Question from an Ebay novice

I’ve just bid on my first item ever on Ebay (yeah, yeah, I know, where have I been the last five years?). The item in question is a book on local history, which probably has a very limited appeal. After 2 days, I’m still the only bidder.

My question is: is this likely to hold up? Is it common for some products to go with only one bid? Or should I brace myself for people coming in at the last minute and sniping? I ask because I’m planning on giving this book as a present for my Dad, and if there’s a chance that I might not get it, I’d rather think of another present to get him now, rather than 5 days from now. Thanks.

Yes, it’s very possible that you could be outbid. It just depends how many people want the item. It’s very common for bids to come in on the last day of the auction, and even at the last minute of the auction. Good luck.

Blowero is right, there is a good chance people will bid at the last minute because a lot of people list the auctions by date, with the soonest closing date first.

The only way I’ve heard to avoid being sniped is to bid the absolute maximum amount of money you’re willing to spend. That way, even if you are sniped, the only way you’re going to lose is if they bid higher than your bid, and evidently you didn’t want to go that high anyway.

You can also put the item on a watch, meaning you will be contacted if someone else bids on the item. Stay close to your computer as it nears the closing date, if you want the item badly enough.

Good luck!

Many auctions have a counter on the screen. If this one does you can see how many other people have viewed the auction. If the views are you then you’re probably pretty safe.

You can always lose an auction.

IME, book buyers tend not to be the snipey type. Of course I’ve never bought anything really rare or anything, but still.

Yeah, you never know. But you can also buy used books from amazon.com Did you know that?

I found a lot of books there pretty cheap.

Half.com is good to use to compare with ebay Seller’s prices. Also see the Bookfinder web site. Good luck!

As DooWahDiddy suggested, just figure out what the maximum bid you feel comfortable with is, and place it. If someone outbids you, well, they just were willing to go higher. Can’t fault them for that.

Also, as others have suggested, you may want to check other sources to determine what you could get the book for elsewhere. That should help you decide what your max bid should be. www.abebooks.com is a good resource.