View Full Version : i feel like venting, indeed
Pherdinand
10-31-2004, 11:32
i said what the heck, and went for this really nice contax
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3848344696&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
looks great, hopefully works great, it's the body i want, the nice lens i want, i stay here at my workplace on the Net just for this, with a big smile on my face, counting down the seconds, sunday evening at 9 o'clock
-
and then, this freak outbids me in the LAST 4 SECONDS (check bidding history).
:(:(:( :mad:
what can i say, this is my first experience with e-bay. Maybe the last one? :bang:
Pherdinand, you'll see more of that, should you continue the eBay adventures :)
My personal average is about 7:1 - i.e. of seven auctions that I bid, I win one...
Depends on your highest bid, of course, but that's the way it is.
In my experience, in order to avoid last minute bidding frenzy, it's best to place imediately the highest amount you're ready to pay, and leave it at that.
Otherwise you always pay too much, trying to outbid others... You get carried away, and bid too much - as you realize once it's too late.
It's worse when you see that the same stuff you've won the day before gets won at 30% less the next day.
So, it could have been worse - no big deal. There will be others. Believe me.
Denis
That Guy
10-31-2004, 12:08
They're called "snipers" and I've lost a few auctions to them as well. Get used to it. Or become one... :rolleyes:
I do it myself :D... I am ashamed :(
Brian Sweeney
10-31-2004, 12:50
1) Just go and check out the camera near you in person.
2) Open two windows. Have one with a higher bid amount ready to launch. Use the other window to check the auction status. Constantly refresh. If you get outbid, open the first window and confirm your already typed in bid. You must not have played enough Star-Raiders.
Pherdinand
10-31-2004, 13:06
Oh, thanks for the advices and support guys :D
BTW, i was constantly refreshing. Just had no second window and it took too long to do it when i realized what's happening.
I've forgot to tell ya: i did go to check the camera, yesterday. The one offered for eur250. Cosmetically the body was near mint!no zeiss bumps no brassing. However, the slow speeds were really slow, and the shutter curtains were looking weird, not flat, like forced with something... I guess the fast speeds were slow too, couldn't check that.
The focusing was also stiff; dunno if it was the lens' problem. The surface of the rear element of the sonnar 50/2 had serious cleaning marks.
I tried to make it cheaper based on this but the guy said, he already has an offer of eur240. So i passed it on...
Snipers have their disappointments too! If they slide in at the last second with a bid that turns out to be lower than the earlier max... All it does is increase the amount the winner has to pay, bummer except to the seller. :(
Alright, here is my story. I bought my 50/2 Summicron on Ebay. It is a beautiful lens, the best I had seen in a long time. When I was shopping, all I could find from calling every dealer I could think of were other very nice lenses, for $1,000 or more (used mind you). So, the ebay one went its course, it was still below what I was willing to pay (it has the case, caps, shades, box, mint+, everything). In fact it was bid only to $200 less than the max I was willing to spend on this lens. The day it closed I sat and watched the final minutes tick off, I had not bid, I sniped it. I decided that my max price was a very fair price based on the condition and all the little odds and ends that were included. So I decided to make my bid the price + the extra $200. Then I stopped, thought, and decided, well, what if someone else was thinking the same thing? I would bid price + $205. No, my adversary is smart too, price + $207.76. 6 seconds left I hit the bid button. By time my screen refreshed, the auction was over, I won, for... price + $207.76!!! The other bidder hitting his button at the same time bid the price + $205!!!! I still don't know who is more surprised how that went down, me, bidder #2 or the seller.
That is a true story.
Pherdinand, don't let this be your last ebay experience. Be patient and find a nice camera, and don't bid on it until the last seconds if you can. Think of it, if you bid early, someone else is just going to out bid you and drive the price up. Bid what you can afford and what you value the camera to be worth to you, and nothing more. And finally, post some pictures when you get it.
Yeah, sounds like my experiences. I've gotta agree with Denis on this one, put in a bid for the maximum you're willing to pay (AND can afford, very important) and then walk away, win or lose. If you win, great; if not, chances are pretty good you'll find another item like the one you want eventually. It's always worked out for me that way.
CleverName
10-31-2004, 22:29
I agree with Denis and Doug. Bid what you are willing to pay, then when you loose, wait for another one to come up see if you are willing to pay more. I constantly bid on things expecting to loose the auction. I'm usually not willing to pay much, but if I do win, I'll get it for a great price.
With a last minute bidding frenzy you may get caught up in the excitement and end up spending more than you wanted. ("It's only another $2...damn, I got outbid..it's only another $5...damn, I got outbid...it's only another $10...damn, I got outbid...ect.)
I've been there and still don't understand how I spent $80 on a $50 lens.
Originally posted by CleverName
With a last minute bidding frenzy you may get caught up in the excitement and end up spending more than you wanted. ("It's only another $2...damn, I got outbid..it's only another $5...damn, I got outbid...it's only another $10...damn, I got outbid...ect.)
I've been there and still don't understand how I spent $80 on a $50 lens. Yes, I think this happens a lot. It's an ego game, I think, that I refuse to play. ;)
I also see some very strange multiple bidding by the same bidder seemingly bidding against himself. I have asked a couple of them why they do this, and they explain they're "feeling" for the reserve or the size of the higher bid. I think it's unnecessary and just clogs up the auction. I agree with those who say to bid what you are willing to pay, and stick with it.
Pherdinand
11-01-2004, 01:30
Yeah, i guerss i was pretty naive thinking that no bid in the last 10+ hours means nobody else's interested so i couldn't wait more and bid on it 5 minutes before the end, not 5 seconds. However, i got over it already. I went out yesterday evening after the thing and had a big dinner. :D
There's a similar item ending tonight, i've put in my highest bid and i'll check tomorrow, not before. (It's easy to do so: it ends somewhere during the night;).)
Everything seems to come around again on the 'Bay, so I just put in what I'm truly willing to pay and let it go at that. Some I win, some I don't, and the last one I didn't win, the high bidder refused to complete the transaction so the seller offered me the merchandise for just over what I had bid- I bit (and now I have two Prominents...)
No worries. A better one is coming down the pike for ya, and at a better price!
Here are some tips I have learned on Ebay. I have used it more
to sell, but I do buy on there also. I have 165 feedbacks.
If it is an item you really want put in your highest bid as early
as possible. Earlier bids take precedence.
Sometimes an item with a low starting price will get everyones
attention..say it starts at $5. Lots of people will put it in their
favorites thinking they can steal it at $10...Put in a decent bid
and most folks will forget about it, leaving less possible bidders.
Check it late at night before bed. I have gotten great deals with
people putting an item out there late with a buy it now.
Watch for items ending during the day when people are at work
and may not be able to bid on items.
A lot of people cant spell so search for common spellings
like "Cannon" instead of "Canon".
You can also search with "Can*" to get more hits.
Selling:
As for selling, No reserve auctions can sell at higher prices than
reserve auctions. Make your title include any word variations
if you can. Like "amp"&"amplifier", "hood"&"shade".
Avoid sounding like a salesman! "Rare" just means the seller
never saw an item like this before.
Use pictures if you can. I have sold 99% of my items without
pictures(no digital camera at that time) some of them have hit
record prices. Good honest descriptions go a long way.
Of course make the picture a good one, fill the frame, use
good lighting.
Be very thorough with your descriptions, hide nothing! If your
not sure about something working, say so.
Ask bidders to look at your feedback responses so they are
confident you are not going to rip them off.
Best times to put an auction out there is as late as possible
on Sunday-Thursday nights. I have a 3 hour time difference
to the west coast so if I end it at 8pm, Californians are still in
rush hour traffic. 11pm to 12pm EST is a good time to put it out
there for me. Ebay now has an option to tell the auction when
to start.
Shipping costs will sometimes kill an auction. There are some
people that might have a $25 price to ship a camera across
the USA when it costs about $6...I never try to make money
on the shipping. Sometimes I offer free shipping on Buy it now
items. That works very well.
Most times I put in my auctions that the auction is for sale to
N. America only. You will have folks that want to have an item
shipped to a far away country and pay you with goats!
Send small stuff via USPS priority mail, larger stuff thru a real
UPS terminal, NOT those pack and ship places, they are way
higher. I always request a postal MO. They are secure and you
get paid at the same time you ship your item.
After the sale...
When payment is recieved send out the item ASAP!
I try for next day. I ask for their address at the end of auction
and pack it immediatley and put in on a shelf.
Dont rely on Ebays system to inform the buyer, do it yourself.
I notify them when it ships and give them a tracking number
if it has one.
I also do their feedback then and ask them for positive feedback
once they get their item.
I pack really well with large bubble wrap. I have had only 1
item damaged so far, a 40lb vintage Tube type PA amp..
Thats all I can think of now!
Rob
Originally posted by Pherdinand
However, i got over it already. I went out yesterday evening after the thing and had a big dinner. :D
Pherdinand, that was EXACTLY the advice I was going to tell ya :)
eBay is a world by itself with a pretty strange but interesting behaviour. I've been disconnected from it for a while though, but for instance look at this auction:
http://cgi.es.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3848370968&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting
I'd have said that the lens by itself would have gone for ~300, and the whole set with the P went for $244. I remember the visit counter being above 500, so I expected an explosion of last second bids.
To make a long story short, somebody got a great deal with that one !
But it was not me :(
back alley
11-01-2004, 05:37
or me!
Honu-Hugger
11-01-2004, 06:27
eBay is indeed a place like no other, it is an international bazaar. One thing that has always struck me as strange is that the "winner" is the person that has agreed to pay the most:D
No opinions offered here, no advice...eBay is what it is. If you are especially careful and somewhat lucky great deals can be found. However, as eBay clearly states: Caveat Emptor!
D2
pshinkaw
11-01-2004, 06:40
My 2 cents:
What I like about e-Bay is that when you lose an auction you are often actually the winner. It doesn't cost you anything to play and lose, just to play and win costs money.
There is a sniping service. You subscribe, enter the auction # and your maximum bid. It snipes for you at the last possible second(s). There is an associated fee of course.
If you MUST WIN, bid on auctions that close on big holiday weekends. I spent way too much money on the Fourth of July because it fell on a weekend. A lot of people won't watch auctions that close on 3 and 4 day weekends. They have better things to do. If you don't, you can get some pretty good buys.
That's how I got my 35mm/2.8 Schneider Retina-Curtagon for $16 plus shipping. (Retina IIIS)
-Paul
Originally posted by pshinkaw
There is a sniping service. You subscribe, enter the auction # and your maximum bid. It snipes for you at the last possible second(s). There is an associated fee of course.
There are free sniping sites, I have used auctionstealer.com on a few items after getting fed up with other people outbidding my by pennies to win a bid.
Haven't bid in ages though
-Nick
If you MUST WIN, bid on auctions that close on big holiday weekends.
Agree Paul. I got my (new) Kobalux 21mm/f2.8 for $340 on Boxing Day. Same price as the CV 21mm/f4 and one whole stop faster. :)
Pherdinand
11-01-2004, 23:52
Should I complain now that the second similar setup (this time a IIIa) got sniped again? No, i guess i shouldn't :)
http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3848505041&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
I am telling you, you have to snipe the sniper. Bidding early just runs the price up. And of course the good thing with ebay is, that another one will be for sale tomorrow. Your time will come.
Pherdinand
11-02-2004, 05:00
Yeah, this one had to be the bid-early-the-max strategy, since it ended at 2,30 in the night... There's no Contax on the Bay that keeps me awake till 2,30 - especially that i had an evaluation meeting today,with my bosses :eek:
Pherdinand
11-02-2004, 05:01
But the next sniper is DeaD :D:D:D
Honu-Hugger
11-02-2004, 06:52
Pherdinand,
I thought that you were looking for a IIa? I wouldn't be too upset over this IIIa -- it was not that great of a deal. Here is a suggestion for you or any other member that may be interested:
Incorrectly Listed Contax II (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=3848839808&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT)
Granted, this is a II and not a IIa and it is also not working. However, the value of the lens alone far exceeds its current auction price. However, keep in mind -- the snipers are waiting! And, I firmly believe that even a "working" camera from this era (even from the fifties) NEEDS the attention of someone like Henry Scherer. Here is an e-mail excerpt from Henry Scherer that I received just yesterday:
"Every now and then I empty my ultrasonic cleaner after using it to clean a batch of parts from a camera only to find a fairly large amount of very fine metal particles in the bottom. You just never know what's going on inside your old camera but you can know a camera that is over 60 years old has no lubrication left in it..."
So you buy this camera for a low price, send it to Henry and it comes back to you better than when it was originally produced, and with a thoroughly cleaned and collimated lens to boot. All for roughly the same or for less than you will spend for a "working" camera that really needs the attention of someone like Henry anyway.
Regardless of whether or not this II interests you I believe that you will more likely than not lose whatever you happen to find on eBay if you do not snipe. Like it or not, that is what you are up against on eBay. I have more than 1200 transactions on eBay and I lost probably my first three auctions before I realized what I needed to be done. Just yesterday I would have lost a rare (1 in 263) Alpa lens and an equally rare (1 in 648) Alpa camera if I had not sniped them -- and all I did was compete with the other snipers! Perhaps it is sad that eBay is this way, but that doesn't change it. Good luck with your quest for a Contax -- I'll keep a watch for you.
D2
Honu-Hugger
11-02-2004, 06:56
Contax II rangefinder base: 92mm!
Contax IIa rangefinder base: 75mm
New Zeiss-Ikon that is stirring so much excitement: 75mm rangefinder base ("Back to the Future"?)
D2
Pherdinand
11-02-2004, 07:03
thanks, Doug :D Well, i'm "looking for a IIa" indeed but i'm not too picky. Especially if it's cheap/good stuff. This also ends in the night so it will necessitate some effort from me to "snipe it"...maybe i'll try.
Wish me luck :rolleyes:
Pherdi I know this will be shaking the bird even a bit more, but consider as well getting a just serviced early 50's Kiev II from Oleg with a nice J-8 or Helios-103 lens.
You can have one for less than $100, any clean example of these lenses would be a good performer (the Helios is a 1.8). You'll be getting more Contax than Kiev.
However, I admit having a real Contax II serviced by Henry and with a real Sonnar may be the ultimate Contax lover experience.
Good luck ! :D
Pherdinand
11-02-2004, 11:13
yeah, i considered the Kiev solution. I'm just trying my luck first with the contaxes. I'm not that seriously addicted or anything. (Oh yes you are! And you just bought a second GSN coz it was so damn cheap! You freak!)
rick oleson
11-02-2004, 11:58
the only way to win at eBay is through patience: know what you're willing to pay, and be willing to let everything go that climbs too high and wait for the right deal to come along. There are other Contaxes out there, and eBay is a great place to find them... just keep your head about you
:)=
A couple things: patience as rick says is very important. Also, try to make sure you can be around when the auction ends. This will allow you to react if something happens in the last minutes. My general protocol is to watch an auction, and be ready to bid your full bid in the last 5 minutes or so. This usually prevents the price from being run up too much, and many bidders are the incremental bidders, so they will keep trying to bid another five or ten dollars, but you will have your higher max bid that they keep bidding under. You usually win. Sniping of course is one (annoying) way, but bidding late is probably nearly as useful, and with a bit better etiquitte.
Also, sometimes you can find good deals out of buy it now auctions that are ending.
I saw a DS M3 in mint condition with a fancy serial number (ended in 500, the last camera of a given production run), recently CLA'd by Sherry Krauter. It had 20 minutes left with a buy it now of 999 dollars and a starting price of 649. I bid 675 and one it for 649. Sometimes those buy it now ones have reserves just under the buy it now price, and sometimes they don't. If they don't, sometimes you can get a really good deal bidding on the minimum bid.
back alley
11-06-2004, 10:10
i got sniped the other day, for a canon hood, in the last 4 seconds!
how'd he do that?
i was very unhappy.
however i just got a better deal on another canon hood, like new, where i was the only bidder...4 bucks!
now that makes me happy!
joe
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