Tim,
On a few auctions I've ended up in a similar situation. Accordingly, my
preferred method of bidding on eBay is what is derided by some as
'sniping'. The process requires a good Internet connection. You figure
out the maximum you REALLY want to pay for something, and the amount
you'd NEVER pay for such an item. Then you go to the auction you're
interested in, a few minutes before it closes, and refresh the page a
few times to see what kind of connection delay you have, as well as the
time offset between your PC's clock and the eBay clock. Pop up a second
browser and prepare your bid, using the maximum amount you're interested
in paying for the item. Go all the way to the last step but don't submit
your bid. Now wait until the auction is less than about 10 seconds
before ending, and THEN submit your bid. In this way, anyone
counterbidding will not have time to top your bid. Either your maximum
value is greater than theirs (and everyone else's) or it's not. If you
see the auction going over your 'never' limit, then walk away... or
reconsider your options. Either way you don't play your hand until the
last second.
You can sometimes see others planning this strategy, if the auction page
has a 'hit counter'. If you reload the page, then reload it a minute
later, and see the counter has incremented by more than one, you know
someone else has loaded that page as well in the last minute.
In my opinion, this is a good way to avoid getting sucked into paying
way more than you want if you're up against a newbie. If you're up
against experienced eBay buyers (that may also be setting up to 'snipe'
the auction) then it's a matter of who is willing to pay more for the
item. And that's what an auction is supposed to be all about.
Having said all that, I've bought and sold way more Tiger stuff through
people on the mailing list than with eBay, and never regretted one
transaction. It's better to keep it in the family as much as possible.
Theo
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