Have you LOST any auctions lately?

[bob]

I was recently outbid on Last Alert and I'm bitter. I bid $18, and it ended at $19.50.

Dick.

[420GOAT]

thats the name of the game. i lose all the time, dont have time or patience for that little game so i "buy it now" usually.

[tpivette]

Was outbid on the GOT 3in1 twice in the last month. Also lost an auction of Ys Book 1 & 2.

Non-turbo related, I have been outbid several times on the NES version of Dragon Warrior 2

[Bernie]

Seriously?  Get over it man.    Thats the name of the game..  Its an auction...  lol.  Happens to us all, and I am sure I have outbid others at the last minute.  Just the way it is. 

[bob]

I also lost the Addams Family for NES. I bid 18, it ended at 35. Trust me, that one I got over quickly

[kiketonto]

A lot!! EBAY it's the most easy way (to me) to get some games.
But as 420GOAT ,-BuyItNow- option (when they are cheaper) it's the way I do.

[grimm]

I lost a bid on a RGB and region free Core Grafx recently, it went for £81 and i think we were tied, but the other guy put the bid in first so he got it.

I also lost a bid for a new in box satellaview system less than a week ago, but my top bid was nowhere near what it went for, so im not too bitter about that loss.

What gets to me is when i "lose" a bid simply because im not allowed to. Many times im sure id be one of the top bidders, if not the winner, if i was only allowed to bid or buy the item.

You win some and you lose some, but generally i tend to win. Maybe im overpaying or im just good at being a consistant auction sniper.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

I lose auctions quite often, which is hardly surprising considering the number of gotta-have-it-now-price-be-damned collectors and price fixing resellers.

[soop]

I get outbid all the time, but I generally put in low snipes.  Most games aren't too rare, so it's just nice when it works out.

[PunkCryborg]

yeah if you dont loose auctions then you are spending too much

[Frank_fjs]

I bid $18, and it ended at $19.50.

If it makes you feel any better, that doesn't mean that the highest bid was $19.50 - for all you know it could have been a lot higher. That's the way eBay works, the final bid is only ever a few dollars higher than the second closest bid.

[xcrement5x]

yeah if you dont loose auctions then you are spending too much

Those are sage words to live by!

I've lost a couple Mega CD games and PSP titles recently, but I'm trying to trim down my eBay spending and buy stuff from forums if possible.

[SignOfZeta]

I bid $18, and it ended at $19.50.

If it makes you feel any better, that doesn't mean that the highest bid was $19.50 - for all you know it could have been a lot higher. That's the way eBay works, the final bid is only ever a few dollars higher than the second closest bid.

Believe me, I've been trying to explain this extremely simple concept to average people for years. Its just not possible.

[PikachuWarrior]

Ebay auctions are fun. Between Amazon and Ebay, that's where I generally buy the more expensive games.

[kiketonto]

I bid $18, and it ended at $19.50.

If it makes you feel any better, that doesn't mean that the highest bid was $19.50 - for all you know it could have been a lot higher. That's the way eBay works, the final bid is only ever a few dollars higher than the second closest bid.

Believe me, I've been trying to explain this extremely simple concept to average people for years. Its just not possible.

I know what you mean. I have known many people who bid dollar for dollar

[bob]

I bid $18, and it ended at $19.50.

If it makes you feel any better, that doesn't mean that the highest bid was $19.50 - for all you know it could have been a lot higher. That's the way eBay works, the final bid is only ever a few dollars higher than the second closest bid.

Believe me, I've been trying to explain this extremely simple concept to average people for years. Its just not possible.

Oh trust me I get it. 18 was as high as I was going. With shipping it was 22. If it was boxed, I would have gone a bit higher.
I also can't believe I can't find It Came From the Desert for under 30, no box. Ugh

[city41]

I also can't believe I can't find It Came From the Desert for under 30, no box. Ugh

It's doable: http://www.ebay.com/itm/180890733152?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_500wt_1104

One of the keys to ebay deals is checking ebay very often. Cheap buy it nows are gone in a flash. It does have the drawback of making you pretty obsessed though

[BlueBMW]

Lost this one by 501 yennies

http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r90618219

[grimm]

Lost this one by 501 yennies

http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r90618219

And, ehm, what is it?

[BlueBMW]

A motherload of x68000 computer MIDI equipment and software.  Ive got enough for myseld just wanted some of the stuff for friends.

[VestCunt]

Why isn't this topic in General Discussion?

I have no problem being outbid. What I hate are the private offers and "this-item-is-no-longer-available" bullshit that's running rampant. (I was going to bid on this - nope.)  It's a symptom of increasingly desperate, impatient buyers as well as cowardly sellers who don't know what their shit is worth or have any faith in the auction system and its legion of snipers.

Furthermore, whenever masses of idiots violate policy to cheat ebay out of their fees, ebay retaliates with some stupid new policy that makes it worse for everyone. Case in point: extremely low limits on flat-rate shipping that fuck casual sellers that haven't invested in a scale (particularly Canadians or anyone with an item that weighs more than ebay thinks it should weigh) or shipping costs now being included in closing fees. These private offers/early closures will either result in higher up-front listing fees, higher paypal fees, more limitations on buyer/seller communication, more censorship, hurdles to legitimate early closures, or all of the above.

[grimm]

A motherload of x68000 computer MIDI equipment and software.  Ive got enough for myseld just wanted some of the stuff for friends.

Im not familiar with that system, but thanks for telling.

[SignOfZeta]

Why isn't this topic in General Discussion?

Because to noobs TG-16 and eBay are so intrinsically linked they might as well have put eBay's logo right between "HUCard" and "HE System".

[bob]

Why isn't this topic in General Discussion?

Because to noobs TG-16 and eBay are so intrinsically linked they might as well have put eBay's logo right between "HUCard" and "HE System".

And believe it or not, there are a lot of people that consider ebay and "auctions" synonymous.
I lost a bid at a live auction on a box lot of cd's that had some ps1 and turbo games in it. But nothing worth breaking the bank over.

[SignOfZeta]

When people say they lost out by $1.50 they are talking about eBay. That sort of thinking didn't exists before eBay. At a live auction only you know what your max is and you never know what the other guy's max is until he stops bidding. There is no auto increment via computer, no concept of "sniping", none of that.  If you get beat you never know how high the other guy would have gone.

[roflmao]

When people say they lost out by $1.50 they are talking about eBay. That sort of thinking didn't exists before eBay. At a live auction only you know what your max is and you never know what the other guy's max is until he stops bidding. There is no auto increment via computer, no concept of "sniping", none of that.  If you get beat you never know how high the other guy would have gone.

I was at a live silent auction back in '97 or so where each of the items had a notebook that you would physically write in your bid.  The auction ended at a specific time.  I went to this auction with a friend who wanted a book that was there.  Whenever someone wrote down a bid, she would go in and write down one dollar more.  By the end of the auction it was her and one other person writing furiously at that notebook.  It was crazy.  EVERYONE was watching the two of them go at it.  When it got down to about 10 seconds, my friend made the final bid and took a loooooong time to write it in so there was no chance the other person could counter.  She won and the other person made a loud gasp of exasperation as if to plea to the auctioneers.  But my friend won in the end without issue.  I tell you, it was the most intense auction I've ever watched.  I've watched ebay auctions with my heart thumping, hoping no one outbid me, but that one took the cake. 

[soop]

Why isn't this topic in General Discussion?

I have no problem being outbid. What I hate are the private offers and "this-item-is-no-longer-available" bullshit that's running rampant. (I was going to bid on this - nope.)  It's a symptom of increasingly desperate, impatient buyers as well as cowardly sellers who don't know what their shit is worth or have any faith in the auction system and its legion of snipers.

Vestcunt, I'm pretty sure you can get around that by placing the minimum bid can't you?  I think once there's a live bid, the seller can't retract the auction, but I'm not certain.  On my part, I generally resign myself that I might sell something for the 99p minimum.  It happens.   However, on my buying part, I'm quite happy to offer someone what I want to pay for an item.  I got a boxed City Hunter for £15 by asking someone to split it from a lot.  Never thought that would happen.

And Roflmao, that's a neat story   My Dad used to love things like that.  I remember he got a computer desk for a £ because no-one else realised it was part of the auction

[SMF]

I never get out bid, But then again I don't really do ebay lol. I do it the ol fashion way yard sales, Estat sales and trades. I'm in no rush to own games I want. I've gotten a lot of the games I need from these forums.

[VestCunt]

Vestcoat, I'm pretty sure you can get around that by placing the minimum bid can't you?  I think once there's a live bid, the seller can't retract the auction, but I'm not certain.

Nah, those scumbags retract their items all the time. That 32x lot I linked had bids on it.

[Bonga7]

I've lost alot of auctions, and I have won a few.  The thing you have to do is never get into a bidding war.  Always have a max amount in mind that you are willing to pay and go no further.  If possible bid in the last minute to minimize a bidding war.  Its that simple. If you take emotions out of the auction process (whether is a live auction or ebay), you will not be so sore if you do lose out.

[CPTRAVE]

That is what I do also wait until the last minute and then bid and I bid the max amunt I want to spend on the item.

[CPTRAVE]

Oh no I was watching an Ebay sale for Splatterhouse and it ended with no bids shipping was 3.00 and startin bid was .99 it included the box manual, sleeve and the game. I can not believe it for got about it

[BlueBMW]

Its interesting how yahoo auctions japan does it.... it seems like if someone bids in the last 5 minutes, they add another 10 minutes to the auction.  Eliminates snipers

[PunkCryborg]

I keep losing FDS lots. They are always random lots of games and what interests me is that they could be dead disks or rewritten and are usually not even official nintendo disks but people bid them up. I guess i'm not the only one interested to find out what's on them.

[roflmao]

Its interesting how yahoo auctions japan does it.... it seems like if someone bids in the last 5 minutes, they add another 10 minutes to the auction.  Eliminates snipers

I think that's a great way to deal with snipers.  I wish ebay had the option of listing items that way.  As it is, if you want to win an auction, sniping is pretty much a necessity.

[CPTRAVE]

I love sniping, that is the best way to win, that way their is no bidding war and end up paying too much.

[grimm]

Its interesting how yahoo auctions japan does it.... it seems like if someone bids in the last 5 minutes, they add another 10 minutes to the auction.  Eliminates snipers

I think that's a great way to deal with snipers.  I wish ebay had the option of listing items that way.  As it is, if you want to win an auction, sniping is pretty much a necessity.

If an auction has an end time, it has an end time. Prolonging just because some people want to continue bidding is more unfair than being outsniped. Sniping has little to do with unfair play, and more to do with sticking with your initial maximum bid, keeping from paying too much just because you get excited, and keeps prices from being driven up unecessarily. Its good for everyone. I sincerely hope ebay will not introduce something like what yahoo auctions in japan has.

[BlueBMW]

Its interesting how yahoo auctions japan does it.... it seems like if someone bids in the last 5 minutes, they add another 10 minutes to the auction.  Eliminates snipers

I think that's a great way to deal with snipers.  I wish ebay had the option of listing items that way.  As it is, if you want to win an auction, sniping is pretty much a necessity.

If an auction has an end time, it has an end time. Prolonging just because some people want to continue bidding is more unfair than being outsniped. Sniping has little to do with unfair play, and more to do with sticking with your initial maximum bid, keeping from paying too much just because you get excited, and keeps prices from being driven up unecessarily. Its good for everyone. I sincerely hope ebay will not introduce something like what yahoo auctions in japan has.

Well if they did introduce it, at least make it optional.  From a sellers point of view it would be a benefit.  Buyers, maybe not so much.

[SamIAm]

If an auction has an end time, it has an end time. Prolonging just because some people want to continue bidding is more unfair than being outsniped.

To be fair, what yahoo is doing is basically the way real auctions have always worked.

Sniping is nice for the buyer who actually wins: when an item has a vague market value, forced end-times and sniping can prevent the value from being driven up by too many bids. People snipe because it works and it can get you things for less. For the seller, though, and for the bidder who would have paid more if only given the chance, it can feel a bit like a cheat.

Part of a seller's incentive for putting an item up at a very low starting price and giving buyers a shot at a good deal is that those same buyers might bid it way up. Forced end times damage some of that potential. That's why I bet that if ebay did implement postponed end-times, you would probably see lower starting prices all around.

You'd think that ebay would realize that extending auction times would mean higher end prices and bigger cuts for them. Oh well.

[grimm]

But the way real auctions work is not possible on the internet. You need to have it end one time or another. A real auction house does not have millions of potential bidders attending the auction. Ebay and other auction sites do.

If you feel cheated, then raise your maximum bid to actually become your maximum bid. anything else is just desperation bidding. If a seller feels cheated well tough luck, put a reserve price and guard yourself from "too low" a price. If you dont want to sell your Rolls Royce for .99 cents, dont start it at .99, and out a reserve price. Problem for the seller solved.

[Bernie]

But the way real auctions work is not possible on the internet. You need to have it end one time or another. A real auction house does not have millions of potential bidders attending the auction. Ebay and other auction sites do.

If you feel cheated, then raise your maximum bid to actually become your maximum bid. anything else is just desperation bidding. If a seller feels cheated well tough luck, put a reserve price and guard yourself from "too low" a price. If you dont want to sell your Rolls Royce for .99 cents, dont start it at .99, and out a reserve price. Problem for the seller solved.

Or....stop crying and get over it.   

[VestCunt]

If an auction has an end time, it has an end time. Prolonging just because some people want to continue bidding is more unfair than being outsniped. Sniping has little to do with unfair play, and more to do with sticking with your initial maximum bid, keeping from paying too much just because you get excited, and keeps prices from being driven up unecessarily. Its good for everyone. I sincerely hope ebay will not introduce something like what yahoo auctions in japan has.

AMEN!

Sniping is nice for the buyer who actually wins: when an item has a vague market value, forced end-times and sniping can prevent the value from being driven up by too many bids. People snipe because it works and it can get you things for less. For the seller, though, and for the bidder who would have paid more if only given the chance, it can feel a bit like a cheat.

Part of a seller's incentive for putting an item up at a very low starting price and giving buyers a shot at a good deal is that those same buyers might bid it way up. Forced end times damage some of that potential. That's why I bet that if ebay did implement postponed end-times, you would probably see lower starting prices all around.

It's a moot point because no one auctions anything anyway. Sellers already have all of the chips on their side of the table - it's called Buy It Now. Current U.S. Ebay auctions for "Turbo Grafx" in the video games category = 185. BIN listings = 1,307. No forced end times! "Vague market value"? Who cares - shoot for the moon and gouge the heck out of everything! Let those games automatically re-list for years! Or use the recommended pricing Ebay provides to sellers when listings are created (which, btw, happens to have a longer date range than the the completed listing search commonly used by buyers).

Even when video games are auctioned, winning bids below the "market value" are not a common occurrence. First, the thrifty buyer has to wait two months until a seller has the guts to list one of our coveted games in an actual auction with a non-gouging starting point; even then, bidding typically goes to astronomical levels. Thus our patient gamer has to wait even longer, perhaps six to eighteen months, for the stars to align and a rare Turbo game with a low starting price to be listed in an auction that is somewhat poorly described or photographed, creating a lack of early bidding that lulls the noobs into a false sense of security and enables one to snipe the shit out of them before they have a chance to check their credit card balance and revise bids.

Seriously, that's what it takes to get a good deal on ebay these days. It's been a sellers' market ever since BIN's begun to outnumber auctions in the mid-2000's. Buyers are screwed and sniping is one of the last tools left to the honest gamer. Everyone has the chance to bid whatever a game is worth to them and no one can take that away. The only thing sniping does is take away the chance for noobs and speculators to reconsider their baseless appraisals.

Finally, fuck "market value."

[roflmao]

The only thing sniping does is take away the chance for noobs and speculators to reconsider their baseless appraisals.

Finally, fuck "market value."

Agreed.  As an occasional seller, I'd love the option to list an auction that automatically extends time to prevent sniping, but as a buyer I wouldn't put much faith in winning that type because a noob without any prior knowledge of the worth of this stuff would easily and happily outbid me in a heartbeat.

[BlueBMW]

Sniping still works to a point in an extend-an-auction setup.  You may slip a winning bid in on something and the other bidder might not notice theyve been outbid.  Ive had this happen on a few yahoo jp auctions.

[roflmao]

Sniping still works to a point in an extend-an-auction setup.  You may slip a winning bid in on something and the other bidder might not notice theyve been outbid.  Ive had this happen on a few yahoo jp auctions.

Makes sense.  I rarely stick around to watch an auction end.  I usually set my high bid via a sniping app and forget about it (because I typically don't win).  If an auction were to auto-extend, and if you were intent in winning, you'd have to be there to outbid snipers.  Interesting.

[grimm]

Sniping still works to a point in an extend-an-auction setup.  You may slip a winning bid in on something and the other bidder might not notice theyve been outbid.  Ive had this happen on a few yahoo jp auctions.

The problem with that reasoning though is that snipers do notice. Thats the whole idea behind sniping, to pay attention and be the last one in with a bid.

[SamIAm]

But the way real auctions work is not possible on the internet. You need to have it end one time or another.

Do you think yahoo and its 10-minute extensions actually has a problem with auctions never ending?

In fact, real/traditional auctions are perfectly possible on the internet, it's just that the internet makes a few other things possible as well. Like bidding that goes on for days. Forced end-times, though, are basically the result of poor initial design and unwillingness to change on the part of ebay.

If you feel cheated, then raise your maximum bid to actually become your maximum bid. anything else is just desperation bidding.

When you bid on an auction, you're constantly re-evaluating the item's value as the bids are placed. Based on each evaluation, your potential max bid will change. Again, this happens much more when the item's value is vague.

It can be frustrating, but that's the nature of the beast. With 10-minute extensions, you may be trading one type of frustration for another, but at least you're trading a dubious rule for more open competition.

Finally, fuck "market value."

Love it or hate it, the value of goods in a second-hand collector's market is based solely on what people are willing to pay. If "noobs" are paying huge prices for stuff, then that stuff is going to start moving in the direction of being worth huge prices. It's supply and demand, and lamentably, demand for the TG-16's tiny supply has gone up. Count yourself lucky if you arrived at the party when things were still cheap.

The BINs aren't free to list, and they would disappear if they didn't eventually sell. The more ridiculous ones will probably do just that.

Finally, there is a nice community here that cares about keeping prices down for its members and encouraging people to play, but you all should ask yourself this: If a total stranger approached you with $100 to buy your loose Keith Courage, said he was aware it might be had for less but he wanted it now, and made the whole offer with a smile on his face, would you take the $100? What would you do if people like him kept coming and coming?

[VestCunt]

When you bid on an auction, you're constantly re-evaluating the item's value as the bids are placed. Based on each evaluation, your potential max bid will change.

You should turn these into "I" statements; most people don't think this way.

Again, this happens much more when the item's value is vague.

A beginner can ascertain the going rates for even the most obscure TG16 items within a couple of months. It's really not that hard. I figured out what all of the TG16 and SMS games were going for in a couple of months after coming back to the scene in 2005. I priced the 3DO library last year in about two months and the 32x library in one week last month. If someone doesn't know what a particular game is fetching, they're either not very bright or they're not paying attention. Either way, anyone with a genuine interest in a game shouldn't be bidding less than they're willing to pay.

Finally, fuck "market value."

Love it or hate it, the value of goods in a second-hand collector's market is based solely on what people are willing to pay. If "noobs" are paying huge prices for stuff, then that stuff is going to start moving in the direction of being worth huge prices. It's supply and demand, and lamentably, demand for the TG-16's tiny supply has gone up. Count yourself lucky if you arrived at the party when things were still cheap.

I'm not saying that "market value" doesn't exist - every gamer has to reckon with it sooner or later - but one should not be overly concerned or influenced by such nonsense. Sometimes the value I place on a game exceeds the market value; sometimes it doesn't. I paid a high price for Dynastic Hero (I like RPGs), but I'm not willing to meet the demands for Magical Chase.

The BINs aren't free to list, and they would disappear if they didn't eventually sell. The more ridiculous ones will probably do just that.

Some individual games might not be profitable, but high-volume gougers can afford to relist their entire inventory for years and still turn a profit. I once sold a lot of three bargain-bin PCE RPGs (Buria 2, Princess Minerva, and some other one I forget) to a buyer that turned out to be a store several years ago for something like $5-10. I immediately saw them all relisted for $35 each the next week. The three games continued to come up in search results, consecutively and in the same order, for the next three years.

Finally, there is a nice community here that cares about keeping prices down for its members and encouraging people to play, but you all should ask yourself this: If a total stranger approached you with $100 to buy your loose Keith Courage, said he was aware it might be had for less but he wanted it now, and made the whole offer with a smile on his face, would you take the $100? What would you do if people like him kept coming and coming?

I've already been through a similar, more realistic, scenario: I auctioned a sealed copy of Military Madness on ebay this Spring (starting at .99 cents) and a buyer PM'ed me offering something like $120-140 for it while the bidding was at $20 with four days left. I knew the game wasn't worth that much and I was very tempted to take his offer, but, frankly, there's nothing I hate more than a desperate noob, so I told him to wait it out. Sure enough, he won and the bidding ended at $52 bucks. He was shocked that I hadn't accepted his offer and told me that his max bid was apparently $400. Whatever.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

The problem with that reasoning thouch is that snipers do notice. Thats the whole idea behind sniping, to pay attention and be the last one in with a bid.

I bet there's a lot more snipers using tools to automatically place bids than there are snipers doing it manually.

When you bid on an auction, you're constantly re-evaluating the item's value as the bids are placed.

No, no I'm not.

The BINs aren't free to list...

Yes they are.  Ebay offers all sorts of free listings to big sellers.

Finally, there is a nice community here that cares about keeping prices down for its members and encouraging people to play, but you all should ask yourself this: If a total stranger approached you with $100 to buy your loose Keith Courage, said he was aware it might be had for less but he wanted it now, and made the whole offer with a smile on his face, would you take the $100?

Shit no!  I'd laugh, give him one of my dupes, and then offer to let him buy me a beer over a discussion of the evils of price gouging.

What would you do if people like him kept coming and coming?

Eventually I'd run out of dupes and have to start doling out boots to the ass.  They're free!

[grimm]

SamIAm, well, cram millions of potential bidders into an auction house, and ill consider your standpoint more seriously. Untill then i will just disagree with you.

As for sniping tools, you might be right there Necromancer, but i do it the old fashioned way.