

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

the3coopers — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:54:23 GMT

You simply withdraw your bid on one of the items.

It's not hard http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/buy/questions/retract-bid.html

A FAR smarter option would be to not bid on EITHER item... hold off and look at the prices further down the track, closer to the ending time.

There are bidding services like Gixen where you can load your 2 bids into a special "Group Bidding" configuration. You set a maximum price for each one, and it will bid on the first one and if it wins it then it cancels the (pending) bid on the second item.

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

putney32 — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:57:25 GMT

ebay's policy is that all bids placed are 'live' until the end of the auction.

there used tobe a note to that effect when you placed a bid, but is has been so long since i actuallybid on an auction i dont know what the notice says these days.

as cooper 's pointed out.... dont bid early, and you wont have that problem

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

the3coopers — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:58:09 GMT

Your bids should be placed as late as possible. Literally in the final minutes of each listing. This allows you to remain "interested in" numerous items of a certain type, without becoming committed to any of them.

It doesn't matter when you place any bid - only that you are the highest bidder. Therefore, place one bid for your maximum price at (almost) the END of the auction. If you miss out because your price was too low, then wait and do the same on the next auction for the next item.

This means that you only ever have bids out there on one item at any time.

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

thesoulyearns — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:31:48 GMT

One thing you could do is place a couple of the same items in your Watch List. Check it once a day or so or whenever the first one is ending, so you can look at the price and see if you'd like to make a bid. If it's too high, just delete it and wait for the next item to get to the top of your Watch List.

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

papermoon.lady — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:42:44 GMT

Yes, as the3coopers said the best option for you would be to use "Group Bidding" in Gixen. I am not sure it is available in the free version, but even the paid version is only $6 a year and works well. I have just won an auction in the middle of the night. Well, I could not sleep so I could have placed the bid myself, but I was supposed to be in bed.... ;\

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

healthwise2011 — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:18:46 GMT

Firstly, don't panic... do the items end at the same time on the same day? If they don't and end on different days, then you have some options. See how the first auction goes... if you win it than cancel your bid on the other listing or contact the seller to cancel your bid due to 'the dilemma'; if you don't win your item on first auction, you are still in the running to win the other. If they do end at the same time on the same day, then you need to cancel your bid on one and stick to your guns on the other. Look up ebay help pages regarding cancelling bids if you are unsure how to do this or contact the seller - they can be pretty understanding of your situation, when given enough notice, usually having been buyers themselves. Failing that, if the seller is less than compliant, contact ebay customer service direct and explain your issue and what you would like to do. Make sure all the correspondence you have with the seller, if any, is done through ebay messages so you have proof to back up your request.

Hope this helps and happy ebaying! 🙂 healthwise2011

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

davewil1964 — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:19:30 GMT

I would recommend YOU read the policies on placing bids before you advise people to break the rules. As 'I bid on 2 items because I didn't think I'd win one' is not listed as a valid reason for withdrawing a bid, they will have to lie. Withdrawing a bid, if they would have been the winner, also costs the seller what they thought they would get.

What if OP withdraws their bid? And the next highest bidder didn't think they were going to win so they bid on a different one? So they withdraw their bid? Ad infinitum.

The policies, whether we agree with them or not, generally have a reason.

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

darksideofthemoon — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:47:28 GMT

Don't bid on two identical items at once... that's silly.

Bid on one and if you don't win, then bid on the other.

Always put in the highest amount you can afford right at the beginning and don't bid until the last hours of the auction. That way if someone else wins at least you know you would have been out bid anyway 🙂

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

healthwise2011 — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 03:14:05 GMT

yepperooni, bidding on two at the same time is gonna cause headaches - which I think you've already worked out.... your dilemma is what to do now. SOME sellers are compassionate about your situation, seeing as the bid above you was cancelled and put you as the winner by default, and cancelling your bid. Failing that try customer service... it's worth a try BEFORE the auctions end than not trying at all. You are not breaking any policies by explaining your situation and asking for their help, or retracting one of your bids based on what has happened. Most sellers understand what can happen as buyers - we've all made mistakes somewhere along the line. Take it as a lesson learnt and hopefully it will all work out.

One Bitten, Twice Shy...

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

kopenhagen5 — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 04:18:20 GMT

Further to putney's post -

This is on the bottom of everyone's bidding list,

* If you have been outbid, you may still become the high bidder if, for example, the seller cancels a bid received by another bidder or lowers a reserve price.

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

*mrgrizz* — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 04:26:58 GMT

they didn't bid on the other item until they were outbid on the other.

i would have done the same. who cares what ebay writes on the bottom of the page.

how many contracts have you signed without reading....me plenty.

Re: Bidding Quandry..How do I sort this out?

*kazumi* — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 05:53:41 GMT

I would first have a good look at the withdrawn bid; if it is somebody who seems to be bidding a lot on the one seller's items and withdrawing, I would be withdrawing without second thought. Lie or not lie.

But remeber that in the last 12 hours you can only withdraw a bid if it was made less than 1 hour ago.