Okay, that is definitely not only a bad Photoshop job, but it’s pretty scary if I do say so myself.

I just won an eBay auction….sniped at the very end between two people who spent a lot of time slightly counter bidding each other, increasing the price.
I just wanted to write about my eBay experiences, how (I would) bid on a closing auction. I can’t really call myself a pro, despite the title of this post. Maybe it’s not the best way. But it’s how I do it…

Things to do:

1. LOG IN to eBay a few minutes before the auction ends and make sure you’re logged in. Nothing worse than bidding last minute and then having to log in first….screwing up your carefully laid timing.

2. OMG DO NOT BID UNTIL THERE’S LESS THAN 30 SECONDS LEFT. Watch ahead of time to see how many people you’re competing with. The more people, the more likely you’ll have to have a high bid.

3. Figure out what the maximum amount you’re willing to pay is.
…and if you’re like me, figure out a slightly higher REAL maximum amount incase someone beats that bid and, like me, YOU DON’T WANT TO LOSE. OMG maybe I shouldn’t write this guide, too many personal characteristics getting in the way. Anyways…figure out those 2 amounts, you’ll likely only be able to bid twice.

4. Make sure your internet connection’s not too laggy.

5. Anyways…this is how I bid…
In the closing 15 seconds, put your first maximum bid in. eBay won’t just suddenly take that bid. If an item is like, $16 and you put $50, it will list the bid at like, $18. And then someone will have to counter that bid. But you’ll continuously overbid them (eBay does it automatically) until your $50 isn’t enough. eBay is awesome in that way but people don’t know that, they assume it’s like a regular auction.
This way, you put in a max amount you’re willing to pay, but you won’t even pay that much….unless someone else has a higher max bid. And that’s what your second, final last bid is for. And also why you only have 15 seconds. That’s just enough time to bid and confirm bid once. And bid and confirm bid twice if it’s not enough.

That said, I haven’t won all the auctions I do simply because I don’t bid enough. But I know not to bid early and bring up the price for no reason…I never never bid in an auction until the final minutes. And most times I’m beat out, it’s cause someone else has done the same strategy, with a higher maximum bid than I. It’s unlikely those that casually bid small amounts will beat you…cuz they don’t know how to play the game.

BTW: I bought that Green Zelda book…for a game I don’t have. Cuz now I have the Blue Skyward Sword book, the Brown Twilight Princess book, and this Green one….ALL OF THEM! TRIGUIDEBOOK COLLECTION COMPLETE! NOW TO GO FIND A MASTER SWORD (off eBay)….no, seriously, I really want to buy one. Maybe when I have a house.