[pure-silver] Re: buying photo stuff on ebay

Shannon Stoney wrote:
I hope this is not too (shamefully) off topic. I know a lot of people on this list shop on ebay for cameras, etc. Well, I just was doing the same, and I have a question. I had a bid in on an item, and my highest bid was $100, but for a whole day the price stayed at $66. I ended up "winning" the auction, but at the very last minute , the bidding went up to my highest bid, $100.
That made me a little suspicious. I wondered if a seller could get a friend to bid up an item. But then I thought: how would they know when to stop? They might by accident bid over my highest amount and end up buying the item. So, was this just bad luck? Or next time should I put in a lower highest bid? Or a less obvious highest bid, like $98? 

--shannon
On most auctions, the important bids come within the last few seconds. There are even "sniper" services that'll do this automatically for you. Yes, it's possible for someone to have a shill bidder, a person working with the seller who inflates the bid. There's just no way to know. Never bid more than you want to spend. You were willing to pay $100, so what's the problem, really? You should really bid right before the end of the auction. This'll save you from the "Oh, ok. Maybe a little bit more." While there are bargains on Ebay, there are numerous example of people paying ridiculous prices. You have to know what an item is worth. Check reputable places like KEH, Midwest Photo Exchange and so on. Never pay a price on Ebay that's close to what a reputable dealer would charge. Dealers have return policies, long track records... 

-Peter
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