Auctions | Free Auctions | Online Auctions

Many bidders are so caught up in the eBay auction for a popular item that it is quite common for it to sell for more than the BNP offered. I know this sounds unbelievable, but it is true and happens quite often.

For example, a CD player could be offered at $50 start price in auction, but also at a BNP of $120. You can either enter into the auction for it, or buy it immediately for $120. I have frequently seen a dozen bidders, especially for items around $100 or more, get so caught up in the bidding that the winner ends up buying it for $125. $5 more than they could have had for at any time during the listing period!

If you are bidding on eBay, keep an eye on the BNP, and if the auction is approaching that price, and you really want the item, just buy it. It might cost a few dollars more, but at least you have it.

If you decide to bid on auction, you have to understand how eBay bidding works. If bidding on an item has reached $150, and you make a bid of, say, $151, you might receive a message “You’ve Been Outbid by Another Bidder”. This means that another bidder has bid more than you have, even though the highest bid displayed is lower than yours is. That is because eBay only shows the highest bid in relation the one below it. EBay use bid increments that relate to the price of the item, and only displays the increment above the lower bid, not the complete bid that the highest bidder has made.

Hence, if a bid is at $148 and a bid is made of $160 against it, then that will show only as $150 (increment is $2 up to $150, then $5), and you don’t know this until you bid $152 and find it too low.

What if you want the product—see part III