How to Win Auctions                                              

So, you want to win these auctions, huh? I tell you what; it's a jungle out there when you're trying to submit your bids.

The amount of times I have lost auctions by pennies is countless! To stop you suffering the same ‘humiliating defeat’, I have hereby offered my expert advice to anyone who can be bothered to read it (if you’re still reading now, then that’s a good sign!)

Here are a few pointers if you really want any of my items (or any other items by any other sellers).

There are 3 main ways to win these auctions:

1) Incremental bidding.

This means that the bidder (you) places an initial bid and will keep an eye on the price. Should you be outbid at any time, you will bid to the next highest amount until you are once again the highest bidder. This is the most common form of bidding on e-Bay.

Pros.

ü     The bidder can inch their bids without the other people knowing and win at a low price.

ü     Very effective if done on the last day of auction.

ü     Great strategy for items with limited or no interest.

Cons.

·        Bidders may create a bidding war causing the price to go artificially high.

·        Not effective for items with lots of interest.

·        You are prone to losing the auction at the last few minutes.

2) Forcing.

This means that the bidder (you) places an initial bid that is so high, that no-one on God’s-Green-Earth will catch you (i.e. the item price is £10, you put in £200 and win it for £15 for example). You will almost guarantee to win the auction. This is less common than incremental bidding and is hardly ever used.

Pros.

ü     The bidder is almost guaranteed to win the auction.

ü     Puts other bidders off the item because they feel they can’t win it.

ü     Great strategy for items that you really want.

ü     Effective with high-interest items.

ü     You don’t have to be at a computer when the auction ends.

Cons.

·        Bidders may increase the price to make it artificially high.

·        You are still prone to losing the auction should someone enter a higher price than you, but the chance of that is highly unlikely.

3) Sniping.

This is the most devious form of bidding, but can be quite effective if you know how to do it. This means that the bidder (you) waits until the final few minutes/seconds to place your bid on the item. It will come as a shock to the previous higher bidder because they do not have time to respond. You win the auction at a good price. The guy you just outbid goes home with nothing …

Pros.

ü     This method can be used effectively to win auctions sneakily.

ü     Very effective if done properly, to gain items cheap.

ü     Great strategy for items with high interest.

Cons.

·        You have to sit at a computer and wait … and wait … and wait for those last few minutes or seconds to place your bid. It’s time consuming and boring.

·        Sniping is useless if you have no access to a computer at the time of auction deadline.

·        Even if you snipe, YOU FACE THE RISK OF LOSING THE AUCTION due to computer malfunctions, connection speed, ‘forcing bidders’ and other snipers. YOU WILL NOT BE THE ONLY ONE TRYING TO SNIPE THIS AUCTION!

·        You could lose the auction by pennies!

So what is my opinion? If you really want to win the auction, then Forcing is your best bet. You can try and Snipe the auction, but I guarantee, someone else will be doing the same. It’s best to put in a bid that no sniper will outbid you on. Incremental bidding is good for items with limited or no interest, so keep looking at the hit-counter at the bottom of these adverts!