This Is How I Feel After Being Outbid On Esties.

[liz4tin]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J0GVux-in_4/TWsLllUB_4I/AAAAAAAABJs/sjmldUjrlhI/s1600/lol-cats_outbid-cat.jpg

 

 

I've bid on no less than eight Esties this week only to be outbid in the last minute.

[GardenWeasel]

I'm suddenly glad I've not been bidding on any Esties recently!

[escribo]

:ltcapd:

 

Err... I mean, aww

[Scrawler]

I understand, I used to be like that. Are you after any particular model or colour?

[Koyote]

Why would you be angry? After all, if you were willing to pay more, you would have bid more -- right?

[Snowie]

Not always, sometimes someone will get the a bid in right at the closing bell and you don't get a chance to put in something higher.

[faustulus]

Not always, sometimes someone will get the a bid in right at the closing bell and you don't get a chance to put in something higher.

Why not just put in the maximum you are willing to pay up front?

[nickapos]

hehehe

do not worry, you will get it sooner or later if you persist...

[Koyote]

Not always, sometimes someone will get the a bid in right at the closing bell and you don't get a chance to put in something higher.

 

Then you deserve to lose the auction. Again, I see no reason to be angry, other than at yourself. If you really want something, bid the price that represents the max you are willing to pay, and forget about it. Then if you don't get the item it is for exactly the same reason why I don't own a Mercedes: because you were not willing to pay such a high price.

 

I'm not angry that I don't own a Mercedes.

Edited September 9, 2012 by Koyote

[Sasha Royale]

That is exactly how you should feel, when you lose. Otherwise, winning is deminished. :clap1:

I recently discovered the J-series Esterbrooks, after trying one belonging to a friend.

(Although I am probably working against my own interest, I will continue.)

I have won four in the past twelve months: 1 Transitional, 1 J, 1 LJ, and 1 SJ. For

a once "dollar" pen, they write really well.

 

To me, a restored Esterbrook J-series is worth $25. If done by one of the two Ebay

hobbyists, who put in much TLC, $35. With a second nib, $40. Any item at auction

is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

 

What do I get for $40 ?

1. A J-series Esterbrook fountain pen that is fun to use

2. The satisfaction of supporting someone who loves fountain pens

(I like people who love fountain pens.)

3. A neat gift, if I decide not to keep one of them

4. I enjoy winning, without spending a lot.

 

I don't bid on every pen that interests me, but I am always looking.

 

So, bid accordingly. Enjoy the ups and downs of life. And don't let your cat

do your bidding. Don't have forty bucks ? Take your magnifying glass to yard

sales, and learn to restore Esterbrooks pens.

 

Have fun.

:roflmho:

[checkrail]

After the investment of excitement and competitive spirit in an auction, many people change their mind as the price rises as to their maximum bid: most of us have been there! I have come to the conclusion that like at cards concealing your hand until you play is best: a maximum bid at the last moment gives the best chance. If bidding is already beyond what I am prepared to pay, I do not bid; if I am outbid by a higher max. from someone else I do not care, but the max. adjusters get shut out and cannot force up the price.

Kind regards

Timothy

[OcalaFlGuy]

A couple more points to consider.

 

It is my opinion there is an ebb and flow to Fleabay pricing. That's when it pays to spectate over a period of time and try and better nail down what the prices are doing.

 

Sometimes you need to reappraise what your REAL objective is.

 

Is it to get The Best Deal you can or get a certain pen you want even if that means bidding a bit more than you might usually bid.

 

If you want a nice Root Beer J or an obvious Streaker you need to observe the FACTS of what those items bring $ wise in the real world instead of listening to the rote party line that those 2 pens technically don't exist and aren't "worth any more" that a run of the mill Estie. If the "party line" were completely twue then the experts would have just as many Streakers and Root Beers for sale as the rest of their pens, For The Same Prices and the little FACT they Won't Mention is that They Don't and Won't have that.

 

I also think it helps a lot to not bid on auctions (if possible) that end during the weekend. People have more time then to more closely scrutinize auctions and their own emotions about what they are willing to bid than one that say may close at 11 PM on a Wednesday.

 

If you are bidding for The Deal, then you can't be THAT disappointed when The Deal rises to the $ level that it No Longer IS a (good) deal. If you really want that Streaker, Root Beer or other harder to find example, then be ready to swing a big enough bat to get it.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Edited September 9, 2012 by OcalaFlGuy

[liz4tin]

I'm not really upset. I thought it was funny. I keep getting sniped at the end. Literally in the last minute. A lot of times, I'm not by a computer at the end of the auction as well.

:roflmho:

[publishing guy]

Some good folks on this forum insist on taking everything seriously -- rather than simply laughing at a funny picture to which almost anyone can relate.

'

On a side note, there are at least five very good hobbyists who sell good working Estie restorations on Ebay. Just look at feedback.

 

And as one previous poster noted, prices seem to move on some sort of cycle. Right now, prices are a little on the low side. Maybe a year ago, a nice :happyberet:restoration (and some that weren't) seemed to consistently command $50+. Seems to me that a lot of them can now be found for "buy it now" prices closer to $40. Forty bucks is by no means too much to pay for a good fountain pen. I've paid a LOT more for pens I use a lot less that a good Estie.

 

Keep having fun.

Edited September 9, 2012 by publishing guy

[pajaro]

That is exactly how you should feel, when you lose. Otherwise, winning is deminished. :clap1:

I recently discovered the J-series Esterbrooks, after trying one belonging to a friend.

(Although I am probably working against my own interest, I will continue.)

I have won four in the past twelve months: 1 Transitional, 1 J, 1 LJ, and 1 SJ. For

a once "dollar" pen, they write really well.

 

To me, a restored Esterbrook J-series is worth $25. If done by one of the two Ebay

hobbyists, who put in much TLC, $35. With a second nib, $40. Any item at auction

is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

 

What do I get for $40 ?

1. A J-series Esterbrook fountain pen that is fun to use

2. The satisfaction of supporting someone who loves fountain pens

(I like people who love fountain pens.)

3. A neat gift, if I decide not to keep one of them

4. I enjoy winning, without spending a lot.

 

I don't bid on every pen that interests me, but I am always looking.

 

So, bid accordingly. Enjoy the ups and downs of life. And don't let your cat

do your bidding. Don't have forty bucks ? Take your magnifying glass to yard

sales, and learn to restore Esterbrooks pens.

 

Have fun.

:roflmho:

 

From my observations recently, and from having been outbid at much higher levels than what you put forth, I think the market is unfortunately for us moving upward. I would tend to agree with you about what the pens are worth to me.

[pajaro]

A couple more points to consider.

 

It is my opinion there is an ebb and flow to Fleabay pricing. That's when it pays to spectate over a period of time and try and better nail down what the prices are doing.

 

Sometimes you need to reappraise what your REAL objective is.

 

Is it to get The Best Deal you can or get a certain pen you want even if that means bidding a bit more than you might usually bid.

 

If you want a nice Root Beer J or an obvious Streaker you need to observe the FACTS of what those items bring $ wise in the real world instead of listening to the rote party line that those 2 pens technically don't exist and aren't "worth any more" that a run of the mill Estie. If the "party line" were completely twue then the experts would have just as many Streakers and Root Beers for sale as the rest of their pens, For The Same Prices and the little FACT they Won't Mention is that They Don't and Won't have that.

 

I also think it helps a lot to not bid on auctions (if possible) that end during the weekend. People have more time then to more closely scrutinize auctions and their own emotions about what they are willing to bid than one that say may close at 11 PM on a Wednesday.

 

If you are bidding for The Deal, then you can't be THAT disappointed when The Deal rises to the $ level that it No Longer IS a (good) deal. If you really want that Streaker, Root Beer or other harder to find example, then be ready to swing a big enough bat to get it.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

This is absolutely sage advice.

 

My most reasonable ebay purchases have come during the week from Monday to Wednesday using a sniping program, because I work evenings.

 

If you cannot beat the snipers, join them. These days my purchases are few, though I like to watch items.

[olivier78860]

I think ebay sniping is very unfair. Not because I'm outbid, it happens. But because when a bot is monopolizing bandwidth to place bids and it can do it 20 times a second, and the page lags, you are just disqualified from trying.

 

*Edit* I never bid on week-end ending auctions anymore for this reason.

Edited September 9, 2012 by olivier78860

[PR Wright]

I just got outbid in the last minute myself for an Estie that I really wanted- and for just a couple of dollars. Since the thing hadn't had a bid in three days, I just assume it was a sniping program. The bid was entered at less than one minute. I don't feel angry, just frustrated. I prefer live auctions. The bidding goes until someone reaches their limit.

 

I don't mind losing so much when the bidding is active and climbing. I do mind losing to sniping programs for a couple of reasons listed above.

[OcalaFlGuy]

I think ebay sniping is very unfair. Not because I'm outbid, it happens. But because when a bot is monopolizing bandwidth to place bids and it can do it 20 times a second, and the page lags, you are just disqualified from trying.

 

 

 

IMO, this "logic" is faulty on at least three points.

 

-The simple fact is, if you bid high enough, you will beat every one of the snipers.

-All the snipe programs I'm aware of place their bids in the last 6 seconds or so. If you are relying on the strength of your bid, your bid would have been in long before the slight maybe 2 second lag from the snipers.

-Lastly, and most importantly, you can easily out snipe the snipers. I often hand fire my bid and can pretty consistently do that within the last 2-3 seconds before the end, Faster than All the auto snipes.

 

EDIT; Sniping is a topic that has been repeated beaten to death here, Lazaruated then beat to death again. It's pretty well established that sniping really has only 2 real effects on the auction, Both of them being advantageous to the bidder;

-It helps prevent early escalation of the bidding

-It reduces or eliminates the emotion of the bidding having you bid higher than you originally intended.

 

Again, the higher bid will win Always. No matter When that bid is placed.

 

Now, I personally can come up with Just One point where sniping makes Ebay less fun for me and that's spectating a listing. 98% of the bids coming in the last 5 seconds of the listing pretty well eliminates any spectator fun but this is purely incidental to the real process of the auction.

 

Bruce in Ocala, FL

Edited September 9, 2012 by OcalaFlGuy

[olivier78860]

Point 1 : That might be true, but there is always the logic of fair price + something. Fair price is what I estimate to be ok, so I'll bid this. the "+ something" is the premium I'd be ready to put in order to get it. I'm not going to bid 200€ more than what I estimate fair, just to make sure I'll get it.

 

Point 2 : I have experienced serious lag because of this. Don't forget the confirmation of the bid needs another step, compared to the bot.

 

Point 3 : It happened to me, but never on week-end auctions. I am in France, so when I bid on a US auction, I'm far away. Usually if there is something happening in the last 20 seconds, I give up, from experience it's too late to win.

 

That must be why I'm buying less and less from ebay. The more it goes, the more I find the system flawed towards bidders, so that prices increase, and it's frustrating.

Edited September 9, 2012 by olivier78860