Your average ebay’er is scum of the earth competition. Use any means necessary to outbid him. But anyone bidding on a unicycle has to be from here. Seems a shame to have a bidding war with each other.
Re: Outbidding each other on ebay
Present company excepted? 
I dunno about forum members running to ebay for their wheel. Although I did buy my uni there, I was looking for a bottom price to get back into the sport. I will be more discriminating in my next purchase, and odds are against finding what I will be looking for on the 'bay
I’m just saying there are only so many unicyclists in the world. It seems like a lot are on here. Probably most of the ones who are online. So its a good guess anyone buying a unicycle anywhere is on here.
This would not apply to people buy junk unicycles i guess…
Re: Outbidding each other on ebay
Can you suggest a process for avoiding bidding wars among frequenters of Unicyclist.com, rec.sport.unicycling, and winternet@unicycling.org? (I’m not sure of the last one, but think it captures the idea).
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
I can’t think of something if the seller is not a regular. If he is then sell it over the forums. But if not I can’t see any way.
Hmmmm. Let’s see.
I see a unicycle on ebay for which I’m prepared to pay up to £100.
You’re prepared to pay up to £110 for it.
On what basis are you going to let me have it for £100?
Dave can only afford £75. Should I let him have it when I’d be willing to pay £100?
So along comes Harper, only willing to bid US$1 and we all step aside and let him have the unicycle for a Dollar because he’s one of us?
That’s not how auctions work. Individuals place their own values on items. The one who is prepared to pay the most gets the item.
Your idea of a cartel to drive prices down would only work if:
- Only “we” were bidding.
- “We” were buying it for our joint collective use with no sense of individual property rights.
Are you or have you ever been a communist?
<Bright lights in eyes… constitutional rights go out of the window… showbiz career ends in failure…>
Actually, a friend and I have done this.
We were both interested in the same item.
He was willing to max bid $225.
I was willing to max bid $200.
So, I did not bid.
Why didn’t I bid?
Because if I had bid, then he would have had to pay at least $202.50; but, because I didn’t bid he had the chance to win the item for an even lower price. If he won the item, say for $175, I would still have lost nothing, because my $200 bid would have been out bid by his $225 bid.
To work fairly, this obviously requires honesty among the participants. NOTE: This type of collusion be prohibited by eBay policy - I have not checked.
Absolutely not!
Oh, you weren’t asking me.
Given the juggler/unicyclist motto that, “You can’t have too many props/unicycles”, the Marx quote, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need” kind of goes out the window or at the very least gets a bit warped.
Cheers,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
But isn’t the US$ worth about 274.38 in any other currency in the world?
>>>>But isn’t the US$ worth about 274.38 in any other currency in the world?>>>>
Last I heard, it was worth about 10 bob…
I don’t think it will work. The great thing about ebay is the seller gets rid of something they don’t want, and the buyer gets what they want. The buyer always pays the price that is equal to their offer. If you pay more than you wanted to pay, you only have yourself to blame.
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Not all unicycle buyers are people who post to this forum. I will assume that the majority are not. That’s because there aren’t that many of us. We represent a very small fraction of the unicyclists out there, let alone people who might be buying a first one.
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If you see something you think other forum members are bidding on, post the question to the group and see if that person responds. Then you might be able to make a deal. This can work if you are the only bidders.
No! The buyer always pays either the minimum (if he’s the only bidder), or a small amount above the 2nd highest bidder’s max bid.
ALL eBay bids are maximum bids. The only time it will cost you your max bid is when the 2nd highest bidder’s max bid was close to your own bid.
Example:
- the highest bid is $300
- the 2nd highest bid is $200
– the winner gets the item for $202.50
That’s not correct. This can work even if there are other bidders; it will work so long as the other bidders do not place either the highest or 2nd highest bids.
Examples
example 1 - works to buyer’s advantage
- item opens at $150
- other bidders bid $150 $160 and $175
- I will bid $250
- you will bid $300
If I withhold my bid because I know you will bid higher than me, than you win the auction for $177.50; I saved you $50 by not bidding.
example 2 - works to buyer’s advantage
- item opens at $150
- no other bidders
- I will bid $250
- you will bid $300
If I withhold my bid because I know you will bid higher than me, than you win the auction for $150; I saved you $100 by not bidding.
example 3 - break even (no effect on outcome)
- item opens at $150
- other bidder bids $275
- I will bid $250
- you will bid $300
You win the auction for $280. Since I would not have been the 2nd highest bid, it makes no difference whether I bid or not.
example 4 - break even (no effect on outcome)
- item opens at $150
- other bidder bids $350
- I will bid $250
- you will bid $300
You do not win the auction. Since I would not have been the 2nd highest bid, it makes no difference whether I bid or not.
Summary: I we bid co-operatively, then either
- it makes no difference in the outcome, or
- the outcome is to the winning buyers advantage (and to the seller’s disadvantage)
All well and good to hold down the transaction price so we don’t needlessly push the price. But, what if the seller is one of ‘us’ also? Then doesn’t this result in the seller getting less than he would in a non-conspiratorial auction.
Hmmm.
On a related eBay topic: why sniping works.
(If someone has seen a better writeup on this, please send me a link to it).
Sniper advantages:
- more likely to win
- more likely to win at a lower price
- you can raise, lower or cancel your bid right up until the end of the auction
Sniper disadvantage:
- network glitch or problem with the sniper program/service can prevent bid from being placed
---------- non-snipe example ----------
Item opens at $100.
You place (max) bid of $100 - price now $100, you are “winning”.
I place (max) bid of $200 - price now $102.50, I am “winning”.
You decide you’re willing to bid $110, but since my max is already $200 - price now $112.50, and I am (still winning).
You give it some more thought and bid $125, but since my max is already/still $200 - price now $127.50, and I am (still winning).
You can keep on upping your bid like this, but until you place a bid over $200, all you are accomplishing is raising the selling price, to my disadvantage and to the sellers advantage.
Let’s say you raise your bid to $150 and then give up - price now $152.50, I am winning.
Assuming no one else bids, then I win for $152.50
---------- snipe example 1 - I win & I save ----------
Item opens at $100.
You place (max) bid of $100 - price now $100, you are “winning”.
Using a sniper, I place a (max) bid of $200. Since I am using a sniper, my bid will not be placed with eBay until the closing seconds of the auction. So, the price remains (apparently) $100 and you are (apparently) “winning”.
Since you have the high bid, you leave your $100 bid alone.
5 seconds before the auction ends, my sniper places my (max) bid of $200 - price now $102.50, and I win because time is up.
Compared to non-snipe example: By using the sniper, I saved myself $50.
---------- snipe example 2 - I win & I save ----------
Item opens at $100.
You place (max) bid of $100 - price now $100, you are “winning”.
Using a sniper, I place a (max) bid of $200. Since I am using a sniper, my bid will not be placed with eBay until the closing seconds of the auction. So, the price remains (apparently) $100 and you are (apparently) “winning”.
Joe Smoe places bid of $110 - price now $110, Joe is “winning”.
You decide you’re willing to bid $115, price now $115, you are “winning”.
Joe Smoe raises his bid above yours to $120 - price now $120, Joe is “winning”.
You give it some more thought and bid $130 - price now $122.50, you are “winning”.
(Joe gives up)
Since you have the (apparent) high bid, and even have room to spare, you leave your $125 bid alone.
5 seconds before the auction ends, my sniper places my (max) bid of $200 - price now $132.50, and I win because time is up.
Compared to non-snipe example: By using the sniper, I saved myself $20.
---------- snipe example 3 - I win (but save no money) ----------
Item opens at $100.
You place (max) bid of $100 - price now $100, you are “winning”.
Using a sniper, I place a (max) bid of $200. Since I am using a sniper, my bid will not be placed with eBay until the closing seconds of the auction. So, the price remains (apparently) $100 and you are (apparently) “winning”.
Joe bids $197.50 - price now $102.50, Joe is “winning”.
5 seconds before the auction ends, my sniper places my (max) bid of $200 - price now $200, and I win because time is up.
By using the sniper, I saved myself $0 - BUT …
If I had not used the sniper, Joe would have had time to reconsidered his bid and potentially outbid me.
---------- snipe example 4 - I do not win auction ----------
Item opens at $100.
Using a sniper, I place a (max) bid of $200. Since I am using a sniper, my bid will not be placed with eBay until the closing seconds of the auction. So, the price remains (apparently) $100 and you are (apparently) “winning”.
Someone (either using a sniper or not) places a bid of $250.
5 seconds before the auction ends, my sniper places my (max) bid of $200 - I lose auction.
I do not win auction, but it doesn’t matter, if $200 was the max I was willing to pay, then I was going to lose whether I used a sniper or not.
Good point. Maybe …
You could consider driving the price up “charity given to the seller”. You consider keeping the price down “charity given to the (final) buyer” (who may or may not be one of ‘us’). So the question becomes: who do you want to be charitable to? (And do you or do you not wish to “conspire”?)
This is why when “we” are selling to each other we should’t use ebay. 
YES!
finally someone understands my third-world currency dilemma
I think you are missing the point. What some of us are suggesting is that Dave should back out of bidding because you would have won anyway.
-Eric