What does ebay bet mean. eBay Review - Online Auction

In an auction-style listing, sellers name a starting price and you bid against other buyers. You can watch the item to see how the bidding is going. When the listing ends, the highest bidder wins the item and completes the purchase.

tip
Remember, a bid is considered a binding contract. That means that when you bid on an item, you"re committing to buy it if you win.

To answer any questions you might have, this article has links to all of our most useful bidding articles.

automatic bidding

Learn about how automatic bidding and bid increments work.

Retracting a bid

Find out how and when you can retract a bid for an item.

How reserve prices work

There you "ll find any items you" re currently bidding on, items you bid on but didn't win, and any Best Offers you "ve made.

If you want to delete your bid history, check the box next to items you want to remove and select Delete.

What is private bidding?

Sellers sometimes create private listings that keep bidders and the buyer anonymous, particularly when selling highly priced items or pharmaceutical products. There will be a note on these listings stating that they"re private, and that only the seller can see your username.

Why did the item I was bidding on disappear?

The seller may have had to end the listing early - although this is something we strongly discourage. Or, if the seller breached one of our policies, we may have had to cancel the listing.

Why am I getting a message to contact the seller when trying to place a bid?

Sellers sometimes set requirements for potential buyers, based on their payment or shipping preferences. For example, if you don't have a PayPal account or you live in an area that the seller doesn't ship to, you may not be able to bid on their item.

If that happens, you "ll see a message when trying to place a bid, asking you to contact the seller. Let them know you" d like to bid, and they may change their requirements to allow you to take part.

Why can't I bid in my friend's auction?

It "s important to us that auctions are always fair and honest. Sometimes a member who knows the seller - perhaps a family member or friend - bids on an item to drive up the price. This is known as shill bidding and isn" t allowed on eBay.

eBay is one of the most popular sites for online shopping enthusiasts. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that goods on eBay can be sold and bought not only at a fixed price, as in a regular online store, but also in the auction mode (online auctions are the main activity of the site). In order to buy the desired product on eBay, you have to fight for it with other buyers.

On hearing the word "auction", most people immediately imagine the classic English open auction that is so often shown in films: after the announcement of the minimum price, the bidders name prices higher than the initial one, and in the end the winner is the one who offers the highest price that competitors cannot beat. but auction on eBay is different, which you need to figure out in order to win the auction and get the item you are interested in.

eBay is the so-called second price auction: the product goes to the buyer who offered the highest price, but he will pay for it not his own bid, but the second highest bid plus the so-called bid step. Let's look at an example of how the bidding process on eBay works.

When putting up a product for sale, the seller specifies the minimum price for which he is willing to sell the product, and the duration of the auction. Let's say the starting price is $15. One of the potential buyers (let's call him Buyer 1) sees the product, decides to put on it $30 and makes a bet.

The system remembers his bid, but the displayed price remains the same. It will only change after another buyer (Buyer 2) bids. Buyer 2, not knowing how much was bid before him, decides to bid $20.

Since his bid is less than that of Buyer 1, the system will increase the cost of the goods by the so-called minimum bid step. The bid step depends on the price of the product, in this case it will be 50 cents. So after Buyer 2 bid, the displayed price for the item will be $15.5.

After that, Buyer 3 enters the auction and decides to bid $25. After that, the price of the lot will rise to $26(the second high price plus the bid step, which for a price in the range of $25-99.99 is $1), but Buyer 1 will still be the leader, who bid $30.

If no one beats Buyer 1's bid by the end of the auction, he will get the goods, but not for $30, but for the price that will be set at the end of the auction. And if Buyer 4 appears and puts, for example, $40, the goods will go to Buyer 4 if no one has time to put more.

In this case, Buyer 4 will pay for the goods $31, because the second max bid is $30 (what Buyer 1 bid), and the bid increment for $25-$99.99 is $1.

During the auction, you can see the history of bids: you can see the number of bids, the dynamics of changes in the price of the lot, the number of bidders (however, the nicknames of the bidders are hidden). You can also see which of the participants is currently the leader and whether there were breaks in his leadership. but the exact amount that the leader staked is unknown. This is the whole complexity of bidding on eBay: only the current bid leader knows the maximum bid, since it was he who placed it.

Before you bid on eBay, study all the information about the proposed lot in particular : it would be a shame if you win the bid and then it turns out that the seller does not ship to your country or uses expensive shipping services.

In addition, if you refuse to pay for the goods, you will be warned; after two warnings, your eBay account will most likely be blocked. Carefully read the product description and additional information, read seller reviews- in general, weigh the pros and cons before bidding.

Deciding to fight for the goods, determine for yourself the maximum amount that you are willing to spend on it. After that, subtract the shipping cost from it. The remaining amount will be your maximum bid in the auction. Be sure to link your eBay account to PayPal, otherwise your bid will not be accepted.

There are two main eBay bidding strategies. The easiest way is to put the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the lot at any time during the auction. If no one kills her, the lot is guaranteed to go to you. And if they kill you - well, you weren’t ready to pay more anyway.

The second strategy is last minute bet. Typically, bidders are in no hurry to increase bids, as everyone wants to buy goods cheaper. Don't bid early, raise your bids, and fuel the hype: Users will bid up just to find out how badly you want to buy a given item.

You need to wait until the last moment, when there are 30 seconds left before the auction closes, and make your first and only bet by setting the maximum price you are willing to pay. The lot will still go to you not at the price you suggested, but at the second maximum price, and the likelihood that your bid will be outbid at the last moment is very small.

In order to successfully place a bid, please log in in advance and go to the product page. Enter the bet amount in a special window, but do not rush to place a bet: click on the button Place Bid, when there are about 30 seconds left or even less until the end of the auction.

However, even such a strategy does not guarantee 100% success: you are unlikely to be the only one who thinks of using it. The winner will be the one who bids the largest amount. Well the possibility of technical problems cannot be ruled out such as interrupting the internet connection.

If you are lucky enough to win the auction, it is important to detail discuss with the seller the terms of payment and delivery. In the event that you bought a product from a seller from the USA, it makes sense to ask him to send a package from eBay (USPS): this way you can control the sending process.

Each USPS package comes with special label, which contains information about the recipient and the product. You can fill out and generate such a label online using and email it to the seller. All he has to do is print the completed label and stick it on the parcel. So you will be sure that your address is correct and the package will not be lost on the way.

If the search results include lots put up for auction. This is even more striking if the lots are sorted by the minimum price or the minimum time elapsed since the start of trading. It is thanks to the auction prices that the auction eBay famous for its incredibly low prices.

As a result of bidding, the price of a product may increase many times over, or it may increase, but not by much. This is exactly what sellers are trying to make money on, and buyers are trying to save money. After all, if the seller put up for sale a product that is poorly in demand, then there will be few rates for the product and the final price will be determined not by the demand for the product, but by the value of the initial price. And vice versa, if the product put up for sale is in very high demand, then gambling buyers can repeatedly inflate the price. Although any product eBay there is a price, some reasonable limit of cost. Rare buyer-player of the auction will raise the price above this limit. Also, the bidding price at the auction cannot be higher than the price buy now, if such a price is set by the seller for the same lot. Win an auction on eBay, and even so that the final price is not too high, not as easy as it seems. Therefore, to begin with, let's start with how to bid at the auction eBay.

How to bid on eBay

Before you start bargaining, you need to deal with your internal contradictions and understand for what maximum amount you would like to purchase this product. Now subtract the shipping cost from this amount. The resulting difference is the maximum price you should keep in mind while “playing” at the auction eBay. On the eBay the principle of the auction of the second price works. At the end of the auction, the goods are not set the maximum price offered by the winner, but the second highest bid, but increased by a bid step for this price range. This is discussed in more detail with the article ““. The situation is complicated by the betting system Proxy Bid, which itself is traded for the buyer who offered the maximum price, "saving" his time and money.

Let's assume that you have chosen the product you like, you are satisfied with the current price and there is some margin for its increase, you are satisfied with the one offered by the seller or you are already talking about other delivery conditions. To start your participation in the auction eBay open the description of the selected lot.

Next to the Place bid button there is a summary of the bidding process: the current price and the number of bids. In order to more accurately evaluate the bidding process and make the right decision on the size of the bet, it is advisable to look at all the bets made, click on the inscription indicating the number of bets received, in our case it is 6 bids.

You will see a list of bids, the number of bidders, although the names of the bidders are hidden from “prying eyes”, you can track the bidder, and you can also find out how long this bidder has been the leader, and whether there were breaks in his leadership. This is best done by reviewing all bets, including those automatically placed by the betting system. Proxy Bid, use the Show automatic bids link.

In order to place a bid, you can return to the previous page to the description of the lot or add your maximum bid from this page, on the right side of it, in the field next to the Place bid button and click this button. Betting system Proxy Bid, tells you the minimum size of the next bid, which is acceptable for the current price of the goods (the inscription Enter US $3.50 or more). Since we do not want to once again increase the price of the product, we will offer this rate to the system. After clicking the Place bid button, you need to confirm your bid in the pop-up window by clicking the Confirm bid button or change it using the Change bid link.

Don't be surprised if after confirming your bid, a new window will pop up notifying you that your bid has been exceeded. out bid and a proposal to introduce a new rate.

If you wish to continue fighting for the lot, you must enter a bid value close to or equal to your maximum bid (depending on the amount of time left until the end of the auction) and confirm the change in your maximum bid Increase max bid . In most cases, your bid will beat the previous maximum bid, unless of course another bidder has set a lower maximum bid. Now you just have to wait for the end of the auction and your victory in the auction. You will probably have to increase your price and re-bid it to the bidding system Proxy Bid, if the previous one is interrupted by other participants.

How to win auctions and save money on eBay

You can sit and wait until the end of the auction of the selected lot is approaching, at which time it will be traded for you, and the price of the goods will grow more and more. And you can try to save a lot: do not participate in the auction at the initial stage, but start trading 2-3 minutes before the end of the auction, and the shorter this time, the better. The ideal time frame is 10 seconds before the end of the auction. It is in these last moments that it is worth making a decisive bet.

The value of the decisive bet should be chosen with special consideration. Suppose your maximum price you are willing to pay for a product is $50. At the same time, this number is even and simple for counting and converting currencies. These rates should be avoided! Since you are betting at the last moment, and in order to win it is necessary that your bet be more than the previous maximum bet by one step, it is desirable if this difference is more than this amount by one step and a few cents. In this case, the optimal rate would be $51.05. I think that a difference of one dollar does not matter much when the size of the bet is fifty. By making such a bet, you win if:

  • if the previous maximum bet is less than or equal to $50.05;
  • the next bidder's bid will not be accepted if it is less than $52.05.

Accordingly, your bid will not be accepted if the previous participant's maximum bid is greater than or equal to $50.06. Thus, only one cent can play in favor of one or another participant.

By placing a bet on a lot in the last seconds, you can save quite a lot. But this method of “playing” at the auction has its drawbacks:

  1. Are you ready to shop around the world on eBay?


There are many ways to earn or save money online. Ebay virtual auction attracts the second category of users. That is, those who want to save their own money. The Internet platform works by Wishing to purchase a lot, Ebay users simply place their bets. As you know, the goods go to the one who offered the most favorable price for the seller. It becomes interesting how to win an auction on Ebay, the reviews say that it is not so easy. Users go for some tricks.

Simple Rules

Before you wonder how to win an auction on Ebay, you need to know the features of this site. As with other online resources, there are rules here. To purchase a product on Ebay, you will have to comply with them.

  • It is impossible to wonder how to win an auction on Ebay if contact details are not filled in the profile. Because in this case you can't even place bets. The same rule applies to those who provide false information. During the auction process, the seller and buyer need to communicate. That's why it's important to provide accurate information on your Ebay profile.
  • It is forbidden to put up a lot on Ebay and place bids on it. This is contrary to the rules of the auction and is even considered as the actions of figureheads.
  • Even if you are interested in how to win an auction on Ebay, you should not bid on several lots out of interest. It is possible that they will all have to be redeemed. You can withdraw a bet, but this is a rather problematic task. For example, an erroneous action can be canceled, but the user is still obliged to place a real bet. Even with a smaller amount.
  • It is forbidden to buy goods off the site on Ebay. With such a cunning scheme, you can not count on protection against fraud. After all, the seller and the buyer make a deal bypassing the auction. Accordingly, neither one nor the other receives any guarantees or protection from Ebay.
  • Don't bet just out of curiosity. If no one bids higher on Ebay, you will have to buy back the item. Even if you don't need it. In case of refusal to pay, you will have to prepare for any sanctions from the administration of the Ebay auction. That's why you shouldn't place any bids if you don't plan to buy an item.
  • Before you win an auction on Ebay and simply place a bid, you need to study the information provided about the lot in detail. Some potential buyers act wrongly. Sellers, in some cases, display goods only for certain countries. To avoid unfair bids on Ebay, it is better to study this information in advance.
  • If you know the seller personally, it is not recommended to make bids artificially inflating the price of the lot. As a result, you can become the only one who named a high price, and the lot will have to be redeemed. Or refuse to pay and have problems with the administration.

How to bet correctly?

In fact, there is nothing difficult in placing a bid on an online auction. However, you need to prepare for a fairly high competition. After all, many users are interested in how to win an auction on Ebay.

So, the whole process of placing a bet includes a few simple steps:

  • choice of goods;
  • placing a bet and confirming.

Product selection

First of all, you need to find the desired lot. Have time to carefully read the description and cost. If all the conditions suit you, you can place a bet. You should not always trust only the photos posted on Ebay. Some sellers try to mislead auction users. That is why it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the characteristics.

Everyone wants to know how to buy and win on an Ebay auction. But it is equally important not to make erroneous bets. To do this, you need to carefully study not only the lot, but also the seller himself. Beginning participants in the Ebay online auction are advised to pay attention to the rating. The most reliable partners boast a high rate. Ninety-five percent or more.

Placing a bet

Having familiarized yourself with the lot and the seller in detail, you can make a decision. If all the conditions suit you, it is enough just to place a bet by pressing a virtual button with a similar inscription.

How to bet?

If you do not know the answer, it is impossible to understand how to win an auction on Ebay. Tips from experienced users assure that this is important.

So, the Ebay auction uses automatic bidding. First, the minimum price is set, which corresponds to the one indicated by the seller. Further, Ebay instead of a potential buyer raises the rate. Gradually, the auction brings it to the maximum bar. That is why the buyer needs to be careful when setting the maximum price he is willing to pay for the offered lot.

How to win an auction on Ebay?

When setting the maximum amount, it is better to specify not an integer. For example, not $10, but $10.05. In this case, there is a chance to beat a competitor who will bid only 5 cents lower.

You need to be patient and wait for the end of the auction. Statistics say that winning bids on Ebay are made just ten seconds before the end of the auction.

However, you need to understand that even this does not guarantee that the lot will go to you. Some sellers on Ebay have a hidden cost. If it exceeds the bid, the lot cannot be redeemed.

Program

You don't have to do it yourself to figure out how to win an Ebay auction. The program can do everything for you.

For example, Ebay has ProxyBidding. This program monitors the auction every five minutes and even bids for the user.

All you have to do is specify the maximum bid in advance. Then the program comes into play, which is traded no worse than any real buyer.

However, when using the program, the lot will definitely need to be redeemed in case of winning. That is why, before using it, you must not only have a confident intention to buy a lot, but also prepare the specified amount in case of winning.

The largest online auction in the world. Here you can place bets without leaving your home. In this article, we will explore all the features of eBay and give tips for making purchases.

How to shop on eBay?

1. registration
A fundamental operation that opens access to the purchase of goods and auction lots. To fully register an account, it is enough to fill in a few fields and accept the user agreement. The entered data, of course, should be remembered and used when entering the site. A registered profile is equivalent in all eBay affiliates, without restrictions.

Important: in the settings located in "My eBay", you must specify the address of residence and delivery in advance!

2. Product search
It is impossible to overlook the field for entering queries of interest - you can find any products, categories and lots through the search, the main thing is to remember the name or formulate the information correctly. It is useful to use the sorting of drop-down results: price, date of addition, popularity, choose the most useful.

3. Seller rating
If the product you are looking for is found, inspected and selected as a suitable product for purchase, then two important steps must be taken. The first is to study the delivery method, limits, commissions and fees included in the price. Sometimes the product is much cheaper than shipping! The second is to check the integrity of the seller: comments, reviews and guarantees.

4. Buying a product
In addition to direct sales on eBay, there is an auction system where the lot is raffled off and transferred to the buyer. In any case, the purchase must be paid for and delivered. You can use three ways - direct purchase with a postal address. If for some reason the seller has limited the list of countries that can receive the goods, then a direct purchase will help, but using the postal address of a company that rents a place in a warehouse for a separate cost in the country of the seller. In the future, the goods are picked up by a separate postal organization. The third option is the help of an intermediary: an agreement with a specialist will simplify the purchase, payment and delivery of goods, but the price for such services is sometimes prohibitive.

5. Payment and delivery
The eBay marketplace accepts PayPal and Skrill, credit and debit cards, some bank transfers, commercial checks, and cash on delivery. Yes, registering a PayPal account is useful - increased security of financial transactions and impeccable reliability: guaranteed. As a rule, delivery to Russia, Ukraine and Belarus takes several weeks, it all depends on the seller and the chosen postal service. If the goods are incredibly valuable, you can use property insurance - the operation is carried out directly on the site and is paid separately.

6. Receiving a parcel
With the notification in the mailbox, immediately go to the delivery address - enter the information and receive the purchased goods! It is useful to check the parcel at the post office, but not necessary, if the dispute on eBay has been closed for a long time, then it will still not work to shake the rights.

Types of eBay sales

Registration on the site is completed, initial knowledge is mastered, and the desire to purchase several products for testing has only increased? Here's some new food for thought - types of sales on eBay:

1. Buy now(Fixed Price) – immediate purchase category. It is enough to select and add the goods to the basket, and then you can pay and receive.

2. Auction(Auction) - the goods are played for a certain time between the buyer. The most generous participant wins. Important: you will have to pay for the purchase won at the auction in any case. Cancellation is not possible.

3. Buy it Now + Auction- sellers often combine two categories: you can save money by waiting for the results of the auction, you can get the goods immediately, but, as a rule, more expensive.

4. Auction + Reserve Price- The reserved price feature helps sellers set a minimum bar for the cost of goods. If for some reason the amount is below the specified threshold, then the transaction will not be completed.

5. Best Offer(Best Offer) – Trade dispute lovers will be pleased to be able to personally bid on certain items. The seller is not obliged to agree, but the opportunity is useful!

How an eBay auction works

The eBay marketplace, when selling goods to the public, adheres to an innovative system of automatic bids - a special mechanism that simplifies bidding several times. The operation of the system is easier to consider in a specific situation:

1. A lot has been put up, the initial price is $10. Each bidder evaluates the item and sets a suitable price up to which he wishes to bid. All rates are hidden from both competitors and the seller, only the actual price of the lot is shown.

2. The main struggle unfolded between buyers "A" and "B". "A" is ready to buy a lot for $15, from which the initial price of the lot has changed to $10.50 (initial price + auction step equal to 0.50).

3. But the offer of buyer "B" is higher - the bidder is ready to buy a lot for $20. The price changed again and became equal to $15.50 (buyer A's offer + auction step depending on the current price of the lot).

4. From now on, buyer "B" is the main contender to win the auction, while he will pay not the 20 offered dollars, but only $ 15.50 due to the convenient pricing system on eBay. Of course, the bid of buyer "B", while the auction is going on, can be outbid by other participants, including buyer "A", who received an e-mail notification of a change in leader. If new buyers bid $25, the lot price will change again to $20.50 (buyer B's bid + auction step). And so on until the end of the auction. It is important to remember about the auction step, which changes depending on the current price of the lot.

The system helps to save time by placing a bid only a few times during the entire time of the auction.

Winning auctions are mandatory paid by the buyer - placing a bid, forgetting and refusing without consequences will not work. The system will punish with a warning and ruin the reputation of the created account. If there are three warnings, then eBay will close the account and bury the opportunity to bid. To receive a new account, you will have to change your first and last name, address, card and PayPal. However, you can bury your account with one warning - sellers also look into the profile of buyers and do not conduct financial activities with potential deceivers.

How to win trades

First of all, evaluate the product - look at the offers of competitors on the Internet or on eBay, find out the cost of shipping and commission fees and form a maximum bid and subtract half. This is enough to test the determination of other applicants - the cost of the goods will change several times, and calm down.

A few minutes before the end of the auction, you should enter into the last fierce battle for the exposed lot - it is ideal to put money in the last 60 seconds: the chances increase several times. But be careful: a poor-quality Internet connection and an unverified payment system can enter at the wrong moment and spoil the moment of the bet!

Time can also interfere with the victory at the auction - auctions, as a rule, take place during the day in the USA, when it is already dead of night in Russia and neighboring countries. How to defeat opponents? With the help of snipers for auctions! Such programs place a custom bid literally five seconds before the end of the auction. But here it is important to calculate the cost and plan everything, the program will do the rest automatically.

Rapidcatch will help you win - a sniper in Russian!

Shopping - what's the deal?

Buying cars at an auction is unprofitable - the reason for this is exorbitant customs payments, difficult delivery. As a rule, sellers do not ship the car - you will also have to hire an intermediary, and these are additional costs. And finally, it is not safe to make transactions using photographs - what secrets does the iron beast actually keep in reality? You should not consider buying a computer and accessories and expensive mobile devices - the risk is real.

There is a high demand for collectibles and antiques, watches and clothes - the choice is beyond, and it will not be difficult to choose the desired delivery conditions. The most popular lots, of course, are from the “Trifles” category: screen films, protective cases, headphones and chargers, stickers and mice. Prices vary depending on the seller and delivery.