bidding wars

[pdlethbridge]

Its always buyer beware, no matter where you shop or for what. I always check to see what the buy it now price is before I bid, I refuse to go over that price in a bidding war. I have seen it happen several times that I bid up to or near the buy it now price and someone will go over by several dollars. They are not watching what they are doing. This is especially true when the seller cares a large quantity of each item for sale.

[Woody Elmore]

Ebay is like any auction. You have to do your homework and know prices. I just got an external disk drive, no shipping charges, for $25 less than the same item in Staples. I recently bought a 10 foot HDMI cable for a neighbor for under $10, shipping included. The same cable in Circuit City or Radio Shack is $70 ( I can't figure that out at all).

I often wonder at the prices some people pay on Ebay. My favorite was the auction of the Grandt Line parts to convert the Bachmann mogul to On3. The purchaser paid a lot more than list price plus shipping. The parts were in stock at Grandt Line and could have been ordered directly, at list price and half the shipping price of the online auction.

Was the person stupid? I don't think so. Maybe the person didn't know that Grandt had a website.

[pdlethbridge]

You said you do your homework. A lot of people don't. Is it laziness, is it a I don't care attitude, is it I have to have it NOW. I don't know. But you can't help but think, that a lot of it is like driving on the highway. Everybody is trying to get there first, no matter what the cost.

[Santa Fe buff]

Well I really wait, I waited over 2 years just so I can go to IRM, and I also earned money over 4 months to buy me my first Bachmann set, that gave me the address to come here and become a member. I like this video for it demonstrates crossing safety, and also, not to be impatient! (I'm so sorry it's on Spike.com, I didn't want to have to go to such a crude site, but that's the only place I could find it not showing the entire clip) a.k.a her getting hit...
http://www.spike.com/video/train-wrecks-couple/2936849

[pdlethbridge]

huh?

[Santa Fe buff]

I'll just say it isn't the best site for younger peoples, but it's the only place I could find that version of the video. To were it doesn't show the impact. I thought of a better video, but  I couldn't find it. It's were a merging car onto a highway cut off another driver and the SUV it cut off flipped, no deaths, but the person who cut off the SUV was arrested for reckless driving and fleeing the scene of an accident. Basically I was just trying to find a video that proved people are too impatient. Your right, people do just want it NOW, which could just give them the name 'idot'?

[pdlethbridge]

huh, huh??? What does that have to do with bidding wars?

[charlii]

I have to take issue with many comments about Ebay purchases. When a person uses common sense and judgement, they can make some real buys on Ebay. I model both HO and N gauge. In past year, I have been building up my stock of N gauge steam locomotives. In this period, I have purchased 26 steam locomotives on Ebay with a retail value of $3989, for a few dollars over $900. This averages to around $35 per locomotive. ALL locomotives were new, factory sealed, full warrantee, Bachmann, Model Power, or Roundhouse. (2-6-0's, 2-8-0's and 4-4-0's.) If you want to make some excellent purchases, just find a few reputable liquidators and keep a constant eye on their listings.

[pdlethbridge]

Very good. There are some good E-bay dealers and I buy from them often. I just purchased 3 items from the favorite spot, a bachmann authorized dealer, and got some very good deals and very fast delivery. If you watch what your doing, E-bay can be a very good place to purchase. The shops I deal with are power sellers and have an extremely good rating.

[Jim Banner]

PD, I hope you and everyone else takes a moment to look at the video clip that Santa Fe buff linked to.  All of us model railroaders who are train watchers too should be very aware of the dangers around trains.  A little bit of impatience around trains can cost you a whole lot more than a little bit of impatience on eBay.  On eBay, it may cost a few bucks more to have it now.  Around trains, it can cost you your life.

What does this have to do with bidding on eBay?  It helps put the extra cost factor of impatience in perspective.

Sometimes the extra cost of impatience can be a smart business decision.  Paying double or triple for a hundred dollar item that I must have tomorrow because it is a key item to meeting next week's deadline on a $10,000 model is worth the extra price, both to me and to the company that must have the model as part of their $100,000 trade show presentation.  When the item is not available otherwise, making sure you win and paying a premium shipping and handling fee is one way to make your contract and keep your reputation. 

Sometimes we are in a similar position with our hobbies - we need a particular model right now because at the last minute, we have been asked to fill in at next week's train show, or because relatives are coming and we would really like to show Uncle Joe a model of the steamer his brother once fired, or, well, you name it.

Is it worth it to pay extra for your impatience?  Only you can decide!

 

[pdlethbridge]

The way I see it, if your in such a rush to have something or get somewhere, don't be shocked if it comes back to bite you or run over you.