[MadDog]

Originally Posted by youtkiddin

ok so let me see if i can ask this question without to much confusion on my part. just remember im new to it. and maybe its already been explained. i undestand there is a way that ebay will bid up for me. looks like .50 cents. but lets say i will pay 22.00 for the item and its at 13.00. i see where it says max bid. do i put my 22.00 in that box? im afraid it will jump all the way to 22.00 immediatly. where as id like it to only go to lets say 13.50.

Originally Posted by Bakeme521

It all depends on if other people are bidding on it. Lets say the bid is at 13 dollars and the max your are willing to pay for it is 22, just put 22 and see what happens. It will only go up to the person who is holding the highest bid's max bid. So if they put 17 as their max, then it will go to 17 and you hold the highest bid. So if someone comes along and decides to put 20 as their max bid they will be out bid by you but the bid will jump to 20 b/c that was their max bid. Some people will say wait to the last min, but if in reality 22 bucks is all you want to pay it doesn't matter when you put your max bid in.

Not a very good explanation.

If your max bid is $22.00 and the other person bids $17.00, then your last, automatic bid will jump to $17.50 (not $17.00 as stated above). If they put $20.00 as a max bid, again the last bid will be yours, at $20.50 (not $20.00 as stated above).

Here's what eBay says about proxy bidding:

Q - What is proxy bidding?

A - (From the 'Help' pages) Here's how bidding on eBay works:

1. When you place a bid, you enter the maximum amount you'd be willing to pay for the item. Your maximum amount is kept confidential from other bidders and the seller.

2. The eBay system compares your bid to those of the other bidders.

3. The system places bids on your behalf, using only as much of your bid as is necessary to maintain your high bid position (or to meet the reserve price). The system will bid up to your maximum amount.

4. If another bidder has a higher maximum, you'll be outbid. BUT, if no other bidder has a higher maximum, you win the item. And you could pay significantly less than your maximum price! This means you don't have to keep coming back to re-bid every time another bid is placed.

Q - I entered a proxy bid, but I changed my mind and would like to bid more. How do I bid more?

A - Simply bid again. You can always raise your bid, you just can't lower it.





If you try to "snipe" an item, the other person may have put in a max bid, which will always beat out your same bid, because it was earlier.

Also, if you think that everyone who has an excellent record is trustworthy, you'd be wrong. Excellent reviews can also be bought on eBay. Look up "positive feedback" on eBay.

Here's what eBay says about bidding:

Q - What is the most efficient way to bid?

A - A good general rule of thumb frequently given by Answer Center Responders is to:

Bid once.
Bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay.
Bid as late in the auction as you are comfortable...the later the better.

Many seasoned eBayers will agree that the most inefficient way to bid, is called "nibble bidding". Nibble bidding occurs when a member bids against another members proxy bid by bidding one increment at a time in an attempt to outbid the earlier proxy. Or, in a reserve price auction.....the bidder will bid in increments in an attempt to reach the reserve price.

[Bakeme521]

Way to be nit picky, Just giving a general explanation with round numbers to make it easy to understand. The idea is the same.