eBay - three strikeouts...

[fprintf]

So far I haven't seen any kits on eBay go for ridiculously low prices. There seems to be quite a market out there for sailplane kits - at least a market big enough so that the owners of these kits don't lose a ton of money.

I thought maybe there'd be a kit I could pick up for $30 or so, such as a Gentle Lady, Spirit or even an old Sophisticated Lady. But all of them ended up going for mid-$30s plus shipping (up to $14) which is not much less than I can get a kit from the LHS.

But I will say, it was fun bidding at least! :)

p.s. I never did end up getting the most recent Dave Thornburg book - I think it ended up going for $13 vs. my bid of $10. I was hanging on, as usual, as high bidder until the very last day.

[Purdue Aero Man]

Try something manner people refer to as "sniep bidding." Find an auction you want to bid on and hold your bid. Make note of the ending date, and if at all poossible, delay your bidding. Many of the auctions have counters on them, which may sometimes be a way to judge interest in the auction. Provided you have a decently fast internet connection, determine your maximum bid, then as the countdown to the auction's end approaches 10 or 15 seconds, place your bid. If you win, you win. If you lose, you lose. But nothing makes someone else's day more than snipe out-bidding them, or at least making them pay more than they had to. Cheers!

[SeditiousCanary]

Originally posted by Purdue Aero Man
Try something manner people refer to as "sniep bidding."
This is a great bid of advice. I once wrote an articial for a humor rag called Confessions of An eBay Sniper which detailed this idea. WHy would you tell anyone how much you are willing to pay for something when they can just outbid you? If you take the option of outbidding you away, you will win better then 90% of the time. You do have to actually be at the computer when auction is going to end so you can bid, but unless it's something the high bidder wants enough to do the same (or has bid out of rational pricing), you are going to win.

[Hostage-46]

lots of free services and software packages that will snipe for you.

Google auction snipe and you'll see it's real simple/

[Hammer]

Remember that eBay uses proxy bidding.If you have bid $75 for an item,and the current price is $45,a sniper will have to bid $76 at the last second to take the item from you.

It's the high bid that wins the auction,not the last bid.(unless it is the high bid)

If it is a highly sought item,with several or many snipers,the last minute or less is more like a sealed bid auction.

[John Gallagher]

The last couple of weeks I have also been trying my luck on Ebay.
Ebay is prime example of the marketplace in action. It's not too difficult to research the new selling price of items on ebay. If the item is desired by enough people, the bidding takes the price right up to the selling price of that item. What really surprises me is when something like a radio is sold on ebay and the winning bid winds up higher than the selling price from a dealer. Recently a Hitec Eclipse with a spectra module went for $224 plus shipping. Tower lists the price at $218 plus shipping. Bidding frenzie - Wanting to win the auction so much that you overpay for the item - even when the item can be bought cheaper and easier from a reputable dealer.
One thing seems to be true for most things on ebay. The shipping charge is higher than from a dealer so you wind up paying even more.
The only real bargains on ebay, are items that you value but nobody else wants.

John


Originally posted by fprintf
So far I haven't seen any kits on eBay go for ridiculously low prices. There seems to be quite a market out there for sailplane kits - at least a market big enough so that the owners of these kits don't lose a ton of money.

I thought maybe there'd be a kit I could pick up for $30 or so, such as a Gentle Lady, Spirit or even an old Sophisticated Lady. But all of them ended up going for mid-$30s plus shipping (up to $14) which is not much less than I can get a kit from the LHS.

But I will say, it was fun bidding at least! :)

p.s. I never did end up getting the most recent Dave Thornburg book - I think it ended up going for $13 vs. my bid of $10. I was hanging on, as usual, as high bidder until the very last day.

[fprintf]

I have always hoped to catch any item missed by most people. I would have thought sailplane kits wouldn't be *that* popular, like electric fliers or powered planes, for example.

In any event, I bid on these 2 Meter kits when they are in the twenties hoping that one day I will get one by chance. I may never, but it is fun trying my luck.

[nuevo]

If you do a search on the "completed items" for the item you want, you will see the sale price of several completed auctions. This will help you adjust your expectations. If you were hoping to get a Gentle Lady for $15 and they are all selling for $25, that should tell you something.

About the Thornburg book. What you are bidding was just a few $$ less than new. Just buy it new. You won't regret that purchase.

[ClayH]

I've used a third party called auctionsniper for about 18 months and have been very lucky with it. There is a small fee associated with this service , but there are many benefits, the main being that I don't have to sit at the computer to place my last second bid. Some folks like to watch as the bidding nears close, but a buyer can get emotional in that situation and may bid more than they really intended to. My advice to serious ebayers - do your homework on similar item's selling prices recently, determine the most you are willing to pay, use a snipe service, and wait til the bidding ends to check out the results.

Happy sniping!

[CoastalFlyer]

I've bought more than a few planes over the years on eBay - all reasonably priced. You do have to hunt a bit and get lucky.
It's not unusual for them to go for close to retail.

I sold some off late last year and was surprised at how high most of them went for - none of them were that special, either.
Lot's of buyers keeps the price high, even on the less popular models.
Many people consider the older popular models to be collectors items. :rolleyes: