How do you beat the middlemen/flippers on eBay?

Willbur · Jan 26, 2021

plongeur78
eBay is a massive gamble, I would never sell using it as the buyer has all the protection, for buying I’ve lost count the amount of times I’ve placed a bit during an auction only for it to be ended and sold outside eBay or the seller decides to cancel it as he didn’t get what he wanted then repost it buy it now for a ridiculous price, it can be fun but is usually more of a headache.

As far as I remember protection is linked to Paypal and not to ebay.

Regarding buying outside of the official auction be aware that ebay is reading our message.

Once I bought a watch that was presented in a lot and ask to buy it separately.
We tried to synchronize both to publish and buy in a short time but every time someone is buying before me.
So we deal directly through Paypal and few days later we received a message from Ebay mentioning that such deal was not allowed and that our account will be locked if we do it again.....

So lesson learned is that Ebay is reading our message

vlaspri · Feb 1, 2021

Willbur
As far as I remember protection is linked to Paypal and not to ebay.

Regarding buying outside of the official auction be aware that ebay is reading our message.

Once I bought a watch that was presented in a lot and ask to buy it separately.
We tried to synchronize both to publish and buy in a short time but every time someone is buying before me.
So we deal directly through Paypal and few days later we received a message from Ebay mentioning that such deal was not allowed and that our account will be locked if we do it again.....

So lesson learned is that Ebay is reading our message

It really is like that. I sold a Cartier Tank through ebay to a buyer from Taiwan, it should be shipped through DHL and I really needed buyer's phone number for DHL courier delivery, so he couldn't message me his number or write his email, but then I asked him just to send a pic of written by hand phone number and email. It worked out!

gbesq · Feb 1, 2021

I generally avoid auctions and look for reasonable BIN listings or those that accept offers. That being said, sometimes you just get lucky - I picked up a nice Constellation 167.005 and a 7 row authentic Omega BOR bracelet at very fair prices. Both were auction items.

OllieOnTheRocks · Feb 1, 2021

My rule of thumb.

If it's a watch you really really must have, just bid the absolute maximum you would be happy to pay. Then if you lose, you're not really losing out at all. The real disappointment comes when you lose but would have been prepared to go higher had you been given the chance.

To know the maximum price, I usually look at sold listings and if the watch in question is better condition, i.e. sharp case, clean dial, I add 50% to the sold listings of the lesser examples.

You win some, you lose some. But generally I have been successful for those I really want. As someone may have mentioned already it's better to overpay slightly on a perfect watch, than underpay on a watch that is trash.

Ollie

Willbur · Feb 1, 2021

Worst situation is to forget to snipe and see that it was sold for the half of you maximal price.

Wryfox · Feb 1, 2021

To snipe effectively, you have to be beyond reason. In the old days of slow internet, sniping could get you a deal.

Today sniping is to win at any price.

Except for unfair advantange I've spoken on previously, you literally have to be the most unreasonable bidder in order to win. EBay is too efficient a market to snipe bargains reliably.

Wlcutter · Feb 1, 2021

Wryfox
To snipe effectively, you have to be beyond reason. In the old days of slow internet, sniping could get you a deal.

Today sniping is to win at any price.

Except for unfair advantange I've spoken on previously, you literally have to be the most unreasonable bidder in order to win. EBay is too efficient a market to snipe bargains reliably.

I've seen this claim now twice here, and while there's certainly room for debate, I'd argue strongly that ebay's fundamentally *not* efficient, and that that's what keeps so many of us glued to it.

In the cases of entirely clear watches, defined to their fullest—identified correctly, photographed clearly, ref/cal numbers identified: sure, it's an efficient market. A 7 day auction pretty well tells you the market price of something.

However, I'd guess most of us have chanced into watches and watch related stuff because the seller's not fully clear on what everything is. This isn't just from bad pictures: I ended up with an unused 7077 bracelet on an old 1959 Seamaster dress watch. It was a 7 day auction, and I won it for $1200. This isn't the distant past: that was this year. It was right there to be found. The bracelet wasn't identified, but the watch was, with ref #, good pictures, etc.

Anyway, not trying to stir anything up, but I think there's a decent % of ebay that isn't an efficient market.

Willbur · Feb 1, 2021

I agree that it's remain some good opportunity on ebay.
Sniping is just a way to only bid for what you are ready to pay and not over because someone is pushing you.
Don't let the auction fever take control of you....

Wryfox · Feb 1, 2021

Wlcutter
I've seen this claim now twice here, and while there's certainly room for debate, I'd argue strongly that ebay's fundamentally *not* efficient, and that that's what keeps so many of us glued to it.

In the cases of entirely clear watches, defined to their fullest—identified correctly, photographed clearly, ref/cal numbers identified: sure, it's an efficient market. A 7 day auction pretty well tells you the market price of something.

However, I'd guess most of us have chanced into watches and watch related stuff because the seller's not fully clear on what everything is. This isn't just from bad pictures: I ended up with an unused 7077 bracelet on an old 1959 Seamaster dress watch. It was a 7 day auction, and I won it for $1200. This isn't the distant past: that was this year. It was right there to be found. The bracelet wasn't identified, but the watch was, with ref #, good pictures, etc.

Anyway, not trying to stir anything up, but I think there's a decent % of ebay that isn't an efficient market.

That's what I mean by unfair advantage. Poorly marketed listings. In the old days nobody knew how to use it well. Now good listings are the rule vs the exception. Ebay helps you cover the bases. Higher sold prices are in their best interests.

That's why I search for mistakes and blind ignorance. But like I said, becoming more rare. Can't get a deal on well marketed listings.

redpcar · Feb 1, 2021

Wryfox
That's what I mean by unfair advantage. Poorly marketed listings. In the old days nobody knew how to use it well. Now good listings are the rule vs the exception. Ebay helps you cover the bases. Higher sold prices are in their best interests.

That's why I search for mistakes and blind ignorance. But like I said, becoming more rare. Can't get a deal on well marketed listings.

You can get a deal in the US for listings ending during the Super Bowl 😗

Vercingetorix · Feb 1, 2021

Here is how to win sometimes on eBay.
1. Set up at least two separate accounts.
2. Get sniping software
3. Search endlessly for what you want
4. Place bid with one of your accounts to about 1/2 to 2/3 of what you think the item will end at
5. Use second account and place at least 10 or 20 bids each with the smallest bid increment eBay allows or 10 or 20
bids to get close to the 1/2 price bid you have chosen earlier. This helps increase the price to prevent the the
seller from ending the auction early and paying lower eBay fees when they get an unsolicited offer. Also makes
seller think there is a lot of interest in the item he is selling.
6. Set snipe bid to end in the last 10 seconds or so with the maximum you are willing to pay.
7. Cross fingers and hope for the best.
8. Modify as necessary, applies mostly to auctions starting at low money.

Vercingetorix · Feb 1, 2021

Vercingetorix
Here is how to win sometimes on eBay.
1. Set up at least two separate accounts.
2. Get sniping software
3. Search endlessly for what you want
4. Place bid with one of your accounts to about 1/2 to 2/3 of what you think the item will end at
5. Use second account and place at least 10 or 20 bids each with the smallest bid increment eBay allows or 10 or 20
bids to get close to the 1/2 price bid you have chosen earlier. This helps increase the price to prevent the the
seller from ending the auction early and paying lower eBay fees when they get an unsolicited offer. Also makes
seller think there is a lot of interest in the item he is selling.
6. Set snipe bid to end in the last 10 seconds or so with the maximum you are willing to pay.
7. Cross fingers and hope for the best.
8. Modify as necessary, applies mostly to auctions starting at low money.

Sniping only prevents idiot bidders who decide their maximum bid is not really their maximum and decide to increase their bid price, because they have time to think about it. Placing maximum bid in the last few second eliminates their second guessing by not giving them enough time to respond. That is all sniping does. If somebody outbids you, it does matter if they placed their bid in the first second or last, they have outbid you.

sgrossma · Feb 1, 2021

Most of the action happens during the last 5 minutes of an ebay auction. You don't need software. Just be fast and think of your highest price ahead of time.

Awetaylor · Feb 1, 2021

What a wealth of knowledge, I hope you all know that I am still reading all this new content that comes up

How do you beat the middlemen/flippers on eBay?

Willbur

vlaspri

gbesq

OllieOnTheRocks

Willbur

Wryfox

Wlcutter

Willbur

Wryfox

redpcar

Vercingetorix

Vercingetorix

sgrossma

Awetaylor

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