I don't think so, I've seen it done here before I believe. All you need to do, if you want to know what happened on the bidding, is look at the item #, it should give details how much it sold for, how many bids were made, who bought it, etc. Is that what you need to know? Or, if it even sold at all.

Go to the listing.

Where it says "History", it will have the number of bids in blue, underscored. Click on the number of bids.

This will take you to a page that will show you a list of bidders, bid amounts, and bid times.

Hope this helps.

Yes, I know all of that (thanks :-) )

But, the winning bidder bid the same amount as the bid directly underneath them and the reason I am puzzled is that this was the first time their name appeared on that bid list and the bid time was 2 hours earlier than the bid time of the bidder directly under them that bid the exact same amount. That is why I am puzzled. And if they had bid a maximum bid of say 100 dollars which is what they got the item for, wouldn't their name had appeared earlier in the bidding process?

That sounded so convoluted. Can you see why it would have been so much more expanatory to actually link the bidding process directly?

If two people bid the same amount and that is the winning amount, the one who submitted the bid first should win, according to something I read about two years ago. Does that answer your question?

This is an item I really want that will be coming up for auction again. I would like to understand this person's strategy (or was it just pure dumb beginners luck?)

Here is a link to the bid list. I hope it is OK.

Here is a link that might be useful: link on radon and HRV

The best way to bid on ebay is to decide, from the beginning, the highest amount you are comfortably willing to pay for an item. Thirty seconds before the bidding ends, place your bid. If you get the item, you won't feel that you spent too much. If you don't get the item, that's okay, because somebody bid more that you were willing to spend, anyway. People who bid continuously on an item often unnecessarily drive up the price of the item.

OK, I have to ask this....Why would a bidder out bid themselves? Twice even! (8^O

A bidder might bid again without waiting for competition (outbid themself) if they find their maximum bid is barely over the last bid. Say they bid 11.00 and the previous high bidder had 10.50. Especially if it's a popular item, they might place a higher bid trying to increase their lead.

Red, why would you think you have to buy that item from one particular seller? Several other people are also offering that print. The odds are against the winning bidder of the last auction bidding on another, and the second highest bidder might decide to go as high on another one, but it looks like it's a good sized edition, so I'm guessing there will be more.

Here is a link that might be useful: ebay search for red lover's print

"OK, I have to ask this....Why would a bidder out bid themselves? Twice even!"

Because they weren't smart enough to follow Organic Smallhome's advice, LOL!

I confess I did this once or twice, early in my ebay career. You bid on something early, and then you obsess about the item, you wonder if you bid enough to get it, and the more you think about it, the more you want it, so you go back and raise your maximum bid.

It's silly but it happens.

I bid just as Organic described! I win almost everything that I bid on, too.

Necia

red lover,

Are you saying that stitchlelo's name never came up as the highest bidder during the auction?

Looking at it now, it looks like that one bidder out-bid himself or herself but I think what happened is that everytime s/he bid, he got an automatic outbid message because of stitchlelo's earlier, and higher, bid. I'd be surprised to learn that stitchlelo's name never appeared as the highest bidder, but maybe there was some kind of a technical error.

I use something called bidnapper which snipes during the last minute of the auction. You can set your bid amount and walk away instead of being tied to the computer those last 30 seconds. Also takes away worries of getting a busy network or something. As they say in that infomercial, "set it and forget it." I highly recommend it.

Here is a link that might be useful: bidnapper

I ditto everything Meg711 wrote.

But I use Auction Sentry.
Same reasons as Meg711. Started when I was on dial-up and got shut offline way too many times in the final minutes of an auction.

Yea, what Meg said... Set it and forget it. lol

I like that!

Red_Lover,
I too see what you mean about the winner's name not showing up until the win.... like was stated above, maybe a glitch because in all my years on Ebay (Selling and Buying) I've never seen a history of bids like that.

If you are still in doubt and want the CSI of Ebay to investigate and give you a detailed description of what/why it happened, go to the link below and ask.
Great bunch of long-time Ebayers who are always more than willing to help disect the hows and whys.

Here is a link that might be useful: New To Ebay- Forum

organic--that is what I usually do, although I have to admit that at times I have felt somewhat guilty about doing it. There is some negative term they use on the ebay boards to describe a person that does this but nevertheless I do it anyway (sheepishly admits)

justgottobeme--I figured that the winner had set an automatic higher bid that made it look like that one guy had out bid himself but I thought his name would then appear on the bid list which is what puzzled me.

littledog-that is why I did not bid on this one, because I want that third one (don't anyone here try to get it!!!) because it looks like it has been stored better. But, I have the first and the third on my watch list. I did get a Terry Redlin once before and was disappointed in the quality (faded), so I tend to be more careful now. Thanks for doing the search for me :-)

meg--No, I never saw stitchlos name before the last bid. That is what puzzled me. A technical error you think? Bidnapper --thanks for sharing this info!

If bidder A. looks like they outbid themself it usually works like this:

Current bid is $25 by bidder A. (but they entered a maximum bid price of say $50)

Bidder B. enters a maximum bid of $35

Bidder A, will automatically be the high bidder at $36 (based on their max bid of $50)

You will never see that bidder B. was the high bidder, but you will see that there were more bids on the item as it jumps to the $36 from Bidder A.

The same would repeat until someone outbids bidder A's $50.

In theory if you bid your maximum price up-front, it's going to be up to someone else to outbid you. In practice, if you place your Highest bid within the last 30 seconds, it gives others less chance to think about it and adjust their bids higher. Nowadays its pretty common on popular items for several bidders to throw down in the last 30 seconds. There's no guarantee's either way unless your the high bidder, it just gives others less time to debate whether or not to raise their cieling. I'd check out bidninja.com I'm not affiliated and don't know anyone at the site but have used it several times. It's free and works like a champ.

happy bidding.

The last second out-bidding is called sniping, and it is the only way I bid.

I haven't looked into whether there are mac programs for monitoring my bids -- is anyone aware of any?

red_lover: When I first started purchasing stuff on ebay, I would get so annoyed with the "snipers." I finally went on one of the ebay forums--can't remember which one--and got in a debate about the ethics of sniping with some of the seasoned members. Finally, they brought me to understand that ebay auctions are not like floor auctions. That, in fact, "sniping" is really a very sane and fair way to bid. "Snipers" don't usually bid any more than they would have bid had they made bids throughout the auction, they don't torture themselves throughout an auction, and the last-second bid represents only what they are willing to pay for the item. :)

As backsweat described .........Stitch put in a bid at 14:07 hrs of at least $100. If $10 was the bid increment then Cody's bids were automatic. Otherwise, Cody kept seeing that s/he was outbid and kept trying.

The time the initial bid was placed it the key to figuring out the bids.

I'll admit it........I'm a sniper! And organic's last sentence fits me perfectly. I became one after getting tired of others pushing my max bid up and then they'd bail.
Not to mention there is many a seller that will have a friend come in and do this in order to push the bids up......not ethical, but it's done.

Hi Mtnwomanbc,

I'm copying/pasting a small article I found regarding Mac Bid Programs.
I haven't clicked any of the links to know for sure but the writer sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

Auction Software FAQ: Software for the Mac By Andy Geldman AuctionBytes.com July 24, 2005 In this column, I will answer some common questions about software for online auction users. Some of these questions are ones I have been frequently asked, while others address areas that are not well understood, or have myths to dispel. If you have a question you would like to see answered here please contact me at the email address below. Today's question is, What auction software is available for the Mac? The Apple Mac computer has risen in popularity in recent years, with excellent product designs, a new operating system, and renowned ease\-of\-use. Although many Mac users also own a Windows\-based PC, they are a loyal breed and prefer to use their Macs whenever possible. There are many web\-based tools for eBay users, most of which should work with Safari and other Mac browsers. But sites vary and there are still incompatibilities that make sites unusable for some users \- anyone who doesn't use Internet Explorer on a Windows PC should test sites in their preferred browser before paying for access. Downloadable auction software for the Mac does exist. The main choices are programs built with cross\-platform languages such as Java, or applications developed specifically for the Mac. The first camp includes AuctionSieve (searching), JBidWatcher (sniping), and MarketBlast (auction\-management tool). These are excellent searching, sniping, and auction management tools respectively, with the added bonus of the first two being free. Software purpose\-built for the Mac includes iSale, GarageSale, and Auction Monitor. For more information try searching the Mac Products Guide or SourceForge's Java section for "ebay" or consult the Auction Software Review's list of Mac tools. Links to Mac Software Auction Software Review Mac Tools: http://www.auctionsoftwarereview.com/mac AuctionSieve (searching) http://www.auctionsieve.com JBidWatcher (sniping) http://www.jbidwatcher.com MarketBlast (auction\-management tool) http://www.marketblast.com iSale http://www.aspyr.com/games.php/software/isale GarageSale http://www.iwascoding.com/GarageSale Auction Monitor http://www.blackmagik.com Links Macintosh Products Guide: http://guide.apple.com/index.lasso SourceForge.net's Java section: http://sourceforge.net/softwaremap/trove_list.php?form_cat=198 About the author: Andy Geldman is a freelance e\-commerce and IT consultant, and webmaster of the Auction Software Review, a guide to eBay software and services (http://www.auctionsoftwarereview.com). Andy lives in London, England and can be emailed at andy.geldman @ salubritas.com

I must admit I actually enjoy sniping. It actually gives me a little rush.

amity, thanks for posting that article. I will look into some of those resources.

Nicole

Good explanation, backsweat.

I generally snipe and I will tell you why. Because you can lose an auction by pennies and if I want the item, I don't want to put in my top bid, let's say, $50, and then, find at the last moment that Backsweat bid $50.50 and I lost my special find. It's not that I don't have a top dollar in mind as I bid, it's just that I'm not willing to lose something for a dollar's difference. You see?
And if Backsweat hadn't planned to really go over $48 for her bid, then, she might just decide to forego her Starbucks Black Tazo iced tea this week and bid an extra $3.50 when she sees that Red is going to win the fabulous antique lamp for just a few dollars more than HER top bid.

So...........

That being explained.....let me tell you a funny (to me!!) story about a Drexel entertainment armoire that I really really wanted to win a few years back. The piece probably cost a few thousand dollars new and it was just sitting there on Ebay with the opening bid set at $99. It was just 2 1/2 hours away and was 'pick up only'. I had been looking for months and was breathless at the thought of getting it. But knowing how auctions grab people's attention when they start getting bids, and how people sometimes shy away from something just sitting there bidless for days, I left it well alone. On Saturday morning, just about an hour from the End time, I stayed home from errands to bid on 'my' armoire. About 20 minutes before the end, someone (I will call her "Betty") puts in a bid. So, the armoire is now officially at $99 but Who Knows how much Betty put in as her top bid???

(Financial note: While I may recognize the value at a furniture store, it does not mean I have that much money to spend or want to. Also, you really do not know just how great the item is in person, till you go to get it. Many photos help, but I am still cautious, and was hoping to win this auction at maybe less than $350)

So, now I have a conundrum. How much did Betty spend? Is she like me and wants a smokin' deal so didn't go too high? Could I steal at the last second for maybe $150? Or should I put in my top top tippy-top bid of $300 at the last moment just to be sure I get it?

Now, just to skip ahead to the finish line...Had Betty not done what she did next, my cheapness would have probably led me to my $150 bid and she would have walked away with this nice armoire (it was 7' tall and 5' wide) for $151.00.
But Betty could not sit there and watch this auction without getting itchy fingers. Suddenly, to my intense surprise, when I 'refreshed' the screen, there were 2 bids.....both Betty of course. About 3 minutes later, there were 3 bids. Betty again. Another minute passed and there were 5 bids. Betty, Betty, Betty, Betty, Betty. Yikes. What is the woman thinking??? I hope she doesn't play poker 'cause she couldn't win against first graders.
Now, this auction looks hot and heavy to anyone poking their nose in to Ebay. How there came to be no one else bidding, I will never know. By the time the last 30 seconds rolled around, and I was thinking how high I really wanted to go over something that I couldn't check out in person, Betty had bumped her own bid 7 times. So I bit the bullet and put in $450. I was mad at me as I did it, because that's more than I wanted to pay for something like that and my budget was really tight that month. Well, Betty won for just under $500. I hope she was happy. But I will tell you one thing for sure. She never intended to pay close to $500 for that armoire. How do I know that?? Because her incremental bids started at $151.00 and only went up by $50 or so in the beginning. Once the auction had played out you could see how much she bumped it. And she wasn't that happy with it either, since her feedback to the Seller indicated that.

I guess I should send her a thank you card. I might not have been happy either, hmmm??

Red

This is what I think happened with the bidding. Check the times of the bids and you'll follow what I'm saying.

Several hours before the auction was to end, Stitch placed a high maximum amount bid that was quite a bit higher than his next lowest competitor's bid. His max amount was not showing.
Cody placed a bid that showed he was outbid. He then bid again and was outbid once more. Cody tried for 4 times to outbid Stitch but his last bid was only 5 seconds before the auction ended and he never had a chance to try again.
Though he matched Stitch's top bid, Cody lost because Stitch bid $100 first. A few cents more and he would have had the win.

I always suggest bidding with some extra odd ¢ thrown in for this very reason.

I agree. If you are willing to pay $100, put in $100.02.

I also snipe...why would I do it any other way...it just drives the price up and puts you at risk at over paying because you want to "win" it. I also look for auctions that end at odd times, when I know most people will not be at their computer. Or mispelled words in the title.