We've all been there. We see the perfect item at the perfect price. It's exactly what we want! There is 6 days and some odd hours left in the auction. We think we'll enter a bid and see how it goes. So we make our bid and nothing happens to the price for several days. We get all excited - I'm going to win this for the price of a cup of coffee! Then the last 24 hours roll around. Another bidder places a bid, forcing us to bid again or just forget the item. So we get caught up in the chase and forget the item is only worth about $2.50 retail in the first place. We have to have that item! We absolutely must be the high bidder!
Boy, are we saps or what. Listen, it just isn't worth it to play the seller's game. When you search for an item you want, use the "Time Left" feature, look for items similar to what you want, find one ending in 8 hours or less, and see what the going price is. Then bid on the item(s) that really meet(s) the price you are willing to pay. Set a fixed price in your mind, and if the price exceeds what you are willing to pay or what the item is worth, stop bidding! And don't even start bidding until the item has less than 12 hours left. It's pointless to bid sooner, because until those last 12 hours you have no idea what level of gepetition you are going to experience for that item. Be patient, and bid if and when the price is right.
I have seen countless items, especially geputer geponents (as that is what I mainly buy from okay auctions) get so overbid that it just isn't funny. Some of the items could have been obtained locally at a much lower price, and that is before the absolutely ridiculous shipping charges are added in.
Don't fall victim to the excitement of the chase! Use your gemon sense and be patient. The item you want will most likely be available again, and sooner or later, you'll find an item that meets your price point. Don't enrich the seller at your expense! That said, you can't expect the seller to give an item away either. Just remember the seller is out to make money, and it's your money they want. Be sure that the item you want is worth the price you are bidding before you bid.
Deal with quality sellers. Quality sellers offer shipping that is priced in line with what you are buying, not with the amount of profit he/she intends to gain from the inflated shipping costs. Use gebined shipping whenever possible - you will really save some bucks that way. An example of inflated shipping that gees to mind is $25.00 to ship one stick of geputer ram from anywhere, USA to anywhere else, USA. That is absolute profiteering. You can ship a stick of geputer ram anywhere in the world for $25.00. Buyer beware when it gees to shipping costs.
One last thing. If you have a good experience, post positive feedback for the seller. That helps the rest of us know we are dealing with square traders.
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