# Ebay URGENT advice needed



## Anonymous (11 Sep 2004)

I am an ebay virgin and don't like it at all - hence I don't know how to use it!!!

However, there is an item (not wood related) that I desperately wish to purchase and it is quite expensive.

*What can I do to win it?*

I believe automatic bidding tools are availalble? If so how does one use 'em?

Are there any tips from you regulars? (philly?)

I have 18 hours left and it 9.30pm on Saturday 11 sept.


----------



## Anonymous (11 Sep 2004)

What i normally do is wait until the last 2 mins of the auction and put in a bid, auto bid is ok but you still gotta watch :lol: also most people bid in even numbers (eg £1) so i always bid £1.01 that penny could win it for you. Ebay is ok but when you look at an item look for the link for the sellers feedback to see if he or she is a good seller ( not too many - feedback ) i always avoid anyone with a 0 feedback. The auto bid works like this an item starts at say £1 so you know it's worth at least £12 so you place a bid for £10 . The price does not go straight to £10 until someone else starts bidding against you and then it goes up in increments until you win the item or are outbid. sorry if this is as clear as mud :lol:


----------



## thomaskennedy (11 Sep 2004)

Hi Tony,

When i buy things off ebay, i tend to put my max. bid in (does it automatically when you click place a bid) and then when it gets to the last hour or so i keep my eye on it and if it goes a "little" over my max price i tend to put another bid in!

'tis very exciting for the first time (well i found anyway  )

Ta

Tom


----------



## DaveL (11 Sep 2004)

Hi Tony,

I have bought a few (~12) things from Ebay. 

My first advice is know what it worth, not trying to teach you to suck eggs but its quite easy to get carried away. Be sure that what your bidding on is what you think you are getting. I bought a 24" rule for my combination square, its OK but the markings are only printed on not eched, nothing I can do as the listing did not say they were eched just that I have 3 squares, all of which have eched 12" rules.
Decide your absolute maximin bid.
Then auto bidding is very simple, you place a bid, but instead of just out bidding the current high bid you stick in the maximin you are prepared to go to. Ebay will then advance your bid by the allowed minimum increment each time you are out bid. Result is you ether get the goods or someone pays more than you want too for them.

Tip put in an odd value eg not £5 but £5.12 as lots of bids are for £5 or £10 pound values, if you have bid £5.12 and you are winning at £4 and someone bids £5 you will still win.


----------



## Anonymous (11 Sep 2004)

It's worth getting something called a sniper. The one I use can be found here:

http://www.lastminutebidder.com/

Basically you find an item that you are interested in, define it in the sniper, define your maximum price, tell it when to bid (for example, 30 seconds before the auction closes), and then let it do its thing.

That way people who might want to outbid you don't have a chance because the auction closes before they can click on the buttons.

The only problem is that they might also be using a sniper, in which case presumably the one with the highest sniping bid wins the princess.

Andrew


----------



## woodshavings (11 Sep 2004)

Apologies for sucking eggs but also look at the shipping costs when deciding your max bid. Sometimes these are very high compared to the value of the item. Also, I agree with Davel about making your bid an odd value. I usually add £0.01 to my bid value.
John


----------



## Aragorn (11 Sep 2004)

Well Tony - Ebay virgin here too - but if everyone else is adding £0.01 to their bid, I'd add £0.03 to mine just to be sure!!


----------



## Mdotflorida (11 Sep 2004)

Hi Tony

Sniping and watching the last minute bidding is all very well but just bidding that extra £5 because you've just been outbid is a recipe for paying more than the item is worth to you.

Deciding on your maximum price and then posting it at the last minute is a bit irrelevant. If it really is your top bid then post it and let Ebay bid up to it. The way Ebay works is that it will only use enough of your bid to keep you ahead. If someone else is willing to pay more then so be it.

I very rarely re-bid on an item. I work out what I am willing to pay including postage and bid it. Then see what happens.

For a new item, I usually bid a maximum of 70% of the price I can buy it from a retailer. I figure this saving justifies the risks and possible guarantee problems etc.

Jeff


----------



## tx2man (12 Sep 2004)

Yo ho ho Tony, :roll: 

1, Check them there feedback scores/comments afore ye sail

2, Check the scurrilous cargo costs

3, Cast yer one eye over thee description maps, and send a
cabin boy round with any questions
4, Stand firm,man!,with yer max. bag o' shillings

5, Rest ye weary sea legs and wait for the cabin boy
to return with a message of woe or good tidings

Aye,aye Cap'n TX


----------



## DaveL (12 Sep 2004)

TX2man,

Have you *stopped* taking the dried frog pills again, you _know_ what happens :shock: :wink:


----------



## Anonymous (12 Sep 2004)

Mdotflorida":h3sz6a0g said:


> Deciding on your maximum price and then posting it at the last minute is a bit irrelevant. If it really is your top bid then post it and let Ebay bid up to it. The way Ebay works is that it will only use enough of your bid to keep you ahead. If someone else is willing to pay more then so be it



I disagree. Setting your maximum bid is good - but why tell others what your max bid is ahead of time?

Let's say you see something which normally costs £30 in the shops. It's advertised as new, you decide you don't want to pay more than £20 on ebay.

Using your method you post your £20 bid 3 days before the auction ends. Now there happens to be someone else out there who is willing to pay £20, and they are using a sniper. They see your bid and think "what the heck", and put their max bid for the sniper at £20.51. You lose.

However, by keeping quiet and giving the item no apparent interest (no-one seems to be bidding high on this item), that other guy might decide he's safe with his top bid of £20, and wouldn't think to go above it.

I've sold a few hundred things on ebay (privately - my dinky car collection that I've had since childhood). I have noted that the ones that win the bids tend to be those that bid in the last minute of the auction, I imagine using a sniper. Those people also give the appearance of being in business rather than casual.

One other thing whilst I'm about it, which is relevant to these forums. Very often new things are sold at a higher price than you could buy them for directly elsewhere. I imagine people get a bug about using ebay and feel committed to purchase. For example:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 17091&rd=1

Delivery: £6.50 each

Watch that go up in price. The final bid may well exceed this:

http://www.axminster.co.uk/default.asp?part=BJ50

Delivery: Free over £30

Andrew


----------



## Anonymous (12 Sep 2004)

Thanks for the quick advice guys

My only real problem is the age. I am bidding for an item that cost £2K nine years ago but doesn't really wear and should perform as good as new. How do you quantify age v price when the thing is unlikely to wear? 

Currently it is at £330ish and I am happy to go a long way above this.

The reserve is not met yet which worries me as I don't know what it is :evil: THIS is why I don't use ebay

Ohh, I've been after one for several years and they are the preverbial rocking horse droppings unless you have deep pockets 

I can't purchase a sniper in time and so will take Aragorns sage advice 

P&P are not an issue as it is too big to post!!!!


----------



## Anonymous (12 Sep 2004)

Another question

What happens if no one reaches the reserve price?


----------



## Mdotflorida (12 Sep 2004)

HandyMac":1o6jt6qk said:


> I disagree. Setting your maximum bid is good - but why tell others what your max bid is ahead of time?
> 
> 
> Andrew



Hi Andrew

How do you do this ? The only way someone else knows what your maximum bid is, is to exceed it.

Using your analogy of bidding my max of £20 3 days before the end. It is only going to display £20 if the previous high bid was £19.50 (or whatever the bid differential is in that price range). Even then a sniper seeing £20 does not know whether that is your high bid. 

Tony if the item does not meet its reserve there is no obligation for the seller to sell the item. Similarly if they offer to sell under the reserve and you have changed your mind, there is no obligation on your part to buy. The auction will tell you when the reserve has been met.

Jeff


----------



## Anonymous (12 Sep 2004)

Tony":2yp1iz9j said:


> I can't purchase a sniper in time and so will take Aragorns sage advice



I'm a bit mystified by that statement. The Paragon sniper to which I refer is purchased online. As soon as your credit card has been debitted you are provided with an instant download link.



Mdotflorida":2yp1iz9j said:


> How do you do this ? The only way someone else knows what your maximum bid is, is to exceed it



Exactly. You are giving them 3 days to try and get to beat your £20.

I understand that if 2 people submit the same maximum bid then the first one takes precedence.

It's a bit like playing poker (not that I play poker, but you get my drift ). You keep your hand hidden until you strike.

One other possible useful piece of advice - setting a max bid of a round number like £20 isn't ideal. Set something like £20.51, that way if you go 50p over your maximum limit you can probably live with it. But if you loose out on £20 because someone else had set £20.01 you'd never know whether they just hit their max limit.

I know setting to bid slightly higher than your maximum limit sounds daft but you can feel a bit gutted when you lose something you really wanted when someone else gets it for what you believed was your top limit, and many times you'll go just beyond - and feel better if that other buyer has a sizably bigger top limit than you.

One other thing I've just thought of here.....

It isn't unknown for sellers to bid against their own item to force up the price, by setting up a phantom ebay account. They won't do that in the dying seconds of an auction because they don't have time to delete the bid and clearly don't want to win it themselves. But give them some time (and 3 days is a very long time!) and you'd be surprised at how your bid always gets up to your stated maximum!

Sellers can't see your maximum either. But they can bid against it to force you to your limit - and then delete their phantom bid.

Andrew


----------



## Mdotflorida (12 Sep 2004)

Hi Andrew

I pretty much understand your logic but I guess it all depends on whether your maximum is really your maximum or you are prepared to go a couple of quid extra to secure it.

Tony

One thing I would emphasise (I think TX said it in piratese !!), is that this sounds like a pretty expensive item so make sure you check out the seller as much as possible. Definitely be wary if they have negatives or a low rating. 

Jeff


----------



## Guest (12 Sep 2004)

Andrew
I don't think it is possible to retract a bid. I once bid on an item then bought a better one.My maximum bid was £100 and I tried all ways to retract without success.Luckily someone bid higher so I wasn't left wit two dust extractors


----------



## Anonymous (12 Sep 2004)

It's over

I bid for a 10" deep space astonomical telescope. I've wanted one for about 6 years and made do with a smaller one which is great for planets but not galaxies and nebulae.

These don't come along secondhand very often and it went for £510 - £2k new

I was the top bidder at £500 until last 10 seconds and then I tried to put insurance and raised mine to £550 just in case. Someone bid £510 (I think a sniper) as I was raising mine and the system would not accept my bid

Lost it and I am gutted - no devastated ( I couldn't sleep last night I was so excited  )

I now hate ebay even more than before I used it :twisted: A dutch auction - mrs T thinks that it should be made illegal


----------



## Mdotflorida (12 Sep 2004)

Really sorry you missed out Tony.  

That was what I was trying to say. If you had bid your max of £550 it would have been under Ebay control. With 10 seconds to go it would still have shown £500 and the sniper would still have had no idea about your top bid. A good snipe is done just in time so there is not much chance for a retry if it fails. 

Commiserations M8, hope something similar comes up again soon.

jeff


----------



## woodshavings (12 Sep 2004)

Thats really tough Tony ... I am sure you will keep looking though.


----------



## tx2man (12 Sep 2004)

Bad Luck Tony,  
I know how you feel, but generally another one
comes along.  

TX ,who put so much into the pirate day,ONE WEEK EARLY


----------



## Anonymous (12 Sep 2004)

jaymar":txtpqh14 said:


> I don't think it is possible to retract a bid. I once bid on an item then bought a better one.My maximum bid was £100 and I tried all ways to retract without success.Luckily someone bid higher so I wasn't left wit two dust extractors



I know I've retracted a bid before now. It's not easy or straightforward, it never is where ebay is concerned. But it's buried somewhere in the hideous page links they have if I remember rightly.

As for losing the bid, a sniper might have got the item if the top whack bid had been set to £550. Then again it might not have if someone else had set that maximum. But declaring an intent of £500 ahead of time set a precedent for someone else to have a go at I expect. I know when I see prior bids on an item it gives me a yardstick to aim for.

Andrew


----------



## Adam (13 Sep 2004)

I think you have to either accept that you A) put your maximum bid in to start with, or B)start using an auto-bidder yourself.

It's no good being frustrated with ebay unfortunately, as you were hoping to win at a bid price which wasn't your absolute maximum. Had it got for £560, you could confidently say that was over your limit, as it was, someone won with a £510 bid on your at-the-time max bid of £500. 

It took a long time for me to come around to this slightly more relaxed view, I lost about 5 auctions on the trot to autobidders, and got very frustrated, but in the end, decided I'd just bid my absolute upper limit and see how it went. Over time, I calmed down, ebay seem happy to turn a blind eye to auto-bidding so you just have to work within the system...

Adam


----------



## woodshavings (13 Sep 2004)

I dont really see how the sniper programs help - if you bid your real top limit then the eBay auto bid will ensure your bid is incremented by the minimum amount to beat any rival bid until your limit is reached. 

Like Adam, I am more relaxed about it, place my real top bid, and then forget about it until its over  

John


----------



## Anonymous (13 Sep 2004)

Adam, John

Good advice. I would have happily spent £600 and tried to raise my bid a little too late. The scope sat at £330 until the last few minutes and I thought £500 would get it.

I tried ebay once fora specific item that I wanted, didn't like it and won't bother again. This type of bidding is not for me and you could easily spend more than you intended.

One of my pet hates is not knowing the exact price. When in a shop, if the price is not displayed on the goods or shelf (inviting you to ask the sales person!) I don't buy the item and walk out


----------



## Adam (13 Sep 2004)

Tony":1b62b21v said:


> Adam, John
> 
> Good advice. I would have happily spent £600 and tried to raise my bid a little too late. The scope sat at £330 until the last few minutes and I thought £500 would get it.
> 
> ...



You sound like you should be bidding maximum amounts, and then not looking at the auction until after it finishes. That way, you don't get the stress!

Adam


----------



## Anonymous (13 Sep 2004)

woodshavings":5vi4u5gm said:


> I dont really see how the sniper programs help - if you bid your real top limit then the eBay auto bid will ensure your bid is incremented by the minimum amount to beat any rival bid until your limit is reached


With a sniper you aren't telling others that you are interested in the goods ahead of time. They might think they are gonna win it with their sniper program.

Each to his own etc, but I've found my sniper is good at winning me bids.

Only thing is that the sniper runs as a program on your PC, and if your PC is switched off when the auction ends it can't place a bid. I leave my PC's on 24x7 so it's not a problem.

Andrew


----------



## woodshavings (13 Sep 2004)

Thanks Andrew - I understand your reasoning if you don't wish your interest to be seen by others. As you say, each to his own ! 8) 
I found little logic to the behaviour of some bidders - many way over the purchase price new! Nevertheless manged to pick up a REcord Combination plane for about £22 the other month, well pleased  
Cheers,
John


----------



## tx2man (14 Sep 2004)

I agree with Adam,
except that i don't bid my maximum, i just bid what i'd like to pay,
wait for the email and que sera,sera. I win about 40% of what i bid 
for and it's nice and relaxed. As i've said before another one generally
comes up anyway  

TX


----------



## Anonymous (14 Sep 2004)

As a final note to this sorry story, I have, as I said earlier, turned my back on ebay. I like to know the price! Engineers and their love of precision eh?

I have found a dealer with an equivalent, re-conditioned ex-demo telescope of much higher quality and from a more highly esteemed manufacturer than the one I bidded for, and have now ordered it. I know the price up front and although it is a little higher than I had hoped, I sold a laptop computer last night which sorted that very nicely 

Arrives tomorrow :wink: 

Thanks for all the help, much appreciated


----------



## Adam (14 Sep 2004)

Tony":l3h1yfly said:


> As a final note to this sorry story, I have, as I said earlier, turned my back on ebay. I like to know the price! Engineers and their love of precision eh?
> 
> I have found a dealer with an equivalent, re-conditioned ex-demo telescope of much higher quality and from a more highly esteemed manufacturer than the one I bidded for, and have now ordered it. I know the price up front and although it is a little higher than I had hoped, I sold a laptop computer last night which sorted that very nicely
> 
> ...



I have to say, the bids I lot out on repeatedly were for bullnose planes, i always bidded to £45, then having lost a few, decided I'd bid £48 from then on..., and still repeatadly lost by a few pennies. In the end, Ray Iles had one for £50. Always worth having a check around, 'cos on anything that is sold by dealers S/H, the price often reaches a similar point.


----------



## morrisminordriver (14 Sep 2004)

Does anyone else play "Fantasy Ebay"...?
What you do is look at the newly listed tools that no-one has yet bid on, select those tools that you'd dearly love to own - like the Norris smoother, the bright shiny pair of Disston saws, the complkete Record multiplane shining and oiled in its orginal box, the Record compass plane etc etc... then you place a bid - £5 or £10 - you get that lovely e-mail back saying you are the highest bidder, then you fantasize that no-one else will see the item and in 7 days or so you'll get an e-mail confirming you are the wiinner.
Well, that bits a fantasy too as it doesnt (or hasnt yet) happened, but its good fun doing it!.
Regards, MMD.


----------



## tx2man (15 Sep 2004)

No MMD,
but i do play fantasy woodworker, ie i go in my workshop,
look at the tools and fantasize that in a couple of hours i'll
have made a stunning piece of furniture  

TX


----------



## Martin (15 Sep 2004)

txman":bplr9hu7 said:


> but i do play fantasy woodworker, ie i go in my workshop,
> look at the tools and fantasize that in a couple of hours i'll
> have made a stunning piece of furniture



:lol: :lol: Nice one txman. :lol: :lol:


----------



## Alf (15 Sep 2004)

tx2man":29p21lkm said:


> but i do play fantasy woodworker, ie i go in my workshop,
> look at the tools and fantasize that in a couple of hours i'll
> have made a stunning piece of furniture


Excellent one :lol:


----------



## Mdotflorida (15 Sep 2004)

Would you believe it.

After passing on the wisdom of my Ebay experiences, I looks like I have become the victim of an Ebay fraud.  

Won an item last week (£55) from a trader with 100+ good feedback and paid immediately using Paypal electronic payment. Still no goods today so had another look at the auction and discovered that the trader is no longer a registered user, all their auctions have finished early and they suddenly have a string of negative feedbacks from people who have not had their goods delivered.

One poor bloke has paid £499 for a dewalt saw he's now not going to receive.


----------



## Noel (15 Sep 2004)

Is the contract with Ebay or the vendor? Can you let us know who it is?

Rgds

Noel


----------



## woodshavings (15 Sep 2004)

Thats bad but if the seller had a 100 + good feedback, then you should be covered by the PayPal Buyer protection. I think this is upto a £250 transaction.
Please keep us updated on how you get on
Cheers
John


----------



## Adam (16 Sep 2004)

Isn't it to protect you in that exact situation that Paypal should be used?

Adam


----------



## Mdotflorida (16 Sep 2004)

It does look like I can file a claim with paypal and get most if not all my money refunded. I will let the forum know what happens.

Looking at their recent feedback, they have failed to deliver on about £1500 of items. Of course there may be many more because you can't leave feedback after the user has de-registered.

Jeff


----------



## mudman (16 Sep 2004)

How does it work if you pay the Paypal money using a credit card?
Does the credit card company become liable for the debt and not you?


----------



## Anonymous (16 Sep 2004)

AARRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG

I don't believe it!!

I just received a message about the telescope I lost on ebay.

' still interested in buying the item because is still available. The winner of the auction listed on eBay is involved in some fraud activities and is not safe to finish the deal with him.'

Of course, I have bought another one since then :evil: :evil: :evil: 

Typical :roll: 

Of course, I hate ebay even more now :wink:


----------



## woodshavings (16 Sep 2004)

I really don't believe it :roll: That's rubbing salt into it !!
John


----------



## Alf (16 Sep 2004)

Tony,

That stinks. :x At least I'm reminded all over again why I don't use the 'Bay. :roll: 

Cheers, Alf


----------



## Bean (16 Sep 2004)

Tony thats appalling !!



Bean


----------



## Mdotflorida (16 Sep 2004)

Sorry guys I have to disagree. There is nothing wrong with Ebay in my opinion. I have dealt with dozens of traders on Ebay over the years and this is my first bad experience. Even now having been ripped off for £55 + £10 P&P (which hopefully I will be able to recover) I will continue to use it if there's something of interest and it saves me money. Like so many things, Ebay gets a bad rep from a small minority of bad individuals.

The seller of the the telescope has acted perfectly honestly. He would have sold to the highest bidder if that person wasn't suspect. Offering it to Tony is a good will gesture only spoilt by the fact that Tony has already purchased another.

Jeff


----------



## tx2man (17 Sep 2004)

Tony,
Unbelievable :!: 

TX

Hamlet cigar anyone?


----------



## Midnight (17 Sep 2004)

> That stinks. At least I'm reminded all over again why I don't use the 'Bay.



that makes two of us...

Tony, Mdot... my condolences..


----------



## Guest (17 Sep 2004)

When I have bid on ebay I always email the seller to say that mine is a genuine bid and I will pay CASH on collection.If the item is too far away for me to collect I just don't bid. At least you have the chance of a bargain without being ripped off.This of course only applies to expensive items as cheap ones don't work out cheap when postage is added.


----------



## tx2man (19 Sep 2004)

Aaaaarrrrrrr shipmates,
I be digressin' but me one good eye 'as just spotted on 
the ebay horizon, a hearty 'RDX600i' dusty vessel, 5 years young,
bein' bawt for same pieces of eight that any scurvy dog can
get it this day, new :shock: :roll: :? 

Well shiver me 2x4's

aye,aye cap'n

Two eyed TX


----------



## Aragorn (19 Sep 2004)

Tx - you're worryingly good at this Capt'n Bluebeard thing. Are you sure you're a cabbie?
Does your cab have any kind of flag attached? Black? Skull? A femur or two?
:wink:


----------



## Anonymous (19 Sep 2004)

Hi all

Not sure if anyone is interested but here is the 'scope I finally got. 

It is a Meade LXD55 10" Schmidt-Newtonian with motorised Autostar (30,000+ objects) RA and Dec tracking. Makes my old 4 1/2" Meade look tiny and is very, very heavy :shock: 

I am modifying a couple of webcams to allow me to dabble in deep space astro-photography and hope to add a section to 'Tony's Jig site' with asronomical picture in a while.


----------



## Alf (19 Sep 2004)

Avast there, me 'andsome. 'Tis a fine bring-'em-near and that's no error. Very, er, telescope-y... Just remember to use the eye _without_ the patch eh? :wink: 

Okay, so I know nothing whatsoever, but it sounds dead impressive  (Yarrr*)

Cheers, Alf

<*_Hell's teeth, what possessed me to start in on this? A little light keel hauling would be less stressful_...>


----------



## tx2man (19 Sep 2004)

A thing o' grandness indeed  

An' it t'would make a fine drum sander :lol: 

Two eyed TX

PS Mister Aragorn Sir, 
O'course, the slang for press gangin' a landlubber aboard 
my black vessel on the vast seas of old'London Town be
'Dropping the flag'


----------



## Anonymous (19 Sep 2004)

Tony i have the meade lx90 good piece of kit. Being sold soon, i shall miss it but plan to get another when i eventually get to OZ bleedin paperwork takin ages though.

Opps 4got about pirate talk

Gaarrrrrrrr me artys i be settin sale orf to tha land beneath us as soon as those desk pirates be sharpenin thier quills, been many moons since me scrolls went orf to the landlubbers. the eyeglass has to go they dont take to sea very well :lol:


----------



## Anonymous (19 Sep 2004)

tx2man":2qhwace6 said:


> An' it t'would make a fine drum sander :lol:



:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## Alf (20 Sep 2004)

anobium punctatum":17s7febk said:


> when i eventually get to OZ bleedin paperwork takin ages though.


I thought they'd stopped transportation these days?Or is Dartmoor full...? :wink: :lol: 

A'duckin' and a'runnin', Alf


----------



## Anonymous (20 Sep 2004)

Hmmm, interesting comments in this thread. I've been using eBay for years now both as a buyer and as a seller and if you take sensible precautions there should be no problems buying, even from suspect sellers. The most obvious one is to use a credit card to pay for your items and you're immediately covered by the credit card company's protection and anti-fraud programmes. As a seller I NEVER send goods until payment is received, and if it's by personal cheque it has to clear before despatch.

I have only ever had one problem, a lost sale (which could be the same as the telescope experience in here). A 'fake' buyer bid on one of my items and won, but they didn't exist. Ever since then I automatically cancel all bids from buyers with zero ratings unless they email me first. Anyway, the second highest bidder got a 'second chance' offer from me and they bought the item after I explained what had happened.

eBay is just like any other auction really, except in live auctions the bidding stops when there are no more bids rather than at a predetermined time. Reserves aren't disclosed in live auctions, either, but if you're a high bidder at a live auction you may still be offered a deal with the seller if the reserve isn't reached (quite legal). As for last second bidding - get broadband. I have placed bids in the last 5 to 10 seconds of an auction and won. In fact I usually place my final bid in the last 15 seconds if needed. I keep two windows open - one to watch the bidding, being continuously refreshed, and one with my bid ready to go. Has worked every time so far.

I also sell books on Amazon..........


----------



## Anonymous (20 Sep 2004)

Alf it was either cornwall or australia i decided on australia less corrosive atmosphere so no rust to clean off the tools. Thats the reason you stay in cornwall isn't it :lol: :lol:


----------



## Bean (20 Sep 2004)

anobium punctatum I think its because the pixies have closed the taymar bridge :wink: 

Bean


----------



## Anonymous (20 Sep 2004)

Bean your right about the pixies you can go up the A30 to avoid them but i thought 2 pasties and a cream tea was too high a fee to move to cornwall & someone told me the ark builders there charge a fortune in the rainy season possible to fund their rust collection :lol: .


----------



## Alf (21 Sep 2004)

> pixies


pi*sk*ies*, if you must :roll: Spelling came very late to the Cornish. In some parts it hasn't even arrived _yet_...

Cheers, Alf

*Fascinatingly Google asked me if I meant "pasties" - close, but no pastry-shape filled with beef, swede, potato and onion, Mr Google.


----------



## Mdotflorida (30 Sep 2004)

Mdotflorida":2sada9me said:


> Would you believe it.
> 
> After passing on the wisdom of my Ebay experiences, I looks like I have become the victim of an Ebay fraud.
> 
> ...



Just to conclude this story, I have today received a full refund (including P&P) from Paypal.

All's well in the end and I have made several purchases since with no trouble at all.

Jeff


----------



## Alf (30 Sep 2004)

Jeff,

Thanks for the update. Glad it worked out okay.  

Cheers, Alf


----------



## Newbie_Neil (30 Sep 2004)

Hi Jeff

Glad that everything's ok now.

Cheers
Neil


----------

