[Gort]

Most seasoned eBay warriors are familiar with “ambushing,” the art of outbidding competitors at the last second. It's a cunning way to prevail against other bidders scrambling for the same rare Corgi Spit. It's such a potent tactic, in fact, you've gotta wonder why more bidders don't use it.

Personally, I like Ninja-style ambushing, the venerable art of remaining invisible, gauging your enemy's resolve, stealthily moving in for the kill, and then swiftly striking a killing blow. With it, you can slice 'n dice your eBay competitor/s most every time. So if you'll indulge me, I'd like to share Ninjutsu Bidding with you. Use this revered Craftiness-on-Steroids technique, and I promise, you'll become a dangerous foe on eBay! (If you ain't one already! )

Ready? Grab your Ninja sword!

Rule One ...

REMAIN INVISIBLE. Be stealthy. Ninjas move in the background unobserved; they are shadowy. Shrouded in black, Ninjas stalk their prey silently, undetected, until – WHAMMMO! They STRIKE! Defense is futile. The enemy croaks.

How do Ninjas remain invisible on eBay?

They DON'T BID EARLY. Once Ninjas bid, they reveal themselves; they're easy to see. Rivals react accordingly. If Ninjas stay invisible, however, their enemies remain clueless that they're even around. Just remember that other Ninjas lurk out there, too. So stay vigilant!

They DON'T VISIT THEIR AUCTION BUT ONCE OR TWICE. Remember those “hit” counters on the bottom of most eBay pages? Really cagy bidders (like yours truly) eyeball those counters religiously. Counters furnish a kind of buyer-interest forecast: heavy traffic (higher hit numbers) signifies heavy interest; heavy interest portends HIGH bids.

By visiting their auctions only rarely, Ninjas artificially (and deceptively) depress that number, distorting the “interest” quotient – at lest partially. Competitor bidders see fewer hits, so they figure they're up against light competition. (Or so goes the theory.)

Rule Two ...

RECONNOITER THE ENEMY. Glean invaluable information. Ninjas study their competition. Why? Because they want to establish their enemy's resolve; they need to know if their rivals will likely spend big bucks.

For example: Our Ninja is bidding on a Donald Duck Spit. He researches his rival's recent purchases and discovers that this bidder recently purchased ten rare Corgi Fighters. What does Ninja deduce from that? Mr. Antagonist Bidder will probably bid HIGH. Which means Ninja will have to bid HIGHER.

Where do Ninjas locate this information?

On the bid history page. On the eBay auction page where it says “History,” they click on the bids number just to the right. On the page that pops up (the bid history page), they click on the latest bidders' name, located just under the word “Bidder.” Then they analyze their enemy's last ten purchases.

Rule Three ...

BID HIGH. Ninjas base their bids on several considerations; namely, rareness of the model, how badly they want it, what they think others will bid for it,etc. Though their bidding price might prove excessive, Ninjas are fully prepared to pay it. They also know they'll bid no more, even under severe pressure.

To enhance their chances further, Ninjas bid odd numbers. Example: Rather than bidding $79.00, they bid $79.07. Unenlightened bidders frequently bid in even numbers. Those extra few cents could mean the difference between winning and losing.

Rule Four ...

When zero hour approaches, Ninjas BOOKMARK BOTH THEIR AUCTION PAGE AND BID PAGE (most browsers accommodate this feature). Why? For easy, quick access (you'll see why that's important in a second).

How do Ninjas create a bid page?

They click on the blue “Place Bid” button on the auction page. When the bid page appears, they type in their bid price (remember the odd-number ploy). Then they click on the “Continue” button. This takes them to the “Review and Confirm Bid” page. This is the page they bookmark. CAUTION!!! DON'T CLICK ON THE “CONFIRM BID” BUTTON!!!! Not yet.

Rule Five ... (this assumes Ninjas have high-speed access)

Ninja bidders coordinate their clock (an atomic clock is ideal) with the timer on the auction page. With one minute to go, they click on their bid-page bookmark (this calls up the bid page). WITH ONLY FOUR SECONDS LEFT, THEY CLICK ON THE “CONFIRM BID” BUTTON. And viola!

They won!!! Hopefully.

Here's the beauty of Ninjutsu Bidding : Placing your bid with only four seconds to go prevents your adversary from counterattacking. He's run out of time! And because you did your homework (stealthily) and bid the HIGHEST you could, you beat your rival/s. Tah-Dah!!!!

Congratulations!

For you guys who don't own an atomic clock but would like to, go here: http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java

[STARMAN 352ND]

Oh Gort.......
You just let out my secret.....
Could not of told it any better..
JP

[david cotton]

There was I doing me Ninja Bidding bit ,as instructed, on a 1/32 Lane Spitfire..... and some sod hit the BIN button and got if for £30

[FormerViperDriver]

I just figure out what's the max I'll pay for a model and bid that. The end result is exactly the same, since I won't suddenly feel the model is worth more 4 seconds before auction close than I did a week before (unless I somehow got additional info on it that would change my assessment). So I guess all this ninja stuff is strictly for the exitement.

And no, my method doesn't make me pay more than I would otherwise. For that to happen, other bidders would have to know exactly what my max was ahead of time.

It's all psychological... But I have no problem with people doing it.

FVD

[PappyB]

Pretty funny, and informative Mr. Gort -- I am pleased to know I am already a Ninja Bidder

Though I add the following to your list:

I have two browser windows open (wide screen monitors are a beautiful thing) -- one with the bid window, the other with the auction page... a minute before the auction closes I enter in my bid amount in the bid window but do not hit "enter". Then I keep refreshing the auction page window to see what's going on. With about 20 seconds to go or less I'll enter my bid, and then hit the refresh window with a second emergency bid ready to go... "the oh crap I didn't really pay that did I amount that I swore I would not go to". Note: this is only for things I really, really want.

the odd amount bid tip is a great one -- several times I've won by just a few cents...

Lots of bidders like to put in a low amount early on an auction so that it gets tracked in their "my ebay" profile, but you're right -- that's just giving yourself away to folks like us....

[PappyB]

Originally Posted by FormerViperDriver

I just figure out what's the max I'll pay for a model and bid that. The end result is exactly the same, since I won't suddenly feel the model is worth more 4 seconds before auction close than I did a week before (unless I somehow got additional info on it that would change my assessment). So I guess all this ninja stuff is strictly for the exitement.

And no, my method doesn't make me pay more than I would otherwise. For that to happen, other bidders would have to know exactly what my max was ahead of time.

It's all psychological... But I have no problem with people doing it.

FVD

Well, yes, that is the practical way to do it maybe but it does drive the price up -- just because I'm willing to pay $50 for a model doesn't mean I want to pay that. Using Gort's strategy you can get that $50 for far less on occasion, and yeah, it's fun, too.

If you enter your max price early, people will creep their bids up to find what it is, then before you know it... it's off to the races. Okay, you may have the discipline to not bid any further but others sure don't and suddenly that $50 model went for $75 and everyone's scratching their heads.... The end result for you may be exactly the same, but not necessarily the seller or the ninja snipers out there


(So Gort, what did you just score taht made you share that post :-) )

Yes, some of us may put a bit too much thought into this...

[MoMo]

I don't, under normal circumstances, bid on die cast items on ebay. However, if there was something which I had to get, I would use the stealth methods which Gort and Pappy employ.

I do use these methods in an arena which is far more competative than die cast, and this ebay area is the Stamps section.

You get to know the competition and, as Gort advises, you have to check their recent purchases to see what they have a bead on. This is a mixure of hard intel and gut instinct, and it is not for the weak-kneed.

Bidding skills require the reflexes of the hunter combined with the guile of the Poker player. You have to enjoy the buzz of the hunt in order to bag the majority of your targets. This fun is multiplied because you may be bidding on about twenty to thirty items which all come from the same dealer and which all close within seconds of one another!

Timing has to be precise and all the items have to be tracked in your " My EBay "or you have no chance. This means that the enemy can see you, while you are aware of a mixture of familiar antagonists as well as a bunch of " chancers " who are doomed to failure!

The one great bummer on the hunt is that you get a glitch or that AOL throws a wobbly and you miss the beat. This is an occasion where you waste adrenalin and a lot of prep time ( not to be wished on anyone! )

MoMo

[Gort]

Originally Posted by PappyB

So Gort, what did you just score taht made you share that post :-) ) :

Pappy,

I used this sneaky technique against somebody bidding on an extremely hard-to-find 1/32 FOV halftrack the other night. I checked his buying history (see instructions), only to find the guy was on a hell-bent-for-leather FOV AFV buying jag, and frankly, my jaw hit the floor. This individual was dropping money like a drunk spills beer.

So ...

I waited, just like a good Ninja should, until the last four seconds and SCALPED the bugger!!!!

Had the model been relatively easy to find, I would have waited for the next auction. But this particular halftrack was so rare, I simply couldn’t let it pass.

The funny part was, this person thought he had it in the bag. Only two other people had bid, and the hit count was low (for this model, anyway); consequently, I’m all but sure Mr. I’m-gonna-beat-everybody-over-the-head was smug as hell. Whata surprise he got!

[PH-LKK]

Nah, the true Ninja snipes.

[FormerViperDriver]

Originally Posted by PappyB

Well, yes, that is the practical way to do it maybe but it does drive the price up -- just because I'm willing to pay $50 for a model doesn't mean I want to pay that. Using Gort's strategy you can get that $50 for far less on occasion, and yeah, it's fun, too.

If you enter your max price early, people will creep their bids up to find what it is, then before you know it... it's off to the races. Okay, you may have the discipline to not bid any further but others sure don't and suddenly that $50 model went for $75 and everyone's scratching their heads.... The end result for you may be exactly the same, but not necessarily the seller or the ninja snipers out there


(So Gort, what did you just score taht made you share that post :-) )

Yes, some of us may put a bit too much thought into this...

Yep, lack of discipline is exactly it. It's like being in Vegas and saying "I'll just gamble $100 tonight, that's it" and then when you lose it, "well, OK, I can make up that loss if I risk just $50 more." And so on.

Not for me.

FVD