I Just Gotta Shake My Head Sometimes

[Yarddog]

So.  There I wassss...a used Springfield M1A1 underlever started on eBay for $9.99 on 10/31. I've had a 'sorta' interest in this rifle for a while, so I threw it into my watchlist.  They go for right around $200 new from PA.

I'll make this mercifully short...the bids climb...It just mystifies me why folks bid early in the process, makes me think the sellers have ringers bidding to raise the bids.  The auction ended last evening...$181.55!  Plus $35.00 for shipping!!!!

Why do people do this?  Yeah, the seller has gotta be thrilled.  But whoever the "proud winner" is is going to be paying substantially more than a new unit...sheesh.

"Auction Fever" I reckon!

[ranchibi]

 

So.  There I wassss...a used Springfield M1A1 underlever started on eBay for $9.99 on 10/31. I've had a 'sorta' interest in this rifle for a while, so I threw it into my watchlist.  They go for right around $200 new from PA.

I'll make this mercifully short...the bids climb...It just mystifies me why folks bid early in the process, makes me think the sellers have ringers bidding to raise the bids.  The auction ended last evening...$181.55!  Plus $35.00 for shipping!!!!

Why do people do this?  Yeah, the seller has gotta be thrilled.  But whoever the "proud winner" is is going to be paying substantially more than a new unit...sheesh.

"Auction Fever" I reckon!

LOL Vance....I hear ya as an occasional e-bidder....makes no sense to me and you 😂👍. I usually purchase outright or offer to make sure I save some coin....like you said auction fever, a gambling type of addiction!

[Ronfiveo]

So.  There I wassss...a used Springfield M1A1 underlever started on eBay for $9.99 on 10/31. I've had a 'sorta' interest in this rifle for a while, so I threw it into my watchlist.  They go for right around $200 new from PA.

I'll make this mercifully short...the bids climb...It just mystifies me why folks bid early in the process, makes me think the sellers have ringers bidding to raise the bids.  The auction ended last evening...$181.55!  Plus $35.00 for shipping!!!!

Why do people do this?  Yeah, the seller has gotta be thrilled.  But whoever the "proud winner" is is going to be paying substantially more than a new unit...sheesh.

"Auction Fever" I reckon!

It was probably a lack of research.
If he looked it up he could see what a bargain looked like and what was too much for a used rifle.

Ron

[airgunaut]

Peer pressure can morph into almost hysteria about winning.

[HunterWhite]

A decade or two back, the Tonight show with Jay Leno had noticed this. He bought a $10 clock, had the face replaced with a picture of himself.  He put it up on the bay as " original Jay Leno clock". The winning bid was $300!

The madness has been going on for a long time.  😳


Hunter

[Ronno6]

I have seen several used Daisy 853's sell for well over $200.00, even
tho they can be purchased from CMP resealed for $130.00 or so.......

Ignorance can be profitable....

[Madd Hatter]

A decade or two back, the Tonight show with Jay Leno had noticed this. He bought a $10 clock, had the face replaced with a picture of himself.  He put it up on the bay as " original Jay Leno clock". The winning bid was $300!

The madness has been going on for a long time.  😳


Hunter

It's called more money than brains and that's how some people get rich 🤑.

[avator]

A decade or two back, the Tonight show with Jay Leno had noticed this. He bought a $10 clock, had the face replaced with a picture of himself.  He put it up on the bay as " original Jay Leno clock". The winning bid was $300!

The madness has been going on for a long time.  😳


Hunter

I guess that's where the phrase "there's one born every minute" came from.   

[Yarddog]

It's good to know that I'm not the only one shakin' my haid!

[KWK]

Our dog bid on a rifle last week. I looked at it on eBay when Lucie came over and put her chin on my laptop, as she often does, and that put $654 on the board. Lifted and placed her chin back down and that placed the bid. OOPS! So I'm thinking, hey, I already have one of these but I'd give that much for another. A few days later the bid rose to $664. It just ended at 911.51.

[buellm2]

Ebay seems like a bad place to bid on AGs.   I can tell you that I have had some pleasing success bidding on AGs at gun auctions that are primarily for PBs.    Neither the auctioneers nor most of the bidders have any interest in AGs and the few AGs (in these PB auctions) often go for low prices.   At least that has been my experience although it seems like interest in AGs is picking up.

[bantam5s]

A lot of the early bidding is probably people setting their max bid so they can set it and forget it.

Not doing so had cost me on more than one occasion.
Last week I was visiting with my Aunt & Uncle and completely forgot about an auction until it was too late.
Because I didn't set my max bid early I missed out on a Racine Sheridan H pistol that sold for less than I'll likely ever see again.