There are one of two things happening here..

1. there is a bidder, who isnt really familiar with how things work, I would leave a few dollars on my maximum bid window, if I see someone like that, allow him to creep up the price , but do not rebid, just wait to the end (last 15 seconds if you have a stable connection) and rebid and win the thing from them or.. Showing small increments only shows your bidding approach, its more likely that said person will only be a dollar over your max, or whatever the max minium bid is.

2. Its the seller, registered under a diffrent email persona, bidding up his own items. Sadly, this happens as well, all matter of things go on all websites, even daylily ones.

Most of the time I put near a maximum bid on what I want, If I lose it, I do. One such cross, I went up to 51 dollars over the weekend, the stupid thing got out of hand and ran up to near 80 bucks before it sold. Again, Ill wait till next year if I want said genetics, it will be 50% cheaper or more the following year.

Silverkelt

Dani,
I've seen this happen frequently when I am selling items on the auction. Most wait until the last minute too, then someone gets so caught up in the bidding that the item goes too high, just because someone was determined not to lose. This is going to happen in an auction, when people are free to bid, or not.
I'd suggest you set your max and stick with it, win or lose!
Good luck! Don't let someone push you higher than you want to go.

The auction frenzy happens all the time. It is what it is....an auction. Bid what you can afford and if you lose, you lose.
Another thing I've seen is possibly the person is bidding on single fans and wanting to obtain a larger quantity.

Good luck. You'll snag a good buy. Just be patient and who knows, maybe the seller will relist the exact same one again.

Julia

They've got both fans now, and I'm not bidding higher. My checkbook won't let me. I'll wait for it to come around again. Thanks everyone for the advice. I know it's an auction and I get caught up sometimes, too.

Auction sellers and their buddies may up the price on their cultivars to get more money or make their cultivar look highly-desired. That happens at many auctions, not just the Lily Auction. I will bid just once, and then watch until the near of the end of the auction. At times I will just put in my maximum bid and if I get it, O.K., if I don't, O.K.

What really irritates me more than anything at the Lily Auction (or other auctions) is this "extended time" allowed between bidders after the designated closing time, in order to raise the ante. I think once the hammer goes down, that should be it! This "extended time" could allow a seller and/or friends to prevent the sale of a cultivar for less than anticipated. I don't think it is fair. Oh well....

Nancy

Unless I'm mistaken, if the seller (or a friend) wins an auction to prevent it from selling for less than they think it's worth, they still have to pay a commission to the auction site. So they're not getting off completely free when they do that.

I'd echo what most people are saying; if you don't win an auction, you have lost nothing (except for the time you spent watching/bidding). Bid what it's worth to you, and if you win, excellent!

Nate

If you dont win, look the lily up in Eureka or google it. You might find it for the same price or cheaper. And it might be listed again. I love the lily auction, but it keeps me building new beds to house the new lilies....and there are some good deals to be had.

A Lily Auction commission would be minimal, if the seller was expecting to get at least $100 and only gets $50!

Nancy

dani_plus: I HATE that type of bidding--these little nibbles over and over again. I've been tempted to try to email the other bidder and just tell them what my bid is so they could make up their mind.

najoba: I didn't know people did that--that's cheating!

alameda: You're so right--a couple of times I went through the whole bidding process to win at rather high prices only to learn that the plant was available from trusted sellers at lower prices.

silverkelt: I bid the same way, and only RARELY raise my bid, figuring there's always next year. The exceptional genetics are worth a bit of a go, but even then...I'm in good health and my garden isn't going anywhere.

My own pet peeve: recently I briefly outbid another bidder on a plant. Not only did that bidder bump back, but also went after a number of my other bids with the same seller and with another seller. VERY annoying. Not sure if I accidentally poached a plant from that bidder and it was revenge bidding (I don't purposefully poach, I just place bids when I see a plant I like and sometimes that's not until the last few minutes of an auction) I hope that it was really just the other bidder appreciating my good taste :)

Anyway, overall the LA is fun and has saved me a bundle.

What is MOST annoying on the L Auction.. is the use of all the phony internet picture representations of the flowers.ÃÂ

You are so right, northerndaylily. When you see a very vivid picture, with the green leaves also unusually bright, it certainly is suspect that they have been photo-edited.

Here's an original not-very-good photo from our garden, with ALL FIRED UP looking rather pale. The next photo is the same picture, with the color saturation increased. See the foliage? That's a clue to a photo-edited picture.

Now if the perpetrators were very good at what they do, they could excise the bloom, increase saturation and put it right back where it was. That takes too much time! LOL

Nancy

The second image is not believable to me, nor would it be to most folks, I suspect. I DO have an issue when people talk about photo editing as if it is a sin. Photo editing to CORRECT the image and make it more accurate is one thing but photo enhancement is another. I think that photo editing such as cropping, removing undesirable background, or making the color ACCURATE if your camera didn't quite get it right should be acceptable. I do agree that people should try to use when possible their own images rather than the hybridizer's image. Also - this is a pet peeve - if you are using someone else's picture, ALWAYS get permission first and then always credit the photographer. I don't often have time to check the lily auction, but it seems like almost every time I visit, someone is using one of my images without permission. Ugh.

I agree with you, floota. There is some photo-editing that is a must.

Cropping is an absolute necessity. It hasn't been that long since I managed to blur the background successfully on a photo of Blue Hippo to eliminate the garden hose, but cannot for the life of me remember how I did it. I don't have a problem making the color accurate, for after all, the cameras do not always depict the correct color. True colors of daylilies in photos can also be seriously affected by the ambient light. I see no difference between having a filter on your camera or applying one later with software, if you are endeavoring to display the correct color of a flower.

I entered the Stout Medal Contender Photo Contest yesterday, but did not change a thing, other than to crop it. I wanted so badly to remove some undesirable elements (spent blooms) in the background, but they are still there. I think doctoring it is against the rules, though.
I know I don't have a chance to win, but the photo of the daylily itself was so incredible it looked like you could reach out and touch it, almost like 3D.

Unfortunately, I'll never be a skilled photographer, as I get too excited when I see a beautiful bloom. I forget all about the background until I upload and view it on my computer.

The second photo (hastily edited) was done to show how the color of the daylily leaves may be an indication of whether or not the saturation has been increased to make the daylily's color more vivid than it really is. As I'm sure you know, the original photo of All Fired Up does not reflect the usual vivid coloration of the bloom (nor does the second one). It doesn't even faintly resemble its the true color. The poor thing is tired now at the end of summer, and a wonder that it is still trying to bloom!

Nancy

Ozzysboy - I've been lurking and had to comment. O.K. I have a couple of questions and a couple of comments. :) Q. #1 What is "poaching" in regards to a bid? First time I've heard of that one. Q. #2 Are you a hybridizer? (part 2) And if so is Violet Osborn one of yours?

Dani - In regards to your 1st message hum... I do do that sometimes when bidding. I'm not trying to annoy anyone rest assured but sometimes I can be quite indecisive as to what my exact max. is that I want to bid. And honestly sometimes it's an ADD approach to it. lol So many beautiful lilies which one to pay the most for? Spread my money all over or put it all in one or two? I would imagine that many other bidders are like me. And sometimes another shares very similar tastes in lilies and the same bidder is bidding on the very ones that I love. I guess I could see how that would look fishy and be aggravating. So does that mean that I should back off then and not bid at all? Honestly if I knew the bidder I would never bid against them in the first place. Unless they did it to me and then I would figure they don't care either way. Really there are so many complicated things in my life that I try not to over think my bidding endeavors. Actually it is one of the more relaxing things in my life. :)

Rena'

Anyone have a real world pic of 'Dale Hensley'... via F Smith?
I have found at times Smith pics are accurate.. even understated. But this one looks too good to be true...

In a quick search, I found two photos of Dale Hensley daylily on-line that appear to be from the same shot, but one of them displays all colors evenly darker and more intense. It appears by comparing both of them on my computer screen that there could have been photo-editing as there is a distinct difference between the one posted in the AHS database and the other one. The question then in my mind is, "which one is the true representation of the color of the bloom?" That is the point I was trying to make.

As for me, if I take a picture of one of my daylilies that, once uploaded to my computer, does not represent the true color to the naked eye of the daylily, I will try to correct it with Photoshop so that it looks like what I saw, instead of what the camera is telling me. I've had lovely pure white blooms that look yellow when I upload them. Yellows, oranges and reds appear infinitely more brilliant. Lavenders and purples turn out reddish;and delicate blue areas (or close to blue) are the most difficult. But then, I don't sell daylilies and am not trying to deceive anyone, but instead make changes with software to display the true color as I see it when I post my photos here at the forum.

The clue for me is to look at the leaves. Why? Because it takes a lot of time to cut out the blossom, correct it, and then replace it back into the same photograph or isolate it from the original background. Those who do make color changes in order to enhance marketability seldom take the time to do that, and instead intensify the whole picture.

I will say I've had a few disappointments when purchasing daylilies. Rarely do I buy an expensive daylily that it does not look in my garden as represented on-line. With those few that don't measure up to their published photos, it could be the fault of the new environment here.

There is one hybridizer that publishes unrealistic photos of his daylilies on his website. A lot of us know who it is. It has been discussed here at the forum in the more distant past. The intensity of colors is almost laughable. I would never buy anything from him. To really be absolutely certain of a color, the only way is to go their garden and see the flower in person. Not all of us have that opportunity.

Nancy

You guys have hit on one of my biggest pet peeves..

hybridizers who enhance photos! Its a huge huge no no to me..

I also do not like the flower crop and paste on a background of daylily leaves.

I would name some that really irk me, but I wont, as Ive gone down that road before..There are also some really famous hybridizers, who cant take a picture worth a lick..Some guys are loosing money because they really dont know what they are doing, Im not talking about the hobby people who may sell a few things on the side, but those that are doing this for a living.

I realistic garden picture, is what I think most of us is looking for.

Im in agreement, if its "photoshoped" please inform us of it.

Sometimes the color of the bloom is just different because of the soil conditions from one garden to another. There is a man I know who waters his plants from a small holding pond near a river. Whatever is in that water makes the flowers bigger and more vibrant. I have seen plants at his house that you could barely recognize as the same one growing in my yard.

Northern daylily-unfortunately, I deleted the picture I took of Dale Hensley I had seen it our Daylily Expo but once I saw the price, I knew it wouldn't be coming my way for a LONG time. It IS as beautiful as the picture. But here is a link that looks like a good garden shot from someone else.
http://www.dancingdaylily.com/items/DALE_HENSLEY/

lol-should have added-I took the pollen home from Dale Hensley and have some seeds now for next year.

gardenofeden777: I guess I used the wrong term--I'm told the correct one is "sniping" which means putting in a bid at the last minute to try to snipe the item (I think of it as poaching). As to your other question, I've been hybridizing for a number of years now as a hobbyist and some of my plants (I think) are intro quality. My biggest hurdles are my soil (it's awful) and time (I'm a patent attorney as my day job). But one of these days.....in the meantime I just breed to try to establish my own look, to bump up bud counts and branching and slowly but surely accumulate a decent stable of stud plants. I'm sorry, but I can't claim Violet Osborn.

silverkelt: I'm thinking one of the hybridizer's who can't take a good photo is John Benz. Absolutely terrible photos. On the plus side, every Benz in my collection has vastly exceeded my expectations in beauty. My favorite, non photo-shopped pictures show what the plant will look like in a clump--Norris is particularly good at providing clump shots.

My whole thing on the sniping approach is, if the other person has their top bid in, and your bid is higher, what does it matter if it's at the last second? They weren't willing to pay that amount that you put in.

And yes, colors are unaccurate. It's frustrating. That's why I always try to wait and see a real life pic of new cultivars before I purchase.

dani_plus_2: Coming from that end of the bid, I absolutely agree with you--although I might not love a bid being knocked up in the last few minutes, I never bid an amount that I'm unwilling to pay. I don't like the bidders who outbid you on a bid you've been watching for a week in the very last minute. Myself, I try to bid early enough so that if I've outbid someone, they have the opportunity to consider the new bid and decide whether they are actually willing to up their own bid. When a last minute bid comes in and you don't happen to be online watching at that precise moment, you have no opportunity to raise your bid in the event that you might have been willing to do so.

I do not bid on auctions, PERIOD!!! If I did I would go with the maximum bid and don't look back. Generally I do not bid though, I have seen the stupidity of the nibbling bidder enough.

I usually will not buy a plant until I have either personally seen it or I have seen a number of photos of it. I am also more prone to purchase a plant from someone that uses their own photos because I have received ditch lilys as other plants from sellers using hybridizer photos. I also know that the same plant can produce flowers of varying quality and the hybridizer does not use the photo of the average flower to sell the plant.

Bambi-So far I have not recieved anything that wasn't what it was supposed to be from Lily Auction-and I have only had one die over the winter. But I only buy a few plants a year from there. But when shopping online, I look up several pictures of a plant before I decide if I want it for the very reason you stated, I had bought a few in the past that didn't much look like the hybridizer photo.
Did you return the ditch lilies? While it could have been done on purpose-those nasty things tend to run all over and they might have gotten mixed in that way. I have been trying to eliminate them from my yard for 25 years, and they still show up in the middle of a clump sometimes. The previous owner had them all over the yard. I have a couple plants that I have dug up and divided into smaller clumps a number of times in order to try to sort out the ditch lilies that have wiggled their way in without destroying the entire clump. A good seller would make it right or refund your money.

Thanks Lisa for the link to D Hensley... indeed a good shot.. does look realistic.

Usually.. digital representations of reds aren't accurate. Red and purple are difficult to capture 'true to life'.

My only interest in D Hensley is color.. and the cost factor isn't $$. Typically Smith plants are short and poor doers far north.. the stats given are meaningless. Then sunfastnes.. a red lacking that is worthless as a parent. The cost becomes the waste of time messing with a plant for which no sound info is available for.

'True to life' pics.. are what most avoid when marketing their plants. Obviously plants vary from different cultures and climates.. yet the really good ones stay pretty much "true".

Yes I was sent the ditch lilys intentionally, (it was not the LA) and no I did not send them back. I did send the seller a message that I would be in her area to collect the right plants in a week or two and received a refund right away. I have gotten the wrong plants on the LA and the seller never made good on them. I was told it was a more expensive plant and that I should be happy. It was not something I would have purchased and I ended up selling it for less than a third of what I paid for it. That seller is no longer there.

I have found that it is better to just locate the plant and buy it from a reliable source. I used to like the auctions but the nibblers just irratate me too much. I once put a really high bid on something and had another bidder bid $1.00 higher than my bid 18 times. If they wanted it why didn't they just bid with 1 bid $18.00 over my original bid. I have always wondered if this was someone bidding up the plant for the seller, and it happens far too much.

For the record even on Ebay I will not bid on auctions (for anything), if I want something I find it with the Buy It Now option, buy and pay for it right away.