[DrunkSmurf]

You've probably been there before.
The auction that ends in an hour and a half. The auction of something you can't walk away from, and you know you have the determination* to win it.

Can you leave, to kill the time? Placing an early bid, even if you're certain you will be the highball, will invite a futile bidding duel in which the suicide bidder knocks you up a dear $10, even $20, only to plunge with his Mitsubishi into the ocean.

So, do you walk away? And get absorbed by that newspaper article for an hour and forty-five minutes? Walk your dog only to wander one hour and thirty minutes too far?

No. You sit glued to your computer. Glued to ebay.
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Forget the bargains. Give me a buy-it-now for 100% more than what it's worth. Give me anything. Just give me back my youth.
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Footnotes:
* and the funds

[Bunno Smurf]

The scariest thing about reading your post, Tim, is how well I can identify with it.

How often has that itchy ebay trigger finger wanted to bid early only to have the head say, "No No..someone will bump you up..wait and you can get it $10 cheaper!"


I was thinking the thing that most likely is stealing my youth is the "10 secs to go" heart palpatations. Ever done that??? Sit there and press refresh like crazy (with another window open with your bid already to strike) holding out for the last 10 secs to bid...your heart racing like crazy. Thank goodness for ADSL. With the old dialup you'd have to bid 2 weeks ahead and you'd be lucky if your bid registered in the last 10 secs. (okay slight exaggeration but you get the point!)


I agree: All Hail the BIN auctions!

[DrunkSmurf]

My first "10 seconds to go" was more heart-pounding, light-headed feeling, and adrenaline pumping than my first ... well, it was freaky strange.

And the final victory rush was only superceded by the vague realization nobody actually tried to outbid me and the "rush thing" was all in my head.

[DrunkSmurf]

Yeah, I won the item.

And, yeah, it was uncontested.

One person bid the starting price two days ago. Another person upped him one notch yesterday, then I stomped down a big whopper bid (losing my nerve at 11 minutes to watch helplessly as anyone could have eaten me alive to my max).

But, no one apparently cared that much. Probably the two grandmothers I was competing against were already in bed. <Yawn>

[eggie smurf]

You two are funny....I can't relate (yeah, right!!)

[Syd Smurf]

I used to get up about 3am or 4am for the auctions I really wanted even if they were common ones when I first started as all of the good stuff was in Europe....I don't do that anymore and therefore seriously lose about 90% of the auctions I bid on every week...which isn't bad cos I know I can't win them all (or more to the point afford them all).

I know about the heart palpatations but what's worse is when you fill in the time playing something really daggy like patience or something to fill in time before the auctions end only to actually lose track of time and miss the auction by about 30 seconds.

d'oh d'oh d'oh d'oh d'oh

I have done that on some nice auctions in the past and it's about the only time you ever hear me swear out loud.....but I make up for it when it happens.

Dyar

[Rachel]

Hi guys, yes I'm afraid I can totally relate to the "Ebay rush" as well. The last few seconds of an auction, especially one you HAVE to have is just the best. There is of course the downside of sniping and that is only having one go so if you don't bid high enough or someone else is sniping too there is nothing you can do and the worst when you forget and miss the auction by a few seconds.

[Smurfysmurf]

I can relate, too..... totally...

When I was new to ebay, I would outbid myself in the last minutes, to make sure nobody outbidded me...... until I realized that it was me driving the price up... ... and until I learned to snipe,... but the downside is I am so inpatient, I'd rather sit there and hit the refresh button every second than snipe . I am always afraid I miss it during the last seconds

[JT]

I have cure. Place your absolutely highest bid and walk away. If you don´t get item, there´ll be more in future. What´s the rush? Is there competition going on that I´m not aware about?

This has worked fine for me, I haven´t won many eBay auctions though

JT

[Syd Smurf]

That's what I now do JT....I lose a lot but most of it I can live without anyway.....I still win more than I can afford and it's always a surprise each day to see what I won overnight.

Dyar

[Smurfysmurf]

I think that's what I end up doing, because I have been going just plain crazy, bidding and winning lately, that I can't afford much more.....
My problem is the walking away...... once the bid is placed.....

I tell myself... willpower... .willpower.... willpower... .... You have to have some willpower

[Gerda]

I tell myself... willpower... .willpower.... willpower... .... You have to have some willpower

I try to tell myself the same thing, but I have absolutley NO willpower what so ever so I end up doing stupid things to win auctions. I've outbid myself already too, usually that happens after I got outbid on another auctions and I decide to stick that max amount toward another auction. in my mind that is called budegeting. One thing I do quite well is bid on stupid things after being outbid on something I really wanted.. kind of like sympathy bidding. It ends up being more than what I wanted to spend and it gets me into trouble. And some of the things that end up arriveing at the house are mind blowing.. kind of a what where you thinking moment


gerda

[Syd Smurf]

One thing I do quite well is bid on stupid things after being outbid on something I really wanted.. kind of like sympathy bidding. It ends up being more than what I wanted to spend and it gets me into trouble. And some of the things that end up arriveing at the house are mind blowing.. kind of a what where you thinking moment

Yep....me too

I have bought some stupid smurf things lately and have really diverted from the smurfs that I really want....I am probably thinking of selling off the smurf junk and just keeping the smurf items I really like instead some of the crap I wasted money on lately.

Got a call from the credit card company today....I am sure they will offer to help me sell off even the stuff I really like.

Dyar

[SMURFYSTEVE1]

This all sounds to true. LOL its makes you age with every second you sit in front of the screen refreshing it every second you can just in case some one trys to out bid you . Mind you i think its all worth it in the end................as long as you win. Then a little youth comes back as i run around the floor screaming with joy as i won my first suprise cone. (As im sure Eggie can remember) LOL
Ebay certainly takes over your life when it comes down to smurfing.
Smurfy regards, Steve.