How to win a bid on eBay?

[jeans]

There's something on eBay I really want to get! Any top tips on winning a bid?

[Sal*UK]

Bid late
Bid high

[xxMUSExx]

Don't put in a bid like '£2.99' or '£4.00'. But something random like '£8.76'. People will place bids like £8.50 and say 'I'm not going higher'. Even a few pennies can make the difference. Also, bid as late as you can, preferably in the last 20 seconds but make sure to leave enough time to go through the bidding process! Hope this helps! X

[Shalen]

Always keep a budget. Don't get carried away to try and win the bid. Tactics are:
-wait till the last minute to place a bid
-always bid an amount ending in .51 or .01 as they usually try to bid whole numbers or with a .50.
-bid on many if its not a one off item.
-make a deal with the seller by communication.
The wait till last minute is your best bet as it always works for me if its in my budget. Also use the .51 and .01 method. Stops outbidding in small amounts and they think you've bidded loads and they are deterred.

[Jane Leanne]

If you have an android as well, like I have, this helps a lot because you install the ebay app, along with a google account, which is very helpful too.
And, you get instant pop ups saying you've been outbid. Item ending soon etc.
You click on it and immediately get bidding.
Be quick if you really want it.

[relievedhose883]

The later you bid the better off your chances are. But the higher you bid, the less that matters.

[C4TZ ЯU13]

when i see an item i really want, i add it to my watch list, then as the action comes near to the end put my maxium bid, always an odd number like £7.83 select place bid,then wait till 3 seconds then select confirm. for items i am bidding on i know roughly what bids are likely to win. i have about 90% success rate on realistic bids, occassional if there is something i quite like not dont expect to win, i put a low bid in, sometimes win those are a bonus.

never bid more than you can afford or really want to pay.

[Fairdo4all]

There are NO magic formula's ! Think about it, the winning bid is the highest figure anyone has bid. You have no way of knowing what other people have put in as their maximum bid. Placing a bid in the last couple of seconds will not help you if someone else has already got a higher maximum lodged with ebay. The nearest thing to a certain winner is to bid well over what the item is actually worth. So say the item is worth a tenner, you put in a maximum bid of 20 quid. ebay only use enough of your maximum to beat the next higher bidders highest figure. So if the next highest bidder had put in a maximum bid of say 10.50 ebay would beat him on your behalf and you would win it for about 11.00

One thing though, always remember that ebay even in just the UK is an absolutely huge market place.
Don't overbid as there will always be another of the same coming up before long.

[Sean Quinn]

Be sure that you are online watching the auction as it ends. Place a bid (highest bid) and then keep freshing the page as the last 30 seconds or so goes down, be quick it you see you have been outbided and that will leave almost no chance of a comeback bid.

[bron357]

The only way to win is to bid more than everyone else. It doesn't matter when you bid, either you bid the most or you don't. So, think about how much you can afford to spend and bid that amount. Then you have to wait to see if anyone else also wants it bad but has more money to spend than you! Good luck. And make your bid an "odd" amount ie not $100 but say $103. A lot of people bid "even amounts" like $100 so you want to bid a bit more. But if someone else bid $105 you won't win.