Guide to EBay gambling - UG Edition

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Loved the article. I buy a ton on ebay. One thing I don't agree with Eric about: I rarely ask questions as the seller can post the answers on the listing thus helping others to bid up the price. I love bad pictures which usually indicates a disinterested or uneducated seller (it gives me a chance to sleuth). I search for key words: "knob", "face", "overwound", etc., which also indicates a non-watch seller. Always check their history of what they buy and sell. If I see a bunch of watches in their history, I assume they know what they are doing and I'm less likely to find a treasure. I live for the person who is truly selling Grandpas watch ;-)

Ha, good points. I agree with you. If I really find a gem of a listing and have 100% confidence, I just shut the heck up and wait until it is ending to bid. Better not to be in touch with the seller or even watch the watch so as to not signal any interest.

Best regards,
Eric Wind
 
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Would 100% confidence be gambling? I'm good with 51% Just ahead of the house :-D
Dave
 
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Very nice watches!!! I see a nice hobby coming up 😀
 
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Let's all recite the EBay credo together now:

"I love Ebay. It rewards knowledge, diligence and deft action but punishes ignorance, foolishness and greed." - M4tt, June 2, 2010
 
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This is a great post. Thanks LouS! As an aspiring watch enthusiast and collector this helps me a lot.
 
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Just re-reading this thread. This is such an Ebay watch ninja move:
Better not to...even watch the watch so as to not signal any interest.
 
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Just re-reading this thread. This is such an Ebay watch ninja move:
Good point. I assume eBay sellers know THAT there is a watcher, but do they know WHO is watching? For example, could they send me a message saying "Well, I know you're interested, so I'll offer it to you for $100 off."?

And, in the worst move eBay has made in a while, they disabled wildcard searching some time ago. Used to be I could have found that "poleroute" watch by searching for "pole?". No more.
 
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Great article. Very helpful and encouraging!