bid increment help for newbie

[baffler]

I'm sure this topic has been covered, but searched and didn't see anything--at least anything within the last year.

I have yet to win an item with Gixen due to not meeting the bid increment--even though my maximum bid was one to two dollars higher than the winning bid. It just wasn't high enough to top the prior bid plus the increment amount.

I guess I'm thick, but don't see how I'm supposed to win anything that has any other bidders involved since it's likely that there will always be a bid increment required.

[Cupid]

Are you working out what the absolute maximum is that you are willing to bid?

Using a sniping service is not like incrementally increasing your bid until you are the highest bidder and then waiting to be outbid again... you get one chance, one bid amount and that is it... if it isn't enough then you have to accept that others are willing to pay more than you are and walk away.

If your bid is not more than one bid increment more than the auction price when Gixen comes to place the bid, ebay will not accept it, there is no way round that your bid is just not enough to win that auction, however in most cases there are other auctions at other times that you are willing to pay significantly more than others have bid... then you won't necessarily have to pay your full bid amount, just enough to beat the next highest bidder by one bid increment... such are the ups and downs of buying at ebay auctions.
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Mark

[Baffler]

But these are instances where my maximum is more than the winning bid. I understand that it might occasionally happen where my bid isn't more than the increment, but this is happening almost every time, even though the winning bid is also from someone sniping.

[Cupid]

If you are sniping items where the value is well established, they will all tend to go for about the same price... usually bidding earlier at that price is a better strategy then leaving it till the last second.

You really need to give examples of snipes where you have not won for a more informed analysis to be made... as you note there are many people winning auctions by sniping, some of them using this service so the technique itself is not the cause of your failure to win.
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Mark

[Gixen]