Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've never tried it either. I just try and watch the auction til the end and if its a close auction, I only bid as much as I am comfortable with. As Jsm610 said "I haven't ever lost anything I didn't want to lose". Or I don't remember it, lol.

I agree with John. I've never lost anything I've really wanted. I just bid real high, and I've never had someone outbid me in that situation. Now, I also often bid minimally on fine acoustics hoping to 'steal' one. It seldom works, but once in a blue moon, I'll pick up quality for very little. eBay, in my opinion, is a great place to sell, but not a particularly great place to buy.

Good for you all!

If Graham had been using ESnipe, he would have gone to bed knowing that he won, unless he decided that, for instance, $3200.00 or so just wasn't worth it. He could have placed his high bid. the previous bidder who got it for $2820.00 would have sat there, looking at his high bid. Then, three seconds before the close, a bid for $2920.00 would have appeared. No time to counter this one, no matter how good you are at hitting those keys. And Graham would have woken up a winner.

When I bought my 3 Gretsches (NOT factory seconds, NEW, full warrantees) from eBay, it was after checking all the online and local stores for them. The closest in each case was over $300.00 difference. So I went eBay, watching the high bidder sit there for days thinking he was locked in, then scoring a bargain at the last second for myself. Had I bib early ands agressively, it would have inevitably turned into a bidding war. Bidding wars almost always end with the price jacked up.

John, if the auction ends and you're asleep, or doing something else, you snooze, you lose. ESnipe takes care of that for you.

Anyone who wants an explanation of ESnipe's logic and the details of how it works, are welcome to check the website's FAQs. Meantime, I've got one working right now on a Rick, and I'm close to scoring again.

Thanks Paul, I think I understand it now. ESnipe would be great if you are considering how much you want to spend real time.

The system I use works more like this: Let's say I wanted to win the 700, I know it most likey isn't going to sell for more than $3k, so I would bid $4k or $5k. It is a bid to win approach. With this, you are exposed on the top end of course, but you can decide what you can live with at a max.

Certain guitars I don't want to lose, I don't think I'll find another, or I don't want to wait to find another. That means a $10k bid on a $2k or $3k guitar...

The other thing I've noticed is that I often bid against the same folks, most of them are here. If you get to talking to them you can gain an understanding of what they are really in to, and it may become apparent that if you bid against each other the result will be a final bid at 'lots more than it should be'. In my above example, the 700 would actually sell @ $5k. In that senario, it may make sense to pass if another will come along... Nobody wants to run up a price and then lose.

I guess this is part of what makes eBay fun.

Well, John, it depends if you're looking for fun, or if you simply have your heart set on an item.

I use eSnipe because of the element of surprise. If prices go beyond what I'm willing to pay, no harm done--my bid isn't competitive. Right now, I'm in the last minutes of an amp that I've had my eye on, and it doesn't have a lot of action and the price is good. So I bid at "low max" of what I'm willing to spend, check the action an hour or so before end, and if I'm still in the ballpark, I go to bed resting easy. I'll get it unless the bidding gets crazy at the last minute--which it won't, because with hundreds of people having looked and passed, my surprise bid will win.

In the case of the 700-12, I would have been willing to go $3200.00 on it, but I was convinced it would see another $1000.00 over that--out of my range. So I talked myself out of it. Had I just placed the $3200.00 bid, I'd be the proud owner at less than expected. Same for Graham--he implied that he thought he had it sewn up and went to bed thinking he was still in the mix. Esnipe would've helped in his case.

Yep I thought I'd won it!! Slept like a baby....but then again I thought it went too high.....too high for me though..not someone else. Good and bad points for eSnipe but as Paul says, it's the element of suprise! I think communication is the best way of not bidding up prices. JSM610 and I have emailed each other, to check out each others intent on an item. I think this works well. A good example was John's 366 the other day. $2800? I think. It could have easily gone over $5000 if there wasn't some communication. And why shouldn't we pick up a bargain every once in a while? I can't win everything and I'd rather not push up the prices for the sake of competition. There will be more around, maybe at a higher price, but I might have more money then? It all comes around, goes around. I know we'll all meet up someday at some huge Rickenbacker show........well maybe that is just a pipe dream!

It's pipe dreams that keep me going...

That great Rickenbacker Show in the Sky...

BTW, I did win the amp, at a nice low price, too, while I was in the middle of my morning commute.

Score another one for eSnipe.

Congratulations, you m**********r (multi-tasker)...

(Ooops...forgot the smiley face...)

Thanks, a*****e. (smiley face deleted)

um...awesome? err...an-chov-e? duhh...artiste?
(ignarrogant emoticon missing from library)

I like anchov-e best. But not with jalapenos.

Indeed not...as a Balinese once told me in the midst of his admonishment against eating turtle meat and 'lawar' (pork and pig's blood mixture) at the same sitting: "You will out non-stop"...

I wouldn't be sitting. I'd be running.

With my feet, that is. Out. Non-stop.