Ebay bidders - what are you thinking?

[mwbosoxfan]

If you think the value of an item is $50.00 and no more, why not just bid $50.00 the first day of the auction and see if you win? If the item goes for more, o'well the next guy may have overpaid.

I would prefer to wait until the end of the auction to place my max bid. If I place it up front (like many have learned from experience) many times there will be someone who will bid 20 times in increments of $2-5 at a time until they reach the high bid. If you get a couple of bidders going at it, well, good for the seller because they'll drive it well past potential market value. This strategy typically applies to items with not much interest, because items with lots of interest may well exceed what my max bid might well before the auction end. The bidder types who bid in small increments will typically put in a low bid to begin with. If you leave the bid alone until the end, you have a chance for the best deal.

[34swtns]

If you REALLY want an item, sniping is the best way to go.

Only amateurs keep bidding over and over, dinking and dunking money out of their own pockets, for a solid week. Ridiculous.

[Vintagedeputy]

Sniping is AWESOME........and some services are free for a good long while.