I have a ? about E-bay........

[cutie_pie]

I just went to e-bay today (no, I haven't been living in a cave,lol) and did a search looking for some gift ideas for my son.

Well, I found some And was wondering........

*I noticed on some of the things I was interested in, the seller states they check feedback before accepting a bid (or did I misunderstand that??). Well, if I am new, I will have no feedback, so what do new people do?

*Is it really risky? My sil said she heard horror stories from people she works with regarding people putting up false feedback and all to look good. Does this happen? Or is it one of those disgruntled people blowing htings out of proportion and getting a rumor going?

*Is there a waiting period before you can start bidding? Some things end today.

*Is there often a bidding frenzy right before the item closes? Just want to be prepared.

I am sorry for sounding dumb, but I do not have a clue! I only looked today, because I couldn't find much in the way of George Washington in the toy store sites (yep, my son's newest hero, and that is ALL he wants for Christmas--go figure!)

Any pointers you can offer will be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!
Off to look for more G.W. things

[dianemarie]

I will try and answer your questions.

*I noticed on some of the things I was interested in, the seller states they check feedback before accepting a bid (or did I misunderstand that??). Well, if I am new, I will have no feedback, so what do new people do?

Some sellers only want established bidders. Even tho I have a high feedback that's all positive, I avoid these sellers. I welcome new bidders to my auctions. How else are you going to get a feedback rating if no one sells to you??

*Is it really risky? My sil said she heard horror stories from people she works with regarding people putting up false feedback and all to look good. Does this happen? Or is it one of those disgruntled people blowing htings out of proportion and getting a rumor going?

This doesn't happen anymore. All feedback is now linked to an auction. In the early days of eBay anyone could leave feedback for anyone else for any reason they could think of.

*Is there a waiting period before you can start bidding? Some things end today.

No. Once you are registered you can start bidding immediately.

*Is there often a bidding frenzy right before the item closes? Just want to be prepared.

Depends on the item. But 90% of the auctions I bid on have last minute bidders. They're called snipers and if I really want to win an auction I "babysit" the last few minutes and keep refreshing. But most of the time I just set my max price and let it go from there.

Hope this has been helpful.


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[mariaherin]

Just a tip to help with the last minute snipers! You can be one too, just go to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] and set up an account, once you sign up with ebay you can chose five items a week to have sniped for free! I am a seller on eBay and I can tell you that in the last seconds of an item's auction the bids can triple fast so using auctionstealer can really help you to win and most of the time for less than your max bid. Give it a try and you'll come away a happy bidder.

Oh, as a seller I also do not have any problem accepting new bidders and have actually gotten a lot this past year. Have fun with your searching and just remember to pay promptly as some seller will leave negative feedback in seconds if you go over their payment timeline (ALWAYS read the entire listing for the sellers "rules" some tell you they only accept one form of payment ie. paypal or you MUST pay within ten days and if you don't comply they have no problem socking it to ya). I am not one of these sellers but have dealt with them and it can be very daunting to say the least. However, the overall eBay experience is fun and a great way to get super deals!

Have fun and good luck!


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[cutie_pie]

Thanks for the info It really helps me to get a better understanding of the auction world (which is very confusing).

Well, e-bay here I come, lol setting my sites on George Washington

Thanks a million, dianemarie and mariaherin

[cutie_pie]

Well, thanks guys, I finally did it
I am now a bona fide e-bay'er
First bid placed (those George Washington GI Joe's )

****crossing fingers that there is not a run on G.W.****
****watching for snipers ****


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[fractal]

One quick add on. Be careful to not get caught up in a bidding frenzy at the end. Look at the closed sales of your item and you can get a good general idea of the market value. As a seller, it is so much fun to see somebody decide that it is a personal affront to lose. I actually had one man pay $60 for a DVD that usually sold for 24$.
Happy Bidding,
Elizabeth
BTW - newbies are welcome at my auctions - I'm over 400 but like everyone else I started with zero