BUYING
ON eBay 1:
NEGOTIATION
THEORY & HANDLING SNIPERS
CONTEMPORARY
NATIVE AMERICAN CUFF BRACELET
Sterling
Silver, Multiple Stones
Sold on eBay by: sauna1@bresnanlink.net
Late 2011
This article and the series that used to be attached to it was the #1 Google ranked series on eBay at one time! That time was a while ago; much has changed on eBay and the world. I'm updating this website, pulling down everything that's not getting much action. This article remains popular. I'm leaving it up but pulling down the rest of the eBay series. (Though I am leaving the articles on financial recovery and fighting eBay addition up. Those are a public service. You'll need those, whether or not you want them.)
Have fun with this article, noting that it, too, is a bit dated. Check facts with the eBay site on line.
Happy reading,
Sandy Nathan
Dear
Readers,
This
article, like everything in Spurs Magazine, evolved from my
life. Within minutes of finding myself on eBay, I knew I had
something. I also knew something had me, and it was prime material
for Spurs. I conceived this series. I wrote. And wrote. And
wrote more. Interesting things that happened while bidding.
Informative things. Often charming, amusing, touching, and hysterically
funny things. I wrote of events that were maddening and, once,
terrifying. Compiled tips. The text of this article on
buying hit 72 pages! With no sign of stopping!
Where
was the thread to bind this stew? The nugget that was not only
different than what everybody wrote about on-line auctions,
but would end my verbal hemorrhage? Beats me. I kept writing.
Then--
I sat up in bed one morning and hit myself on the head, "Sandy!
You dumbkoff! What about your NEGOTIATION STUFF?" There
it was, the nugget, the thread of meaning, just waiting for
me to see it.
By
purest happenstance, I worked for a professor at the Stanford
Graduate School of Business for, oh, about 18 years. Dr. Richard
Tanner Pascale is co-author of The
Art of Japanese Management, author of Managing
on the Edge, & co-author of Surfing
the Edge of Chaos. Richard taught Negotiation and Intervention,
by far the most popular course in the Stanford BIZ School for
many, many years. I had the good fortune to be part of a team
that helped him teach his many students. We facilitators videotaped
the students' negotiations, debriefed them, taught active listening
techniques, graded papers, whatever. "A 'C' in Negotiation
is a 'C' in life!" , the MBA's said. Pretty true: studies
showed that grades in Negotiation and a few other courses predicted
lifetime success better than overall gradepoint. Certainly,
what I learned working for Richard Pascale changed my life.
Why
hadn't I applied these principles on line?
I
rewrote this article. Split it in half. In this part, I deal
with negotiation theory and sniping-- two big topics. I weave
the various elements together: first, nitty-gritty info sources
about eBay. Followed by negotiation theory. Anecdotes about
the idiotic way I started buying. Links to software you
want/need to bid successfully. Sure fire ways to beat sniping.
The second article on buying talks about "Hot Spots"--
things you should know about as a buyer which aren't apparent
in the rules & written material. More key links. More idiotic
experiences only I could produce.
This
is an adult series. Funny how we equate "adult" with
"sex", when in fact, sex is the least adult thing
many people do. Adult means emotionally and physically
mature. Capable of leading a truly human life, capable of making
informed and responsible decisions and living by them. You need
to be an adult to participate fully in this on-line auction
business. I matured as a result of my participation in eBay.
I hope that this article will help you do the same. It's still
a long article: you may want to download it to read away from
the computer, remembering that it's copyrighted, of course.
Sandy
Nathan
NATARAJ: "THE
DANCING SHIVA"
In Hinduism,
the Nataraj represents the dance of life, the play in which
we are a part.
Sold
on eBay by:
turquoise
DIRECTORY
TO THIS ARTICLE:
BUYING
STUFF ON eBay: WHAT YOU
The only
skill you need to buy on eBay is the ability to point a cursor
and click. Oh, yes-- you have to be able to type your e-mail
address and make up a password you can remember. You'll be able
to buy something. Perhaps not what you need, or even
what you want-- but something. This article is intended
to help you increase your chances of getting what you want,
on eBay and off of it. This requires information and a framework
to put it in.
FIRST:
THE INFORMATION. Finding yourself on the massive
eBay site for the first time is a confusing experience. I can't
put all you'll need to navigate eBay in this article, but I
can give you some tips. I've used/read the guides below and
recommend them. Click on the titles and our Bookstore
will take you to the Amazon.com site to order. (Or the eBay
site, or eBay Magazine's web site.) Be sure and check the reviews
written by other Amazon readers before plunking down your plastic.
Use your Back button to return here. (100% of our rebates from
Amazon go to charity. You might want to bookmark our Bookstore
and use it as your regular Amazon access.)
THE
eBay WEBSITE: eBay provides a great,
complete, absolutely up to the minute guide to itself on its
own pages. Log on and start reading. Check out the Help Pages,
Ask eBay, Buying and Selling. Services. All the Guides. Even
the Bid Sections of each auction provide wonderful information.
The site evolves every day-- see the text below. Some Amazon
reviewers of the books listed below said, "Why do you
need books? The site does it all." It does, and it doesn't.
When I have a question, I like a hard copy I can hold in my
hand without waiting for it to load. I want something I can
take away from my computer and read. Still, eBay's Help and
Service people are hard to beat.
eBay MAGAZINE: Another
way of getting up to the minute info on eBay and its community.
I enjoy this Magazine and subscribe. Fun & informative.
Great stories about eBayers.
THE
OFFICIAL eBay GUIDE To Buying, Selling, And Collecting Just
about Anything, Laura
Fisher Kaiser & Michael Kaiser, with an introduction by
Pierre Omidyar, Founder and Chairman of eBay Inc.
I expect official guides to be public
relations pap, avoiding issues. This one isn't. Discusses
sniping, for instance. In his Introduction, eBay Founder Omidyar
talks about fighting snipers to get his wife's wedding present
--on the 'Bay, of course! Tons of really helpful info about
the site, searching, lots of stuff I didn't find elsewhere.
Great stories about eBayers!I Handicapped people able to make
a living, people marrying as a result of eBay. Heart warming
& useful.
eBay
THE SMART WAY: Selling, Buying, and Profiting on the Web's
#1 Auction Site, Joseph
T. Sinclair. "The completely unauthorized guide to eBay
auctions". I inhaled this book. I like it because of
its management orientation (published by the American Management
Association), its clear and complete guide to beating sniping,
and it's great common sense. I
found Sinclair's anti-sniping techniques more useful than
what is presented in the Official eBay guide. Sinclair
shows you how to do everything, AND includes HTML templates
so you can put up good looking auctions by yourself! Some
info is dated: eBay currently forbids advertising objects
not related to your auction on your ad page, for instance.
eBay
FOR DUMMIES, Roland Woerner, Stephanie
Becker, Marsha Colier. Published
with the authorization and assistance of eBay. I like this
guide very much. It covers almost everything-- doesn't
talk about sniping, for instance-- but it gives you everything
you need to buy or sell successfully. Covers pre and post
sale stuff--right down to how to pack your sold items. Gives
a good run-down on the auction assistant services and programs.
Everything. Clearly and simply. Not for dummies. For neophytes
.
Here's
a link to Amazon.com
for additional
shopping.
Back
to directory.
ZUNI
INLAY BELT BUCKLE
Sold
on eBay
by
turquoisesilver.com
HOW
ABOUT A LITTLE NEGOTIATION THEORY?
Hopefully
you've delved into the resources above and have some information
under your belt. You've cruised eBay a bit. You're ready to
bid, or like me, you've been bidding and want to get smart about
it. Here are the Principles of Negotiation based on what I learned
a few years back. I've changed the principles and added material
applicable to on-line auctions.
On-line
auctions are negotiations. A negotiation is a process for attaining
a goal which involves use of personal skills and power. A goal
can be narrowly defined: "I want that silver serving
spoon on eBay, now." Or a goal can be stated broadly,
"I'd like to buy a serving spoon at a reasonable
price within a specified time frame on eBay, or some other place
that better fills my needs." Broader still, a goal can
ask, "Is a silver spoon something that helps me attain
my purpose in life? Am I better off with or without it? Is buying
at auction effective? How can I spend my time and resources
most effectively?" And most broadly, "What is the
purpose of my life? How should I spend my time on this planet? Why am I here?" The levels nest within each other,
operating simultaneously. We will be talking about all goal
levels as we discuss auctions.
How I attain
my goal is the negotiation. How I get from where I am to where
I want to be, defined narrowly and broadly, is the negotiation.
The skills must I master to attain any goal are the
negotiation. When I was in graduate school in counseling, I
recall a professor saying that the first half of life is about
attaining the skills to "make it". Learning how to
earn a living. Learning how to manage relationships so they're
positive and long lasting. Learning how to care for children
and be a decent parent. After those skills are mastered, a human
being is free to explore what really matters: The purpose of
human existence. What has timeless value? Why am I here? What
legacy will I leave?
How does
this relate to on-line auctions? Well, you gotta learn how to
get the silver chicken, or Elvis' socks, before you can ask,
"Is this how I want to spend my time and money?" Getting
Elvis' socks or Elian's raft requires some doing-- it's not
easy to win the material object of your dreams when a billion
other bidders want it, too. So let's get some skills.
OLD PAWN
TURQUOISE AND CORAL BRACELET
This
spectacular bracelet was sold on eBay by howlingdogtrader,
"the Neiman's of eBay".
PRINCIPLES
OF NEGOTIATION & ON-LINE AUCTIONS:
- HAVE
HIGH ASPIRATIONS. The most important point of negotiation
theory is: If you don't think you can, you can't. You are
what you think, and also what you aspire to achieve. Webster's
definition of aspiration: A great desire to achieve something
noble. So, in on-line auctions, you have to want to
achieve your goal, at all levels. Get the silver spoon (or
object of your dreams)! Get it at the best price! Learn to
work the system (within the rules)! Wonder if the on-line
auction scene is where you should be! Put those aspirations
WAY up there!
- POSITION
YOURSELF ADVANTAGEOUSLY.
This means setting up the negotiation so you have the advantage.
In a regular negotiation, it means doing things like not going
out to buy a car when you're hungry. Setting up the physical
site so the opponent has the sun in his/her eyes. Making sure
the other side sees only your strengths and how you
view the situation. On-line auctions provide limited ways
of positioning oneself compared to many negotiations. But
they're there. What can you do to make yourself look good?
To give yourself power? First off: Make sure your Feedback
is squeaky clean: it's how you're known to buyers and
sellers. For a buyer, getting good feedback involves paying
the seller in a timely fashion and being polite. Don't bid
unless you can and do pay. Doing your homework is another
way of positioning oneself: What have similar items sold for
in the past on eBay? On other on-line sources? At the store
down the street? Don't assume eBay is the only way to buy,
or the cheapest. Above all, don't assume yours is the only
reality. Just because you want something doesn't mean
others don't, too. You simply can't see them on line.
- CONTROL/MANAGE
INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY.
The beginning eBay buyer will see something she likes and
jump in with a bid, flashing his/her existence and desire.
That buyer will bid all along, upping her bid every time a
new one comes in. She'll make sure she's in first place the
whole auction. Then she'll go to the grocery store when the
auction closes. She'll be bitter/angry about losing and may
send nasty emails and post mean messages on bulletin boards
to retaliate. This is not just unsophisticated, it's dumb.
The buyer who acts like this shows poor strategy and very
poor management of information. And ignores the basic truth
of a timed auction: The only second in that matters is
the last one. The only bid that matters is the one that wins.
Be skillful in terms of what you show your fellow bidders.
Don't flash your desire. Don't even show up if you don't have
to. Don't bid early. Watch the bidding pattern. Check
out the other bidders. Bid based on strategy, not impulse.
The person whose bid shows the whole auction is probably not
the person who takes home the goodies.
- USE
POWER EFFICIENTLY. Power
in auctions appears in two main places: Winning the auction
and handling disputes. The biggest barrier to winning the
auction is snipers. We'll talk about them at length. Handling
snipers requires using all the bidding tools at your command:
Get set up to shoot in that last second bid. Get whatever
software you need up and operational. Use what's available
to you. All of it-- within the rules. Second biggest barrier
to winning auctions is your budget. See the Financial Recovery
article when it's up for tips on increasing income. The other
place you need to use power is in handling disputes. You bought
it-- it arrives and it's junk. What do you do? There'll be
more on this in the second article. Check out the eBay Safe
Harbor. Use those books noted above: Use the techniques they
outline for disputes. Know communication skills. Listening
skills. Don't blow up. Anger is the least effective emotion.
- KNOW
YOUR OPPONENT. Read
everything you can about the seller. Lots of information is
available right on the auction ad. Read the seller's "Me"
page, if they have one. The seller's list of other items for
sale. Study the entire auction page. Read return policies,
warranties (if any), shipping charges & policies. Notice
anything unusual. If they say, "I will arbitrarily terminate
my auction to prevent sniping. Bid early if you want my priceless
sterling silver dust mop," believe them. E-mail the seller
for info about the object if you have questions. Check his
Feedback. If there's enough Negative Feedback, do you want
to buy from him? The other bidders are also your opponents.
Look at the bid history on the auction page. Look up their
"Me" pages, if they have them. Check out what these
people are biding on. (See the How To Resources above for
how to track what other user's bids. It's on the eBay site
& in their official Guide.) After watching specific auction
categories for a while, you'll know the competition. Are you
outgunned financially? Then you'll have to be fast and look
for flukes.
- KNOW
YOURSELF: What motivates you? Do
you go for status items? Buy to fill inner lacks? Make yourself
feel better? How often do you shop? What's your pattern? What
draws you to on-line auctions? The adrenaline rush? The suspense?
Are you using auctions to avoid things you should be doing?
Or are you just trying to get a deal?
Find the needs that lie under your wants. Do
you need that object, or just want it? What
is it about it that you really want? What abstract quality
does it have-- beauty? Peace? Timelessness? How can you get
that quality for less? How about for nothing? Do you really
need a rare Pez container? What will it mean in 100
years? Will that Marvel Comic fill the need under your
desire? Really? What builds you, not your collection?
Can you take your collection with you when you die? Who are
you, really? What do you value?
- DEVELOP
A CONCESSION STRATEGY: Not
much concession in an auction. You win or you lose. What do
you do if you lose? Whine? Blame? Send nasty emails to the
winner? Binge bid on something else? Kick the cat? Learning
to lose gracefully is probably the most useful thing you can
do. In the large sense, you win when you lose an auction if
you can do it graciously. Give it your best bid, play your
toughest strategy. You win, great. You lose, no sweat. The
great Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, said people can grow
in two ways. One is by getting what they want. The other is
by not getting it.
To be the
greatest winner at an auction, remember that the small goals
nest inside the larger one. Who am I? Why am I here? How does
what I'm doing now support that? Keep that in mind, you can't
lose an auction.
Back
to directory.
BEAUTIFUL,
OLD NATIVE AMERICAN NECKLACE WITH "DRAGON FLY' CROSSES
Native
Americans modified the cross shape, adding another cross piece
to resemble a dragon fly. This beautiful, very old and fine
necklace is made of silver coins hammered into discs and joined
to form beads. The lovely turquoise studded crosses provide
the perfect complement to the coins.
Offered on eBay by realbetsy
HOW IT FEELS
Sounds
very rational, doesn't it? Would you like to know how it feels to encounter the on-line auction world? Consider me as I wandered
onto eBay months ago. Green as grass, "Oh, look at this. Native American jewelry. Oh, wow." Lots of
Native American jewelry. Fourteen single spaced pages just listing
it. A bonanza. I love Native American jewelry. Absolutely
adore it, currently owning several tons of silver and turquoise
alone. [Almost all my discussion of buying revolves around Native
American jewelry. Don't assume what I say automatically applies
to Vintage Automobiles, for instance. Or Betty Boop Cookie Jars.
It might, but there might also be differences. Do your own research.]
I like
the old pawn jewelry best. It's tarnished and corroded. Ancient.
Primal. Utterly hand made. Exquisitely idiosyncratic, no piece
the same. When I see the old pawn stuff, I think of wide open
spaces. Pure and unsullied people wearing it for ceremonies.
Wearing it to hang out. Wearing it while tending their sheep,
whatever. I may invest more romance in the jewelry than it's
original owners felt. Why would they have pawned it if they
were having so much fun? Nevertheless, the stuff resonates with
my soul. Like this piece:
OLD PAWN
TURQUOISE & SILVER SQUASH BLOSSOM NECKLACE
Sold on eBay by: classics4you@aol.com
I'd
rather have the necklace above than the crown jewels of Europe.
Which is good, because crown jewels are much more expensive.
Anyway, here's me discovering eBay: "Oh, wow! Look at that!"
Then double-wow, "Look at the price!!" I know
Native American jewelry, and I know it's prices. The necklace
above would cost around $1,500 in Santa Barbara. It went for
around $300 on eBay. Holy macaroni! More clicking revealed more
bargains. What I'd wanted for so long (and didn't even know
that I wanted!) could be mine!
A problem
emerged right away. I can't afford such necklaces, even at 1/5
the retail. $300 bucks is still $300 bucks. I used to allow
myself a $45 splurge at a favorite jewelry store every couple
of months. But this! This river of jewels! Seriously good stuff!
That was the thing-- What was being presented for sale was quality
goods, not junk! I registered as fast as I could, which wasn't
too fast. Registering at eBay involves reading the vast and
complicated user's agreement and agreeing to it. Other people
might just look at it and agree to get out of reading it, but
I had to read every word. (More on this compulsiveness later.)
Once agreed, I picked a user name (vilasa
is our ranch name) and password. I set about to find something
I wanted. It wasn't hard.
There it
was: the object of my dreams. A turquoise and sterling silver
artist's conception of a dead chicken. Okay. I found it. How
to bid on it? Brain straining mightily, I found the portion
of the auction page where you place your bid. [Hint: It's on
the bottom. Click everywhere on the eBay site when you
start. Find out what all those "hot" buttons have
to say. Just watch it when you click on anything with a dollar
sign in front of it. A bid is a binding, legal contract.]
Having
located the place to bid, I read the minimum amount and ---
bid it! A screen came up saying, "You have been outbid
by another buyer. Try a higher bid." Some guy must have
bid just a nanosecond after me! Wow. Was that guy ever fast!
So I bid again, higher. Every time I bid, someone bid faster.
And it was always the same guy! He had to be sitting there at
his computer! I tried later. Same thing. He must live
by his computer!
More clicking
lead me to the answer: That someone had placed a proxy bid! I didn't know what that meant. More clicking. A proxy bid
is when you bid the maximum price you're willing to pay instead
of just the going bid. eBay secretly records that maximum and
bids upward from that for you, bit by bit as other people make
bids, until your maximum is reached. Then it sends you an e-mail
saying, "Nanny nanny, you're not first any more."
(They're more polite.)
How did
you place a proxy bid? I searched the eBay site. Nothing said
how you placed a proxy bid!!! There I was, panting after
an exquisite rendering of a deceased barnyard fowl that I really
needed. I knew I should place a proxy bid, but I couldn't find
where! Where! How?! I finally e-mailed Ask eBay!
They e-mailed me back a couple of days later. I'd figured it
out by then, but the silver chicken was gone.
I DON'T
HAVE A PICTURE OF THE CHICKEN,
BUT HOW ABOUT THIS EGG!
This
gorgeous hunk of turquoise forms the central piece of a squash
blossom necklace offered on eBay by bethf@pivot.net
So
that you don't lose your chicken, here's how to place a proxy: Go to the auction's bid area [on the bottom]. There'll be a
box that says "your maximum bid" and what the bidding
is at that moment. Say the bidding is at 14 cents. You'd pay $1,000 for that silver chicken. Just type in $1,000,
click a few times as screens come up, and bingo. You've made
a proxy bid. The auction will show you as high bidder and the
new price will be--- 15 cents. Yes! The electronic genies only
bid the minimum needed for you. Those clever eBay cyber-elves
will track the auction, penny by penny, until the closing bid.
Which is $15. You get the item and pay $1,000.
No! Ha! Ha! Got yah! You pay $15, the ending bid. It's
all done electronically.
NOW
THAT YOU HAVE THIS INFORMATION: Know that it's no longer
needed. Very clear instructions on placing a proxy bid are all
over the auction page. A few months ago when I started on eBay,
there were no such instructions. Which is the point of this
section. The speed with which eBay adapts, the computer
industry adapts, is awesome. The whole eBay site-- not the basic
graphics, but instructions, content. Rules. All have changed,
adapted, transformed in just a couple of months to better serve
customers. Spooky. Exciting. Very, very alive.
Don't
believe me or any written material about auction rules or procedures.
Check with the eBay site for current regs.
 |
STEPPING OFF THE EDGE: LEARNING & LIVING SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
A MODERN SPIRITUAL COMPANION
|
 |
NUMENON
A TALE OF MYSTICIAM & MONEY MENON
"BILL GATES MEETS DON JUAN." |
 |
TECOLOTE: THE LITTLE HORSE THAT COULD
BORN PREMATURELY ON A FREEZING NIGHT, THE COLT HAD TO FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE. |
 |
THE ANGEL & THE BROWN-EYED BOY
A FUTURE WORLD ONLY HEARTBEATS FROM OUR OWN |
|
Click the covers above to go Sandy Nathan's books on the Amazon Kindle store. All Kindle books are 99 cents.
They are also available as print books at Amazon.
The Angel and Numenon are also at the Nook store. The Angel is an iBook, as well.
Stepping Off the Edge has several chapters on beating eBay addiction.
-
-
AUTHOR SANDY NATHAN IS THE WINNER OF SEVENTEEN NATIONAL AWARDS!
Back
to directory.
NAJA
OF TURQUOISE AND SILVER SQUASH BLOSSOM NECKLACE
It's
lovely, isn't it? A squash blossom's naja is based on an ornament
on the tack of Spanish conquistadors' horses.
Native Americans adapted it into a jewelry item. You'll see
many of them in these pages-- every one different.
Sold on eBay by wbarm@gateway.net
READY
FOR MORE THEORY?
That's
how eBay lives. Hot. Passionate. Full of desire. Let's cool
it down with a bit more negotiation theory.
THE
MOST IMPORTANT DEFINITION IN THIS ARTICLE: THE WALKAWAY PRICE.
Negotiation students are advised to have three prices in their
heads when they entered a negotiation: the starting price. The
desired end price. And the walkaway price. The starting price
is what you begin the negotiation with. For the buyer, this
a price you know isn't what you'll end up paying, but not so
ridiculously low that the seller gets mad the minute you state
it. The desired price is what you hope you'll be able to negotiate.
And the walkaway is the price above which you will
not go. You will walk if the price goes any higher. This
WALKAWAY PRICE is keenly important in the on-line world.
The three prices are based on examining your budget, your income,
and what stuff costs elsewhere. This is necessary homework for
a successful negotiation-- one whose outcome you can afford
and moves you toward your life goals.
The seller
also has a similar calculation: The initial price. This is greater
than the seller expects to get, but not so high as to put the
buyer off from the start. The seller also calculates the desired
price, and, finally, his walkaway: the price so low that he'll
walk rather than sell for less. When the seller's range of prices
and the buyer's intersect-- have a price range in common-- you
can have a deal. If the seller's needs/expectations and the
buyers aren't in the same realm, you can't make a deal.
What does
this mean in terms of auctions? The starting bid is the seller's
starting price. If the object isn't worth the starting bid to
a buyer, he won't bid on it. If no buyer is willing to buy at
that price, there's no possible deal. That means that everyone's
walkaway is less than the seller's starting bid. The seller
set the bid too high or his cost is higher than the market will
bear. He has to take a loss, or withdraw the object.
What about
a reserve price auction? A reserve is an amount specified by
the seller below which she will not sell. She hopes to get more,
but won't take less. The reserve is her walkaway. In an on-line
auction, the reserve is hidden from buyers until after the auction.
In a reserve price auction, the seller specifies a starting
price lower than the reserve to get the ball rolling. And it
does. People bid like crazy at the looooowww price. They start
bidding against each other. Voila! They're hooked and end up
over the seller's reserve price, a price that might have scared
them off if they'd seen it at the start. In an auction with
no reserve, the seller puts up the item at his walkaway. Less
money than the initial asking price, no deal. Some eBayers get
really hot about the use of a reserve, as though it were a moral
issue. We'll talk about this in the second article on buying.
WHY
IS THE WALKAWAY PRICE SO IMPORTANT TO A BUYER? If
you do your homework in establishing a walkaway price and if
you honor your walkaway, you will not bankrupt yourself.
Back
to directory.
ANTIQUE
TURQUOISE BRACELET
Lovely,
isn't it?
Sold on eBay by ladydy@pldi.net
BIDDING!?
WHAT'S IT WORTH? Even more theory:
How
do you bid? That's easy. Scroll to the bottom of an auction
page, type a number equal to or greater than the current bid
in the box, and click where it says. Another page will come
up. Fill in your user name and password, and click again. Voila!
You've made a bid.
But
how much should you bid? Herein lies the fun. The soul searching.
Our Economics of Auctions section will talk more about
personal value, how value is determined and how this relates
to price. In a nutshell, something inside of you knows how much
an object is worth to you. To you is key here, because
another person might have a different value for an object--
or may not value it at all. How much you bid is how much you
value the object-- what it's worth to you.
An object's value to you should be based on the market value--
what you can sell it for. What something's worth is a function
of both need and want. A breath of air is pretty valuable after
a minute's deprivation. That's a need. You'll die without
air. Worth is also a function of how much you want something--
a collector getting the last known widget or Pez dealy in the
universe probably has a pretty high level of want. (Remember
need vs. want for Financial Recovery time.)
When I bid, there's something inside me that says, "I'll
bid $X for that. No more." Where do I get the $X amount?
It's a combination of market research, what I could get it for
elsewhere, plus subjective factors: "Wow! I've been looking
on eBay for 6 months! Nothing like that has come up before!
I better grab it!" Lust, in other words.
And,
oh, yes-- My budget. What I have budgeted for this object
in my overall financial planning? My financial planning takes
into account my other financial needs. And those of my dependents.
Is my bid responsible in terms of my financial commitments?
I
started paying attention to this financial planning area of
buying last. Budgeting should come first. How much can I afford
to pay? Do I need it or merely want it? Do I have
the money? Who will I be cheating if I buy it without answering
these questions?
Details.
Details. Details. Was it Frank Lloyd Wright who said "God
lives in the details?" Wright was right.
Back
to directory.
DETAIL
OF ANTIQUE SQUASH BLOSSOM NECKLACE MADE OUT OF COINS
Old
coin necklaces are prized and go for high prices.
Another work of art sold on eBay by:
bernresn@aol.com
SNIPERS:
NOT JUST IN THE WOODS
Back
to the real auction world: Snipers. You don't know what snipers
are? Neither did I. When I first started buying on eBay, I spent
hours and hours searching the site. I found every piece of jewelry
I could conceivably want. Bid on every one. Sweated over whether
I'd get it/them. It was a nightmare. Also, I didn't actually
get anything for a really long time. I bid all along during
each auction, and always lost at the very end.
I went to bed one night-- hippity hop, hippity hop-- very happy
because I'd managed to be top bidder for three great auctions.
Three great items that I actually wanted and could afford. The
auctions would close in the middle of the night, but I'd put
a little slack in my bids. Who would stay up all night to bid,
after all? Happy. Happy. I got up the next morning to discover
I'd lost all three auctions. One by 6 cents! How could this
happen? The bids were so close to mine. Like they knew my maximum. I was heartsick. I felt like I'd been slugged, "Hey!
Sucka! Got ya!" I was mad, too.
Well,
the people of eBay are one of the most wonderful things
about it. I was bidding on some great earrings owned by a very
nice lady. We'd e-mailed back and forth a few times as I asked
questions about the earrings, "How long are they? Are they
sterling?" I told Debi Putt, an old-timer, what happened.
She replied, "That's sniping. eBay tries to stop it, but
there's nothing they can do. The worst case I ever saw happened
to a nice lady who really wanted a pair of earrings of mine.
We'd e-mailed back and forth about them for 10 days. Someone
else got them by 1 cent in the last second."
Debi
gave me her sympathy. Said she hoped I ended up winning her
earrings. I upped my maximum bid on them to what was truly
my maximum. About an hour before the auction for Debi's earrings
closed, I went out to see my horse. Got stuck at the barn. Came
back. I'd lost the earrings by 55 cents. I'm still mad about
it. Here they are:
DEBI
PUTT'S NATIVE AMERICAN TURQUOISE AND SILVER EARRINGS
Seventies
vintage sterling, heavy everything. These would go with everything
I own. Sniped away.
Sold on eBay by hooterrooter.
DON'T
DO WHAT I DID!! I was mad. I
was hurt. I felt like the other guy was going, "Hah! Hah!
Gotcha!" All that time looking and bidding, and I hadn't bought anything! I said, "%$#@!!! I AM
GOING TO BUY SOMETHING!!!!" And I did. The Object.
I
will not name The Object, nor will I show it. I will keep if
forever as a reminder. A learning tool. I was bidding on a cute
little something. The seller never did say that The Object was
made of the materials that it looked like it was made of. He
said, "Appears to be..." Never said it was. My fevered brain went, "Wow! Look at that! It's worth a
fortune!" Someone else did the same. My reaction to
being sniped three times in one night was to get in a bidding
war with that nameless someone, bidding the price of The Object
to stratospheric heights.
Well,
I won. I'd succeeded in buying something. Instead
of a (0) by my user name, I'd have a (1)! Happy, happy again.
I sent the seller an ecstatic e-mail.
Then
I reread the auction ad and started to think. "What
if it's not real...? It could be most anything. Plastic, even."
I never thought of that. I did my research post
sale, going into town and talking to a jeweler and a Western
store proprietor. Well, if The Object had been what it was not-really-purported
to be, it would have been worth five times what I had agreed
to pay. But it wasn't. Seeing the real thing showed what I bought
was nothing like it. It was probably something baser.
The
baser something was worth at most 1/8 the price I had
contracted to pay. Whoa. Large sinking feeling.
TIBETAN
PRAYER BOX PENDANT
This
silver, coral and turquoise pendant has a space inside for your
prayers.
Useful to have when bidding. Try to remember the spiritual,
personal growth aspects of your blunders.
This antique prayer box was sold on eBay by
kkwing@lava.net
In
Spurs Magazine, we talk about the spiritual aspects of things.
That's because we think there is a point to all this, and getting
it is why we're here. Something conscious in us and outside
of us presents the little vignettes and situations in which
we find ourselves as "learning tools." (Either that
or as very cruel jokes.) If we master these "learning situations",
we end up fully ourselves, powerful, efficient, maybe enlightened
and pretty happy, generally. If we don't master them, we end
up as country western songs. This series of articles acknowledges
that spirituality-- I hate that word. Sounds like I should have
a crystal ball. Anyway, the opportunity to grow and progress
exists everywhere. It sure does in eBay-- something for which
the auction house is not given sufficient credit.
Okay,
I was in a "learning vignette." I am basically a wimp.
Anything that needs muscle around here-- in any way-- my husband
does. He loves being the enforcer. Handling stuff. Which is
fine with me. I'd just as soon sit behind my computer and feel
intellectual. But this situation was my problem. In addition
to being a wimp, I am also a cheapskate. Paying 8 times what
The Object was worth would kill me. So would confronting the
seller.
Cheapness
won over cowardice. I e-mailed the seller, saying, "I know
I'm an adult and responsible for my actions. You never said
it, but I assumed that The Object was really such and so. But
I did some research and it's probably **** and worth $X. I don't
want Negative Feedback, but I don't want to pay 8 times what
it's worth, either." The seller was wonderful. He said
he didn't normally sell this type of item and didn't know that
much about it himself. He was totally committed to customer
satisfaction. We struck a deal closer to the actual value of
the item. The seller also said, "You are lucky. Many eBay
sellers would not do what I did. Remember that."
Was
I ever lucky! Many sellers on eBay are absolutely wonderful,
as was this one. And some aren't. I could have been forced to
pay the full amount. A bid is a contractual agreement
in many states. (When you're bidding, notice the seller's
return policy. Usually they're somewhere on the auction page.
Most return policies are: You bought it, it's yours. An informal
movement exists to have all sellers guarantee customer satisfaction
and accept returns. It hasn't caught on everywhere. Caveat
emptor. Let the buyer beware. Which is also written all
over eBay.)
Back
to directory.
"SQUASH
BLOSSOMS" FROM A NECKLACE SOLD ON eBay
Notice
the detail. No two blossoms are the same. Every portion of a
squash blossom necklace is sculptural.
Sold on eBay by coincenter.com
DID
I LEARN ANYTHING FROM ALL THIS? Yes & No
HERE'S
THE "YES" PART:
I've
gotten to be a much more knowledgeable buyer over the last months.
I've bought many things, and not so stupidly. Not necessarily
things I thought I'd buy, or set out to buy, but things
I love. And I've bought some bloopers and some real junk. After
much reading and lots of mistakes, I have a relatively sophisticated
buying strategy and techniques to handle sniping. I'm organized
to buy and sell. What do I do? I'm not going to tell all about
my bidding strategies. Remember Negotiation Principle 3:
CONTROL/MANAGE INFORMATION EFFECTIVELY? I will
talk about organization and logistics.
GETTING
ORGANIZED: LOGISTICS. I have a system of bookmarked
files for auctions. These cover all aspects of eBay and on-line
auctions, including "Auction Aides", like payment
services and my auction management service (for when I sell). I enter eBay through my bookmarked My eBay "Things I'm
Bidding On" page. If an auction is closing, I need
to come in fast. My eBay contains all the items I'm bidding
on or interested in-- and I can bid from the page. "My
eBay" is the most useful accounting device on the site,
provided free for all registered users. On My eBay, tabs for
items you're selling, bidding on, and watching appear, along
with many more. You can check on your feedback, the status of
your account with eBay (if you're selling), the availability
of preferred items, etc.
Other
cool ways of finding things on eBay: In another eBay file,
I've got the bookmarked Sales Lists of sellers whose
goods I like. You'll find pretty quickly that you like some
people's stuff more than others. I keep my favorite seller's
auction sale pages bookmarked in a file. I also keep a file
of Web Sites of favored sellers. The Search Box---
which appears on the top of virtually every eBay page's probably
the most useful tool for finding that special thing when you
want it. (Check The
Official eBay Guide on this. They have some great info
on searching. Pp. 37-38 & lots more.) Type exactly what
you want in the search box, being sure to check the box to "search
descriptions as well as titles" before clicking Search.
eBay also has a neat feature called the "Gallery", in which participating sellers can display a small picture of
their items with the search. The Gallery pictures allow you
to rule out stuff at a glance, so you don't have to wait for
an auction page to open before going, "Ycch!" And!
You can also sort your Search by Items Ending First, Recently
Listed Items, and High or Low prices. Neat! (That sort
menu is on the right, just above the listings. In most pages.)
The Personal Shopper is another great device. You'll
find it listed on the top of most pages in the cluster that
says, "Buy", "Sell" and so on. You specify
what you're looking for: An out of print book. A rare necklace.
The Personal Shopper emails you when what you're looking for
is listed.
NAJA
OF SQUASH BLOSSOM NECKLACE
This
elegant necklace was sold by fineart
I
LEARNED ABOUT BEATING SNIPERS, TOO. I found two ways of dealing with snipers that didn't involve
software. I
inhaled the parts of Joseph
Sinclair's book about beating sniping. The whole process
is too complicated to describe here, I recommend that you get
a copy of his book and try it. (I have, and it works-- sometimes.)
Essentially, Sinclair says, if you really want something, you
must be there at the auction's end. You can buy sniping programs
to place last minute bets, freeing you of the need to be there.
But, Sinclair explains, the programs don't always work. Sometimes
the Net is jammed and your electronic genie can't bid. If the
eBay official time varies from the clock time, your anti-sniping
program won't know it. If will bid on its time, not eBay's.
If you really want something, you have to be there at the end.
The only second that matters in a timed auction is the last
second. He has a manual technique to get those bids in.
The
other way to tame snipers is eBay's official advice, "Bid
your absolute maximum and walk away. The highest bidder will
win." This is a very dharmic stance. Do you know that word?
I know, "Dharma and Greg." Yes. Yes. But dharma has
a deeper meaning. It means "righteous" in Sanskrit.
Being dharmic means being righteous. A big idea in Eastern philosophy.
It means following the path meant for you, pursuing your highest
goals and development. Doing your duty in the largest sense.
Being dharmic implies spending one's financial resources in
a way that meets all worldly obligations and furthers one's
personal/spiritual growth.
eBay's
stance: Set a budget. Bid your best price. And walk away. eBay's
software will bid for you. The highest bidder-- who is also
the person with the highest utility for the item as we discuss
in the thrilling Economics
of Auctions section--gets the goods. You will have remained
within your spending limits, limits established by a rational
adult, you. It's a great idea. You can experience enormous spiritual
and personal growth following this dictum. You'll see just where
you're attached when your "I GOTTA HAVE IT OR I'LL DIE"
addict starts screaming as you lose.
You'll
lose things you want by 6 cents. Two dollars. Five bucks. Bids
just a tiny bit over your maximum-- a tiny bit that you'd be
willing to pay, if you could. This happens because of the way
eBay's programming works. Say the sniper beats your maximum
bid by $2.37. Does that mean he bid $2.37 more than you? Not
at all. The sniper may have bid twice your maximum. eBay's
software creates the tiny margins by handling snipes the
same way it handles any bid: When the sniper's bid comes in,
eBay's software ups the existing bid to the previous high bidder's
maximum and one bidding interval over-- $2.37 in this case.
The auction closes 20 seconds later, and the sniper wins, because
only another previously placed (and independent) snipe higher
than his maximum can counter his bid in time. The sniper
pays whatever the minimum bid is-- over your bid. That's
why I kept losing by minuscule amounts! eBay's software!
Worse--
the snipers didn't stay up all night trying to outbid me-- they
had software to do it.
That's
what I learned after a couple of months on eBay.
Back
to directory..
OLD PAWN
TURQUOISE NUGGET BRACELET
Offered
on eBay by morningsinger
DID
I LEARN ANYTHING? The "NO" Part:
Back
to auction reality: How it lives, not theory. I've learned a
lot about auctions and auction strategy in a short time. A few
months ago, I approached a new learning opportunity, armed with
my sophisticated bidding tools and my absolute cutthroat
lust for this beautiful necklace:
MOTHER
OF PEARL & CORAL SQUASH BLOSSOM NECKLACE
Sterling
silver and fine materials combine in this one of a kind, handmade,
vintage squash
Sold on eBay: bornyesterdayantiques
This
piece may not ring your chimes, but it sure does mine. The necklace
is charming. The silver work looks like ruffles. The red coral
and white mother of pearl are so bright and perky. I WANTED
IT! At the same time I WANTED IT!, I was working
on my Addiction Issues.
My compulsive shopping problem didn't matter. I WANTED IT!
Also didn't matter that the seller wanted a cashier's check
and I was low on funds. Didn't matter. I'd get the money. Nothing
mattered. I WANTED IT! WANTED IT! WANTED IT! And... by
purest chance, at the same time the necklace was being auctioned,
another seller put up a coordinating bracelet.
MOTHER
OF PEARL & CORAL BRACELET
Sold
on eBay by kandys
Don't
they look
great together? Necklace and bracelet: coordinating but not
too matchy-matchy. To die for. So, I marched into the necklace
auction's final minutes with my sophisticated anti-sniping strategy,
lifted from Joseph
Sinclair's book. Hands shaking, breathing hard, I stared at my monitor. The price
was reasonable. No sign of other action. Heh! Heh! I could sneak
in and steal it! I made my first bid 6 minutes before the auction
closed. The rush was incredible. A blast of adrenaline. I sat
there, multiple screens up as per Sinclair's formula, feeling
like a fat cat. "Oh, my God! It's mine! I got it! I got
it!" I was ready to counter anything with all those screens
set up to bid. I stared at my monitor. Refreshed my screen every
20 seconds to make sure I hadn't missed a bid. Drooled softly.
I rubbed my hands together, imagining how the necklace would feel when I had it. The weight of it. The color of the
stones. You can see why I'd want it so much. Look at this detail:
DETAIL
OF MOTHER OF PEARL AND CORAL SQUASH BLOSSOM
Sold
on eBay by
bornyesterdayantiques
It
was mine, for those brief minutes that my user name filled
the high bidder space. The screen flickered. Someone else was
bidding! Oh, my God! I whipped into action. Sending in another
bid. Someone else! Another bid! Could I bid that fast? I shot
something in. The auction closed. My bid was $2.50 under the
winning bid. %$@#!!!!! I saw at least 3 names come up in the
crossfire. I wasn't alone at the end of the auction.
Others were there, lurking..... Maybe they read Sinclair's book,
too.
I
was stunned. Really bummed. I did everything right. I
wanted that necklace. Not only that, in
just a few hours, the coordinating bracelet's auction would
be up. Without the necklace, what was the bracelet? I thought
briefly of e-mailing the necklace's winner, who had never shown
up on the auction until the final instant, when she won. I thought
I'd tell her about the bracelet. My eyes narrowed. Greed triumphed
over altruism. Forget it! She got my necklace.
$$#@$! I'd get the bracelet, $@#!! Even if it didn't
match anything I owned. But I had business to do and couldn't
sit by my computer. So I did it the eBay way. I placed my "best
shot" bid on the bracelet and left.
Did
the person who got the necklace know about the bracelet? Oh,
yeah. She beat my bid by 85 cents. Never showed up on that auction
until she bid. One bid. The winning bid. I was really
pissed when I got back and saw the auction result. Really
pissed.
DID
I LEARN ANYTHING FROM MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE? FROM EVERYTHING
I'VE WRITTEN SO FAR? ABOUT DEALING WITH LOSS LIKE AN
ADULT? AUCTION THEORY? WALKAWAY PRICES? NO.
I
went right back into eBay and found something that I liked that
was closing that night. Another squash blossom necklace. I liked
it. Didn't love it. Liked it. Plus, it was cheap. Before going
to bed, I bid on it. My best shot. It closed really late. I
wasn't going to stay up all night.
I
woke up in a cold sweat the next morning. What had I been
doing? This was crazy. I was working on my addiction and
financial issues all this time-- I had to-- they were flaming
so bright even I noticed. The day before, I'd been saved
from spending way more than I could afford on a necklace and
bracelet I didn't need. And I'd salved my wounds by spending
a bunch more money on something I didn't even like that much!
What was I doing? Was I crazy?
Sick
at heart, I went down and logged on. Did I get stuck with a
necklace I didn't really want? No! %$#@!!! Sniped again. By
a buck and a half! Three times in 24 hours. Again! I was furious.
Did
I learn anything? Not then. I have now. But that took other
lessons. Different lessons.
EVEN
THE BACK OF THE MOTHER OF PEARL & CORAL BRACELET
IS A SCULPTURAL MASTERPIECE
Sold on
eBay by kandys
Are
you getting how emotional this auction business is? How it cuts
to the core? Activates major emotional and financial issues?
How powerful the urge to shop can be? You bettcha. That's why
I've got the last three sections of this series. Addiction
Issues. Financial Recovery. Self
Help Resources. Any treatment of our topic without these
subjects does a disservice to the reader. Participating in an
on-line auction is not about learning skills and tricks, it's
about ending up enriched and stronger, not a bankrupt addict.
Back
to directory.
|
STEPPING OFF THE EDGE: LEARNING & LIVING SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
A MODERN SPIRITUAL COMPANION
|
|
NUMENON
A TALE OF MYSTICIAM & MONEY MENON
"BILL GATES MEETS DON JUAN." |
|
TECOLOTE: THE LITTLE HORSE THAT COULD
BORN PREMATURELY ON A FREEZING NIGHT, THE COLT HAD TO FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE. |
|
THE ANGEL & THE BROWN-EYED BOY
A FUTURE WORLD ONLY HEARTBEATS FROM OUR OWN |
|
Click the covers above to go Sandy Nathan's books on the Amazon Kindle store. All Kindle books are 99 cents.
They are also available as print books at Amazon.
The Angel and Numenon are also at the Nook store. The Angel is an iBook, as well.
-
-
AUTHOR SANDY NATHAN IS THE WINNER OF SEVENTEEN NATIONAL AWARDS!
THE
SNIPING PROGRAMS
I
put the above example in to illustrate something apart from
my own stupidity: You can't beat snipers unless you're properly
armed. The human nervous system and eBay's bidding process can't
move fast enough to head off a higher bid shot in the last 20
seconds of an auction. I sure couldn't, using the best manual
techniques. What do you do? Weep and wail? Moan in chat rooms?
No.
Arm
yourself, shoppers. Get what you need to win. I won't make you
suffer any longer. Links to major suppliers of sniping software
are right here:
AuctionSniper.Com
With
Auction Sniper you're charged only when you win. Check out the
site. I'm not sure if it works with Macs. I'll post it when
I find out, or if you beat me, email
me
and l'll let folks know.
Colorful
Creations Maxi Bidder
Okay!
A sniping service for the Mac! Serves OS 9 and OSX! Haven't
checked it out yet, but LOOK OUT! If you've got it and have
feedback,
email
me
and I'll let folks know.
Pure
Mac Auction Page
A
page devoted to Auction Tools for Mac owners. Attached to a
Pure Mac: All the
Software You'll Really Need. Great software site for Mac.
Bidnapper.Com
eSnipe.com
I
use eSnipe, happily and successfully. Net based, it works on
a Mac. It works when you're out in the county like we are, barely
having a Net connection. It works.
EZ
Bid offers tips on bidding through this link: LINK TO TEXT
CRICKET
JR.
POWER SNIPER
Cricket
Jr. offers software plus tips on sniping, bidding, the works.
Even more than presented here. This is an extensive site.
"The
Best eBay Bidding Agent on the Web"
I
will not evaluate or endorse these programs. Please explore
the sites and check them out yourself. More programs may exist,
maybe even better ones. These are what I could find-- and it
wasn't that easy. The organizations producing these products
are not affiliated with or endorsed by eBay, nor are
their products banned. When I checked, eBay had no official
position on sniping software. Do the programs/services work?
Try them and see. They aren't expensive! Get them all!
If
you look around eBay (or do the research needed to find the programs above), you will know that snipers are regarded
as low down, dirt licking, frog kissing, belly crawling scum.
Those who make and market sniping programs are worse. I read
several on line articles about sniping that ended, "Well,
you can get programs to snipe with, but I
wouldn't..." Snotty, snotty attitude.
In
marked contrast are the people who actually produce the software.
In the process of preparing this article, I talked to some of
these (evil) people. Do you know what I found? A bunch of nice
people like you and I who got sniped once too often. Unlike
you and I, they had the computer expertise to do something about
it. And they did. They were very willing to share their knowledge.
And much of it made good sense. Check out the links.
Why
should anyone have a bad attitude about sniping programs? They're
the reason you lost your last 10 auctions. eBay has no rules
against using them or even selling them on eBay,
as long as their other rules are kept. (I checked.) Why not
use a sniping program?
YOU
CANNOT BEAT A BIDDER ARMED WITH A PROPERLY SET SNIPE. Oh, maybe
the eBay clock will be off. Maybe there'll be a tornado. An
earthquake (always popular in California.) And your snipe program
will let you down. Or maybe you bid too low. But if your program
is working and set right, you'll win 90% of the time-- instead
of losing the same 90%. Plus, you don't have to sit by your
computer day and night: the programs bid for you.
MY
SOLUTION TO SNIPING? Everyone gets one of these programs and
blasts away. When everyone has a snipe set, the
ends of auctions will by cyber battlefields. The toughest electronics
will will win. Just like now.
But
the playing field will be level.
Back
to directory.
DETAIL
OF OLD SQUASH BLOSSOM NECKLACE
The
detail shows handmade beads and "squashes."
Sold on eBay by: modtique
WHAT'S
IT LIKE, HAVING A SNIPING PROGRAM?
Sign
up for one and find out. What was it like for me? You might
think a person with new sniping capabilities would prance around
rubbing their hands and gloating, "Heh! Heh! I'll win everything!
Heh! Heh! I can get all those Suckas!" Not so.
My
reaction was pure terror.
Having
the ability to electronically snipe, to electronically win,
terrified me. I have lost about 90% of the auctions I
have participated in to snipers. Sound high? Maybe a little.
Not too much. That starts from my green as grass days all the
way to yesterday. This wasn't all bad. Snipers perform an unacknowledged
service.
Some
people buy things to make themselves feel better. I am one of
those people. My last two years have been very hard. I write
about them in The
Long Road to Taos. When I was writing that article a
year or so ago, four of my best friends developed horrible diseases.
Like ovarian cancer. A brain aneurysm. I got breast cancer.
My mom became seriously ill. The "play" of my life
has continued to be catastrophic. My mother-in-law died last
May. She was a woman I loved, a tiny little tiger, an example
of life well lived. Also in May, someone I love as much as I
love life suffered a relapse of a horrible disease. While that
battle raged, my mother died.
ROBIN
ROSE
The
best stock horse and worst bucking horse I've ever ridden.
We're at the Menlo Circus Club horse show, Tally Ho in 1965.
What
words can convey the impact of all this? Roundabout ones, like
these-- I've been kicked solidly by a horse once in my life.
Robin Rose, my old reined stock horse bucked me off and nailed
me in the leg while I was in the air. She bucked on top of me
while I was on the ground, but only hit me the once. A nasty
sow if there ever was one, that Robin. The bruise from her kick
was highly satisfactory: A perfect oval the shape of her hoof,
which instantly became rock hard and blue-black. It hurt worse
than that. Over time, the bruise developed red and vermilion
streaks, changing to yellow and green by the end. The whole
mess migrated southward, ending up on my foot. A satisfying
wound, the bruise looked as bad as it felt.
When
someone dies, there's no physical wound, but the pain is a thousand
times greater than that of the blue & black egg Robin put
on me. After all of it, my mom's death brought me to my knees.
I
couldn't do auctions when grief grabbed me hardest, but right
after, sure thing. Some people hit the bars, I hit my computer.
I went on a few bidding binges that would have rivaled the National
Debt if I won. Of course, I was already hooked on auctions as
picker uppers. Grief just stoked the fire.
THANK
GOD FOR SNIPERS! SNIPERS HAVE SAVED ME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!
If I won everything I'd bid on, I'd be in big trouble. I was in big trouble: I'd been warned by my husband that "it
must stop." I've upset my kids with my auction involvement.
But at least I hadn't blown the bank.
With
my sniping program, I could.
Fear
is good.
|
STEPPING OFF THE EDGE: LEARNING & LIVING SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
A MODERN SPIRITUAL COMPANION
|
|
NUMENON
A TALE OF MYSTICIAM & MONEY MENON
"BILL GATES MEETS DON JUAN." |
|
TECOLOTE: THE LITTLE HORSE THAT COULD
BORN PREMATURELY ON A FREEZING NIGHT, THE COLT HAD TO FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE. |
|
THE ANGEL & THE BROWN-EYED BOY
A FUTURE WORLD ONLY HEARTBEATS FROM OUR OWN |
|
Click the covers above to go Sandy Nathan's books on the Amazon Kindle store. All Kindle books are 99 cents.
They are also available as print books at Amazon.
The Angel and Numenon are also at the Nook store. The Angel is an iBook, as well.
Back
to directory.
BEAUTIFUL
OLD CORAL AND TURQUOISE PIN
Sold
on eBay
HOW
TO BEAT SNIPERS 100% OF THE TIME
None of the makers of sniping software promise
you'll beat sniping 100% of the time. I do. If you follow the
techniques and mental exercises that follow, you will beat snipers
100% of the time. This does not mean you will win the auction.
But you will end up the winner personally, having given it your
best shot and exited intact. And on budget.
1.
DO THE OBVIOUS: If
you really want to win the stuff, you gotta make the
moves.
- Get
the hottest computer you can buy.
Spare no expense! Also get the fastest, state of the art Net
connection. Spend whatever it takes. Take whatever courses
you need to know how to use the hardware/software. Spend hours
learning. Plotting. Strategizing. Searching.
- Get
the fastest Net connection available.
If you don't live where they have the fastest Net connections,
move. So what if you love the country and hate the city, move
if the connections are better! You want to win, don't
you?
- Get
a sniping program or service and use it.
ONCE
YOU'VE DONE THE OBVIOUS, DO THE REST:
The
following mental attitudes and exercise will allow you to win
auctions even when someone else's software or Net connection
is faster than yours. Try these ways of thinking about auctions:
2.
PLACING A BID IS NOT A CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP.
Seems pretty obvious, doesn't it? You wouldn't
place a bet on a horse race and assume you've won, would you?
You'd watch the whole race-- out the starting gate, the back
stretch, around the far turn, down the home stretch-- knowing
the horse that crossed the finish line first was the winner.
You wouldn't get really, really, really upset if another
horse came out of the pack and beat yours at the end, would
you? Or if your horse fell down at the finish line and lost?
You'd be upset, yes, but that's horse racing. That's
why you go, for the excitement of the finish. The thrill of
the unknown. On-line auctions are the same, you just can't see
the other horses and some of them have electronic turbos that
kick in at the end. Why should losing be such an upset?
Some
people act like placing a bid is the same thing as marching
up to the cashier's at Macy's with a sweater. If someone grabs
it away from you there, you have a right to be mad. But auctions
aren't like that.
If
you must have certainty that you'll get something, buy it in
a store.
3.
VILASA! VILASA! VILASA!
Vilasa
is our ranch name, and my user name on eBay. It's a Sanskrit
word--- from ancient India-- and it means "delightful play
or sport." Life can be seen as a deadly struggle. Survival
of the fittest. "Your loss is my gain." Or it can
be seen as delightful play. The play of cosmic, universal forces
far outside our control, the sport of gods and goddesses, raging
storms and volcanic explosions. Big play. All the way down to
small play, the things we do by ourselves. Placing bids, for
instance. You can see auctions as part of a gigantic, organic
whole that exists for the sole purpose of your enlightenment.
Sometimes by poking gentle fun. More often by rubbing your nose
in it.
Why
let snipers get you down? Talk to your snipers. Play with
them! Egged on by someone's auction page comment about
evil snipers, I contacted a guy who'd sniped me. I'm 1/2 Icelandic,
and I love the work of the 1955 Nobel prize winning author,
Halldor Laxness, who is 100% Icelandic. eBay's a great source
for Laxness' very out-of-print books. I'd bid on one of Halldor's
books and watched the auction all week. I was tickled at the
prospect of getting "my" new book at the great price
of $5. Someone sniped me at the auction's end. Got the book
for $5.50. I was so mad. I looked up his e-mail address,
intending to send a nasty e-mail. I burst into laughter when
I saw his eBay user name.
Icelandic
author of Independent People, winner of the Nobel Prize
for Literature, 1955.
His
user name was "bjartur." Bjartur is the name of the
hero of the book he'd sniped from me! Anyone who was so in love
with that book that he used use it's hero's name as his eBay
name could have it! I wrote to bjartur, a gentle note
rather than a mean one. He wrote back. We had a delightful chat
about Independent People (the book) and Iceland. About
sniping. And life. Bjartur said, "I started sniping when
I figured out that's what my friends were doing to me. I consider
sniping part of auctions-- just as much as anything else."
Interesting attitude. Oh, yeah-- The copy of Independent
People bjartur snagged from me for $5.50 was a true
first edition. I saw one for $250 on an e-shop. I didn't care.
The book meant more to him.
I
contacted another person. One that I sniped, this time.
We were bidding on a beautiful Native American coral and silver
necklace. I lusted after it for days. At the last instant, I
put in my snipe. I put in just the amount I could afford. It
fell short of the previous high bidder's maximum. She won by
$2.50. I was a failed sniper! But true to my budget! Righteous
and true to myself! Except for one problem. Anticipating that
I would win the necklace, I also bid on an auction of a 1908
post card of a Pueblo woman wearing a similar necklace. Thought
it would be cute to have the post card and the necklace.
I didn't win the necklace. It looked like I would be stuck with
the postcard. I wrote the necklace's winner, saying I was the
number 2 bidder. I told her about the postcard, and that it
would be really neat for her to have, seeing that she won the
necklace. If she wanted the card, I wouldn't bid any more.
The
woman responded, "Oh, I hope I didn't snipe you!"
She was terribly apologetic, saying she'd gotten really nasty
emails from others accusing her of sniping. I said, "No. I sniped you." We had a nice e-chat. She closed our
correspondence with words of wisdom, "I can't see why
people get so upset about sniping. After all, IT'S JUST STUFF!"
It's
all just stuff, isn't it? We can't take it with us.
I ended up with the postcard. It's right below. Much prettier
than this scan, and far cheaper than the necklace. I think I
came out okay on that deal.
"A
HAPPY DISPOSITION"
Title
to a 1908 Postcard of Pueblo Woman. Notice coral and silver
necklace. Pieces like this are sold on eBay! So are cards!
Postcard sold by:
willeyruley
4.
YOU DON'T NEED THE SILVER CHICKEN
We
talked some about needs vs. wants above. We'll talk more about
it in the Financial Recovery
section. Nothing I have won or lost on eBay has been crucial
to my life. In fact, I wish I hadn't won a bunch of the stuff
I've gotten. Losing an auction won't kill you. Winning might.
I've gotten some scabrous furs, some very odd things, genuine,
sure-to-turn-your-skin-green masterpieces. I didn't need all
that stuff. Neither do you.
Go
fishing. Walk the dog. Write your Master's Thesis. Go to college.
Spend time with your kids. It's what you really want to do anyway.
5.
THINK OF THE MONEY YOU SAVED BY LOSING! COUNT IT UP! EXCITING,
ISN'T IT?
Back
to directory.
SPECTACULAR GREEN TURQUOISE SQUASH BLOSSOM NECKLACE, EARRINGS,
RING AND BRACELET
Turquoise
comes in green as well as the more familiar blue green.
Offered
on eBay by lizaym
.
ARE
YOU ARE DEVELOPING AN ON-LINE AUCTION HABIT?
Answer
yes or no to the following questions:
1. When
you get up to go to the bathroom at night, do you check your
bids?
2.
Does your living trust have explicit instructions for auctions
outstanding at the time of your death?
3.
Have you made arrangements with eBay to retire your user name
when you die?
4.
Do you have your user name tattooed on the back of your left
hand, your password on your right? With ******* tattooed over
the password, of course?
5.
Do your presents to dear ones consist of empty boxes with the
following note inside, "I'm so sorry. I got sniped on what
I wanted for you, but something really good will be up in five
days."
6.
Does your beeper notify you when auctions are up-- anywhere
in the universe? Does your sniping program have a sniping program?
7.
Have your family and friends left you because of your auction
involvement? Go take a look-- there's time to check.
8.
If they have, do you care?
9.
Do you agree with the following suggestion: Will you shut up,
Sandy, so I can get back to my auctions?
If you
answered yes to any of these, you need to read
the Addiction
Issues section. It's only highly recommended for everyone
else.
Back
to directory.
OLD SQUASH
BLOSSOM SILVER NECKLACE MADE FROM DIMES
Sold on
eBay
|
STEPPING OFF THE EDGE: LEARNING & LIVING SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
A MODERN SPIRITUAL COMPANION
|
|
NUMENON
A TALE OF MYSTICIAM & MONEY MENON
"BILL GATES MEETS DON JUAN." |
|
TECOLOTE: THE LITTLE HORSE THAT COULD
BORN PREMATURELY ON A FREEZING NIGHT, THE COLT HAD TO FIGHT FOR HIS LIFE. |
|
THE ANGEL & THE BROWN-EYED BOY
A FUTURE WORLD ONLY HEARTBEATS FROM OUR OWN |
|
Click the covers above to go Sandy Nathan's books on the Amazon Kindle store. All Kindle books are 99 cents.
They are also available as print books at Amazon.
The Angel and Numenon are also at the Nook store. The Angel is an iBook, as well.
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-
AUTHOR SANDY NATHAN IS THE WINNER OF SEVENTEEN NATIONAL AWARDS!
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-
Rancho Vilasa & Spurs Magazine
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