Successful eBay Bidding Strategies
By Steve Woodfield
As the Internet’s biggest consumer-to-consumer marketplace, millions of people use eBay to purchase everything from clothing to automobiles every year. But as frequent users discover, it can be difficult to win some auctions without breaking the bank account. Luckily, eBay provides these great tips on successfully winning items at the lowest price possible.
Here are a few helpful strategies:
Bid Sniping
: Probably the easiest strategy, bid sniping involves waiting until the final seconds of an auction before placing your bid. If there are not automatic bids in place, a sneaky bidder can nab an auction right at the end – usually at a great price.
Proxy Bidding
: As eBay uses an automatic incremental system, proxy bidding can be very efficient. Simply place a bid at the highest level with which you’re comfortable and eBay will auto-bid on your behalf until that amount is passed.
Buy It Now
: Many items on eBay list a ‘Buy It Now’ price that disappears with the first bid of an auction. A shrewd eBayer can still find great deals using the ‘Buy It Now’ option if they act quickly.
Bid Nibbling
: Much like a dog staking out its territory, bid nibbling can ‘claim’ an auction as yours as long as you continue to place small bids to show your dominance. Being the highest bidder for the majority of the auction raises your chances of not only winning, but of warding off prospective buyers unwilling to engage in a bidding war.
eBay is a great way to find exactly what you’re looking for at a bargain. And if an item isn’t available to be shipped internationally, or the shipping rates are outrageously high, open a ReShip.com account and have your items shipped to your own address in the United States. ReShip.com will consolidate your order and forward it on to you, no matter where you call home.