its probably not wise to discuss my bid here until its over
Yep; play it close to the vest, Ian. Just know we're all pulling for you to get it for the lowest possible price so it will soon have a home with you (or one of "us" if it doesn't work for you).
Jim, the only reason to place a bid where there is none is to prevent the seller from removing the item from auction (which they can do if no bids have been received). However, it is rare an item is removed with no bids before the end of auction and if they do, you can always contact them by email and inquire as to the item and their plans for it. Bidding early is to *no* advantage, as it simply drives the price up and starts the auction frenzy, resulting in a higher closing bid than would otherwise occur -- a disadvantage to all but the seller. The advantages are as listed in the linked article you cited. I decide on what my price is before I bid, and that's *it* -- no chance to go up and up, so sniping saves me from Auction Fever as well. If I miss out, then C'est la vie -- it wasn't meant to be.
However, I do not use auto-snipers. Mine is all manual, using an Internet clock set to the same time as eBay's servers. Part of the fun is to see how close I can cut it, and sometimes I miss out to the robots. Again, C'est la vie, not meant to be.
Real bidding is a science as well as an art. I just miss the Dutch Auctions (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_auction ) on eBay (they ended May 2009), where one wanted to have the highest low bid or lowest high bid. You never see them anymore, but they made for some fantastic bargains -- probably 'cos nobody understood them! See:
http://reviews.ebay.com/WIN-A-DUTCH-AUCTION-WITHOUT-PAYING-THROUGH-THE-NOSE?ugid=10000000001026659 Still it was the Dutch Auctions that got me into sniping. There is a certain delight that comes from snagging the winning bid with less than two seconds to go. Heartstopping!
Ah, me; let's keep fingers crossed for a happy outcome on this Nomad sale. Regardless of who wins, I'll be happy for them, as it is a lovely bike indeed.
All the best,
Dan.
