Is it like a thing when auctions are always rigged and AT BEST, you only make 2 dollars difference of the cheapest BIN price now?
there's even cases when the auction price ends EVEN HIGHER!
Is it not obvious that with Buy-It-Now you are paying for the immediacy of not having to deal with an auction? Time is money and buy-it-nows are usually priced taking that into consideration. Of course there are always ridiculous sellers who put prices they'll never get, but on the bright side they have to pay to keep those annoying listings up.
There's a lot of rigged shit on ebay.
Auctions go for anything especially auctions under $50.
If you're trying to save money on like a $20 dollar tops game than you're pretty jew to begin with so ebay should be like a second home for ya.
>>2852475
that's is a weak justification if you ask me, seems like Ebay system is shitty to begin with auctions.
>>2852665
Ebay's auction system is pretty good. It's their store and BiN policies that fuck everything up.
>>2852675
Hey, if you can't afford it, don't move toward it.
I don't use eBay much now, but it wasn't uncommon for auctions to end higher than BiN prices in the same or better condition. The only justification I could come up with was that eBay was riddled with idiots. This theory also holds true for the crazy BiN prices you tend to see. We used to just laugh at them, but now and again people would actually come along and pay that kind of money. I've been stung a few times, but it's hardly ever possible to prove things. Most of the time it comes down to one or two crazies who bid significantly higher than something is worth.
I remember one time there were two listings for a particularly rare item ending on the same day. I was keeping an eye on both, but figured there would be a higher demand for the second when the first ended. I made a generous bid on the first item and ended up paying my max bid (~$120) after four people all bid slightly less. Was hoping to get it for less, but that was that. Later on the second listing came close to ending and I was expecting the price to shoot up at the last second like the first one did, only it didn't. No bidding war and none of the bidders from the first listing in sight. Ended up going for $20. They typically go for considerably more than I paid, so I still think I got a good deal. I just ended up feeling a bit mindfucked by the same thing going for $20 an hour later.
So yeah, eBay is basically a loser's game for everyone involved.
>>2852713
"So yeah, eBay is basically a loser's game for everyone involved."
^This is the best quote ever, about eBay. It's even shitty as a seller. You HAVE to give free shipping to be competitive. There's no money on the front end or the back end, anymore.
>>2853594
you also have to give free ship to avoid getting your account restricted due to poorfags who think they should only pay $5 to ship an Xbox
the reason you see wild fluctuation in closing prices is due to demand at a given moment (e.g. how many buyers and how much money do they have), and sometimes auctions will drive up the price artificially due to people competing.
ex: cart valued at 15, ends at 27 because two idiots got into a bid war
ex: cart valued at 15, BIN sells for 30 because idiot with too much money wanted the game right away and was willing to pay more
etc etc
>auction for a really cool game
>one bid already
>7 days left
>three hours later
>another bid
Is everyone mentally retarded?
>>2853909
The person holding the auction can end it anytime they want retard.
ITT: People who don't understand eBay
The guy who said eBay is riddled with idiots is exactly right and if you don't understand how to theoretically take advantage of it but buy shit anyway you're one of them.
Basically these days with what a HUGE chunk eBay takes of final value on extremely popular categories like games the only way you can find a deal is by watching for idiot sellers like a hawk and when it comes to retro games there are a lot of other hawks circling with you.
I basically don't even buy retro games anymore on eBay so I'll actually give you some pointers.
>Set up alerts for underpriced buy-it-nows or better yet use monitoring software that can alert you
>Watch for items that are listed in the wrong category
>Learn to search for items that are located near you to avoid paying shipping especially on heavy things like monitors and arcade equipment
>Learn to snipe
Theres a lot of retards on eBay who fall into the "I have to win" trap.
I was looking for a Megaman X2 (my favorite one, only had X1 and X3 as a kid) and was bidding on an auction. The auction went to something insanely high at the end, like 150 bucks.
I turned around, and bought the 90 dollar buy it now literally seconds after the auction ended.
You can win auctions but I'm sure its almost entirely from smaller sellers. Bigger sellers get better exposure from eBay. The small guy who's auctioning off his collection is where you'll get deals.
I think the thing with auctions that everyone just needs to realize is you need to be prepared to lose. I lost a shitload of auctions for games I wanted, but there will always be another one. You'll win eventually, and probably at a price that you're comfortable with.
Buying lots is also a great way to get stuff you want and add to your trading pool or reselling pool. Most of my best purchases were lots of games that had maybe 1 or 2 I really wanted, then I just bundled the rest of the stuff up and sold it for what I paid, getting me the games I really wanted for free.
Just saw Ecco the Dolphin 2 PAL Mega Sega CD go for $163.
I don't know what to say. Why the fuck do people bid several days before the dead line?
>>2854163
Whenever I see an auction I'm interested in, I just put in the max I'm willing to pay, and then forget it exists.
It doesn't matter -when- you bid.
If you think an auction with 0 bids has no interest and you can snipe it at the last 10 seconds think again, because people have had programs that bid like that since fucking like 2000. I've seen so many 0 bid auctions at 99 cents go up to over 50 or 60 dollars in the last 10 seconds,
An auction for something popular will only slip through the cracks if you get insanely lucky. A mislabeled category, a miss spelled name, putting it up for a short period, etc. General seller idiocy is how that stuff happens.
>>2854175
In theory, yes, bid what you want to pay and walk away. And, in most cases, I'd imagine that is just as effective as any other strategy.
However, there are people who are more likely to bid and/or are more likely to bid higher if they see other people bidding more/higher. These types of people probably consist of low-information buyers and those who are prone to following the crowd and hopping on the latest trends for the sake of going with the group. Even for people who aren't like that seeing a bid on what appears to be a junk lot of games might encourage them to investigate further to see if there is a gem amongst the shit.
>>2854212
If a dumbass bids you're already doomed to fail on the auction.
There is something wrong with Ebays searches. I recently was looking to pick up an anime dvd goes for 90$+ on amazon, and had the same ridiculous levels on eBay, except there were a few listings that were hard to find where I managed to buy-it-now for 19$.
Also found an auction for all 5 gameboy mega mans for significantly cheaper than they go for individually. No bids, ended in 6 hours. Dropped the minimum bid and won because for the life of me I couldn't find the listing searching for the damn thing after I stumbled on to it.
>>2854135
Sniping works only in rare circumstances.
The only time it works is if you're bidding against absolutely raging idiots who don't either snipe themselves or enter a true max bid.
>>2854283
you can show/hide listings as a seller if I recall. Also, i've seen stuff be dropped on 24hr BIN unusually low. Sometimes people just need money or to move product.
>>2854283
>I recently was looking to pick up an anime dvd goes for 90$+ on amazon, and had the same ridiculous levels on eBay, except there were a few listings that were hard to find where I managed to buy-it-now for 19$.
I think you do run into situations where the actual market price is fairly low, but due to apparent scarcity (as in, there are no other listings at the moment nor recent historical listings) and lack of competition, people ask way too fucking much as a BiN and just sit on it. It just takes a seller smart enough/ballsy enough to list it with an actual fair price. The problem is for people who only check ebay or amazon for their pricing all they see are inflated "let's throw out this turd and see who picks it up" listings and think that is a fair going rate. The sad part is, I'd bet there will eventually be someone who will come in and buy one for the fake high price, thereby helping to legitimize said pricing.
>>2854163
>getting mad at people bidding like normal human beings instead of sneaky fucks
>>2855382
I sell on ebay can confirm you are correct people really do pay pay stupid amounts for some items.
>>2854163
People who have jobs where they can't use their phones.
Not everyone is a neet who can snipe auctions 24/7
>>2856097
The point
.
.
.
.
Your head
>>2854158
>You can win auctions but I'm sure its almost entirely from smaller sellers.
I've gotten a ton of good deals doing this. Awhile back I managed to get a CIB American copy of Street Fighter Alpha 2 on the Saturn for $10 because the guy was just a small seller getting rid of his collection.
>>2856097
>thinks sniping implies doing it manually
>>2856078
Yeah, you get buyers who don't know what the fuck they're doing or think "sure it is overpriced, but it is the only game I'm buying this month so why not pay $100 for something worth $30 lol."
>>2855356
I always snipe. It never failed me.
You just have to find the right auction.
Of course it's not gonna work for really popular items, though.
>>2855356
>>2858246
Sniping ALWAYS works. It's not some magic tool that lets people steal other people's items the way people who get sniped think it is. All it does is remove the competitive bidding element. Snipers know their actual maximum amount they're willing to spend and that's what they bid. No self-deluding psychological games of "oooh I'm gonna get it so cheap" and no agro "Fuck that guy for bidding against me I'm going to win no matter what!"Also protects from actual literal shills not that 4chan even knows what those are
>>2852404
That's how auctions work dipshit.
Also if the games are cheaper now then when they were first available, I don't think anyone has any grounds to bitch about prices.
