Important note if you buy on ebay

[timp_be]

I recently buy an helmet on ebay USA. The helmet was at $750 when I made a bid from $1030. I recieve confirmation that, at this time, I was the highest bidder with a bid from $760. When the sell ended I was the highest bidder with a bid from $1030. When I look at the bids history, there are only three bids: the first at $750, a second at $1028 and the mine at $1030. No trace from my winning bid from $760 and I find very strange that the only bid made was just two dollars lower than my highest bid. For me the one who made this bid was knowing the amount of my highest bid. But who is he? So as the identities of the bidders are hidden I don't know. The seller? I don't know how he would be able to know the amount of my highest bid. Or was it Ebay himself to make grow their commission? If you have got the same problem thanks to let me know. I've made a claim on ebay. I receive an answer telling me how to bid...

Other notice for the US sellers who sale internationally: even if you list an item in the section WW1, if you use the word "WW2" or another relating to the second war, foreign bidders will be unable to look at your item.

Thank you and sorry for my english.

timp_be

 

[flasheart]

Hello,

I can tell you what happened here.

You put in your $1030 bid on this gendarme helmet six hours before the auction ended and this made you the high bidder against the fellow who had bid $760.00. Six seconds prior to the end of the auction, another bidder put in a 'snipe bid' of $1028 hoping to win the helmet. Because you already put in $1030 your bid automatically beat the $1028 bid and you won the auction. I think this is a very normal outcome for an ebay auction. The only thing that may be suspicious is if the seller put a bid on the item himself, but probably not likely. This looks like another bidder was very keen to win the helmet but should have bid another $20.

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[Gustaf]

Hello Temp
I agree with Mike, I have seen this happen from time to time, although not with the out come as close as that. It is very common to bid a small amount over a round number hoping that the other bidder will bid the even thousand, I do the same, and very often, I win the bid by a few cents. If the bidder had not been sniping, he would have been able to see that one more bid would have won the item (there is not a full bid between your high bidder and the underbidder). It is important to remember that the maximum amount that we bid needs to be an amount that we are willing to pay, I know of one collector that will bid a astronomical high bid on an item he wants to fill a hole in his collection, he often gets the items for a reasonable price, but on accession, he runs up against another bidder with the same tactic, and then one or the other ends up paying much higher than true value for the item.
Best wihses
Gus

 

[Robert]

Many folks bid in ebay like you do on a normal auction, higher and higher. So sometimes you can save some money with a last-second bid.

I open the same item in two browser windows. I logon in one and place my bid a minute early, but wait to confirm it. On the other window I wait until a few seconds (5..10) before the end by repeadingly reloading, then confirm my bid on the other window.