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Bitter Noobie Ebay Lesson With An Eastie


Bo Bo Olson

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There was a black Eastie with a 9xxx nib on German EBay. I put in the first bid of 1-E...I'd upped it to a max of E-6, and is sat there, at one Euro.

3 seconds, I was mine...mine...mine. I pushed the refresh button, and had been over bit at the last second.

 

Ok, lesson learned, put in a solid max bid...live and learn, but why the hell did it happen to me who needed a 9xxx nib. Rats...!!

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Explain sniping, please.

 

I'd bid on it days before and there was no movement, and I'd upped it to say $10 or E-6.5 and was waiting for the bid, with my over bid ready.

It went to 3 seconds mine, and I hit refresh and it was gone.

 

Is sniping, having a heavy bid ready, and pushing the button at 1 sec, or is Sniping that a program, that allows one to sneak in a bid a second or three after it's over?

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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I'm with Bo Bo on this one - I dislike snipers and sniping in general, but I guess I understand the purpose. I use Ebay when I don't want to pay retail, and obviously the point is to get it for the minimum.

With pens, at least, many of them will come back around at some point. I mean, there must be thousands of Esterbrooks, Parker 51s, and Snorkels out there, so if you lose one, just bid on another. I've been able to get a number of pens at great prices thanks to being patient.

 

For rarer items, pens included, you need to ask yourself how badly you want it, and bid accordingly. You may still lose, but you've done what you can.

 

Honestly, I'm still bitter over a pair of shoes I wanted, mainly to complete a halloween costume, but I found a nice pair that I would actually wear other times, and placed what I thought was a solid bid. I was the only bidder until 1 second from ending, then lost by a dollar thanks to a sniper. These were a fairly hard to find shoe, and with the holiday fast approaching, I had to resort to a pair I won't wear, though they cost me less.

 

On the flip side, I've made unexpected money selling on Ebay thanks to bidding wars and snipers, so I guess I can't be entirely against them. I've also watched auctions close and sat prepared to enter a higher bid if necessary, a "manual sniper" if you will.

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In a case like yours, it does not matter when you put in your last bid. The highest bidder will win the item even if it is half a second before the end of the auction. In order to protect against that, don't wait for someone to top you. A snipe bid coming out of nowhere at the last second will beat you. You need to have your best bid entered so if you get out bid, it will because the other person was willing to spend more than you were. In that case you can say to yourself that you didn't get carried away with the moment and bid more than you wanted to. Always bid as much as you are willing to pay. A sniper does it at the last possible moment and either does it manually or with the help of software. Either way the highest bid will win whether it was entered at the last second or last week.

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Sniping is waiting until the last second to put in your bid in the first place, and put it as high as you are willing to pay, because there may be other snipers shooting at the same time, and you won't have time for a second bid. Generally, you don't want to bid early because it forces other would be bidders to shoot higher in a guess at what your max bid is. If you leave it at 0 bids, or let someone else get the first bid, you can watch it and calculate what you want to do. If I place an early bid, I try to keep it low so it won't be difficult for someone to outbid me, then I can keep the price down when I come back later to try to get it back. I don't tend to like snipers, so I try not to "snipe" but I do usually wait to bid until the final few hours or minutes. I usually like to give other people a small window to respond if they want to outbid me. I loose more auctions that way, but I can live with myself. Really the best policy is, if you have to have it, look for it here!;) Actually, eBay wise, the best policy is to place one bid that is as high as you are willing to pay, and place it with maybe 20-30 minutes left on the countdown. If you are outbid, someone wanted it more than you did, but at least that rules out the "If I'd only..." factor.

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I was foolish enough (;)) to mention sniping - I didn't intend to turn yet another thread into a war over sniping (although I do object to what seems to be the implication that I should somehow have trouble living with myself for sniping - I most certainly don't, nor do I think I should for any reason at all). But there are more than enough threads on this already.....

Edited by Aysedasi

http://www.aysedasi.co.uk

 

 

 

 

She turned me into a newt.......

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By the by, Bo Bo, doesn't eBay Germany have the 1-click bid function? That gives a live countdown and status so you can watch it come down with your finger on the button to increase your bid. If you expect a sniper, you cna have a higher amount waiting in the bid amount window and as soon as you push the button it goes. It still won't trump a higher bid or a computer program that bids in the last fraction of a second, but it can catch the 3 or 4 second out variety.

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Although I was foolish enough (;)) to mention sniping - I didn't intend to turn yet another thread into a war over sniping. There are more than enough threads on that already!

 

I just thought I ought to say that as likes/dislikes have already raised their head.....

No worries, Aysedasi, whether we like it or not, sniping is a reality in eBay, and when you get frustrated enough, even those of us that don't care for it will try our hand on the trigger... It really comes down to how far you're willing to go.

 

Now as to getting the nib Bo Bo is looking for, I recommend looking for them in odd locations. As stated in another post today, I just got a nice 3668 that was hiding out in one ugly Pioneer pen. No one even challenged me on it. There were various pens that could accept Estie nibs, so it doesn't have to come in a J or what have you. I do searches for "Esterbrook nib" or in my case "Esterbrook 9048 nib" and check the title and description box. That's how I found the 3668 nib. The best auctions are sometimes the ones posted by a seller who doesn't know what they are selling, so they don't put the best points forward in the title. If you see something promising early enough, ask pertinent questions to get to the bottom of it.

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By the by, Bo Bo, doesn't eBay Germany have the 1-click bid function? That gives a live countdown and status so you can watch it come down with your finger on the button to increase your bid. If you expect a sniper, you cna have a higher amount waiting in the bid amount window and as soon as you push the button it goes. It still won't trump a higher bid or a computer program that bids in the last fraction of a second, but it can catch the 3 or 4 second out variety.

 

Not that I know of...or I'd used it. I got to read the instructions again.

I was having to refresh.

I was the first bidder on it, a couple of days before and even with no movement at all, and had upped my max bid a couple of hours before. I was being extra cheap because I'd just bought a Cross Townsend blue pen set on sale for 2/5ths ... from E250 ($375) set down to E-99 and because of coupon at E-90 ($135)...so the bank bell was ringing.

 

I had to buy a couple of inks. I am no longer a three ink noobie....I am a five ink noobie.

Pelikan Royal Blue, Regular bottle and that Guenther Wagner replica Royal Blue with the ink well, that has a built in pen rest, and Brilliant black, my childhood inks from back in the day of the Silver Dollar. I'd bought a sepia Mont Blanc ink, just for the bottle and like it.

My new inks are Lamy Turquoise; the standard which all Turquoise inks are compared, 50 mm for E-6($9)(they did not have any small bottles in the store), and De Artamentis Bordeauxrot; 32 mm which is my first expensive ink, at E- 10, or $15. That was my first expensive ink. Noodlers go for E-9 with out shipping here. I decided to concentrate on German inks, because I can go down and run a dip test on them, and they don't cost as much or more than Noodlers. Mont Blanc ran @E-9 for 50 mm, and Pelikan inks @E-3.50, for 30mm.

 

Just as a price reference with out having to pay air mail costs. I loved ship mail, for 1/3rd of Air Mail, back in the day.

 

It was my fault, not to bid say $15-18 in I was only after the 9xxx, nib. I only bid $10, on a run of the mill black double jewel of one way or the other. Don't know if DJ, SJ, or LJ....didn't care. I have a couple of black Easties, needing a nib, and sac.

Dam, I did not thinking of it's J bar and jewels....stupid of me.

 

Live and learn, and it takes years to get another exact chance. That is the first German Eastie, I'd seen in the four months I'd been looking. The ones in England are expensive, goes by RR and not by air, so it's cheaper by far, than even thinking of bidding on the US/Canadian EBay,and paying gold for air mail costs.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Bo Bo, I'm sorry you had this experience, but it is one that every eBay shopper has sooner or later. Better luck next time.

 

 

I was foolish enough (;)) to mention sniping - I didn't intend to turn yet another thread into a war over sniping (although I do object to what seems to be the implication that I should somehow have trouble living with myself for sniping - I most certainly don't, nor do I think I should for any reason at all). But there are more than enough threads on this already.....

 

Aysedasi, I missed the earlier threads on sniping so let me say that in my opinion you are right. It is part of eBay. I don't like it when I think I've completely repaired a pen and then it leaks all over my shirt, but it happens (very rarely, of course :rolleyes: ). It is part of life. I have, as all eBay shoppers must, learned to bid what I am willing to pay or trust to luck and snipe. No one need apologize for sniping just because I tried to get a pen on the cheap and didn't back it up with my top bid.

-gross

 

Let us endeavor to live so that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. -Mark Twain

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I hope you don't mind me asking, but why the secrecy about which nib it was? Someone here might have one you could buy.....

 

 

 

Thank you for your tips, I will look at them as soon as I get done with this post.

 

It is no secret, a fine 955?, fine....not a semi flex or I'd bid more. I'd bid on any 9 series nib but a manifold. Had it been any flexible nib, I'd bid more.

I know, the 2 series is for normal collecting folks who do not write years long with one nib, just fine. I may well go that direction, if I use logic....do you know many logical folks....logical folks use gel pens.

First I keep spending my repair money, for my 9 Easty / 5 Wearever bought in an Ebay box money on, on sale good Pens like a Pelikan 605, and 400 and this last sale's Cross blue Townsend FP/BP set.

 

Being retired means, a budget of sorts....less held than it should be. I have a 2968, 9268, and 1555. I also have a set of Osmiroid calligraphy nibs, that fit an Easty.

 

First I need to re-sac, get some micro mesh, then I'll worry about fixing up the Easties/Wearevers with good nibs. I also have three or four older piston fillers that I will need to repair.

 

When you buy pens worth E-750* ($1,200) for E-270 ($430), it ends Plan A in a hurry.... Part of plan B is to "Benderize" a BB Pelikan 605 nib into a cursive italic.

That is why there is next year.....for plan C which was once plan A.

 

* such deals are too good to pass up, so the Easties can wait a bit longer.

 

 

My planed Eastie nibs run in the semi flexible nibs, like the 2312, 2441...once I know what the hell a Falcon is vs a 'Normal" stub, 2788, 9048, 9128,9212, 9314 F, M & B, and a 9788.

 

A couple of my old 1950's German/Italian minor name, piston fillers...some day are going to have vintage wet noodles....

 

 

When it costs $6 to get it mailed to me....along with my expensive tastes...

 

Thanks for the thoughts....

I need four more, five max Easties....and I have no idea what to nib them with out side of my Calligraphy set, or will the stubs do the same work....questions that need answers.

 

So I'm glad I'm not a May fly.

Edited by Bo Bo Olson

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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You can win by sniping, or lose by it. All's fair in love, war, and eBay.

 

You can always look for a Buy It Now...

 

Rob G

 

"Sacred cows make the best hamburger." - Mark Twain

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