Hi, I'd just like to add my two loonies worth! Ray Rogers wrote: snip
3. Waiting to the end before bidding, and then getting hung up by the technology! (In some cases you might get to the last step and then e-bay may inform you the seller has not stated he will accept bids from your country, etc., etc.
One way to avoid this is to make a prior inquiry as to the shipping costs. I live in Canada, so if the item is from a foreign country, i.e., the US, and unless the seller specifically states that he will sell only to US bidders (something that a large number of sellers do), then I inquire what the shipping cost will be to Canada. If he informs me that he does not sell to Canadians then I move on. If he gives me a quote for shipping to Canada, then I can factor this into the ceiling that I set for my bid. Avoids the last minute surprise and the problem raised above
Also, if the seller states that he ships to Canada only by UPS or FedEx, then I also move on because UPS and FedEX charge a brokerage fee which you have to add to the cost of the item. So if its only UPS, FedEX, I just move on. Canada Post rarely charges tax on the photo items, maybe 1 in 20. With UPS, I get the brokerage fees and the sales tax that they feel duty bound to collect. In the end, a good deal turns into a not so good deal because of these extra hidden costs. get all the info ahead of time and avoid nasty surprises once you have won the item. Ask about combined shipping if you intend to buy two or more items from the same seller. Some refuse, so I move on.
If a seller does not answer my query concerning shipping costs, then I move on. I don't need surprises.
Just want to remark on the large number of sellers who state in their listing that they will answer your questions about the item and then never do. Again, I move on.
Cheers and Happy Bidding, Bogdan
By the way, In Japan, the bidding is done on another crazy system... once you get used to it, it may be better, but the first time I experienced it I thought I was hallucinating! There, the bid end time is extended about 5 or 10 minutes to allow someone to out bid you! (Just when I thought I had won... the auction was extended and other bids started pouring in! I didn't know what to do, but finally fought back and finally "won" the bidding game. I really don't know which is the most peaceful, buyer friendly "game", but at least with the Japanese method you have a chance to bid in real time and you do not have to bid blindly while offering your entire life savings as insurance that you will win. Enough said already too much said. Ray Rogers 'Winning' isn't always winning. J "All that glitters isn't all that glitters" ps --- Georges Giralt <georges.giralt@xxxxxxx> wrote:Bill , If you use a sniper, you will often "win" auctionjust doing what you want. Bidding early just make the price go high because people seeing the low price arre tempted to bid on it. Refraining to bid up to the last minute ensure the price will stay at a minimum (if everyone stick to this) if it doesn't stay low, you won't "win" it because it is above the threshold you make....I was a user of Auction sniper but their prices arehigh, a friend of mine gave me bidninja address and I'm delighted !Try it, it's really fun to get emails saying "you'vewon" and be happy to keep your budget OK ;-)!!bill harting a écrit :Shannon, I usually do what I think you did onEbay, decide what I'mwilling to pay, make the bid and that's that. Idon't sit waiting forthe auction to end, and though I have "sniped" myrule is not to secondguess myself. Until later. I hate to lose thingsby a dollar, but whoknows how high the winning bidder might have beenwilling to go?Bill Shannon Stoney wrote:I've always thought it was sort of funny thatebay uses that term,"win." As in, "You won!" It seems to imply thatyou got it for free.Maybe they should say instead, "You bought it!" Of course, the desire to "win" is what fuelsbidding I suppose. Nexttime I'll wait till near the end to bid. I'vebeen a seller on ebaymore than I've been a buyer, so I guess I'm sortof naive about thebuying process. --shannon 'Winning' isn't always winning. J -- Justin F. Knotzke jknotzke@xxxxxxxxxx http://www.shampoo.ca=============================================================================================================To unsubscribe from this list, go towww.freelists.org and logon to youraccount (the same e-mail address and password youset-up when yousubscribed,) and unsubscribe from there.-- Ce message est constitu?Ed'au moins 50 % d'électrons recyclés. S'il vous plaû‘, aidez nous ?Econserver nos ressources, recyclez vos électrons !=============================================================================================================To unsubscribe from this list, go to www.freelists.org and logon to your account (the same e-mail address and password you set-up when you subscribed,) and unsubscribe from there.____________________________________________________________________________________Building a website is a piece of cake. Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/webhosting =============================================================================================================To unsubscribe from this list, go to www.freelists.org and logon to your account (the same e-mail address and password you set-up when you subscribed,) and unsubscribe from there.
-- ________________________________________________________________ Bogdan Karasek Montréal, Québec bogdan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Canada www.bogdanphoto.com "I photograph my reality" ________________________________________________________________ ============================================================================================================= To unsubscribe from this list, go to www.freelists.org and logon to your account (the same e-mail address and password you set-up when you subscribed,) and unsubscribe from there.