Today I won a camera eBay auction by a Penny
It was a nice feeling. I and another bidder competed for a Minolta SRT 100x on eBay. He bid a little, I bid a little and then “felt” that he had a higher limit on the camera so I stopped bidding. I kept raising my bids from about three dollars to ten dollars but his/her higher bid kicked in and outbid me.
So I waited for my 5 second snipe. See my post on eBay auction sniping.
Five Second Sniping on eBay
If I want a camera on eBay I always wait for the last 5 seconds to make a bid. Whether there’s another bidder or not. Yesterday, I knew there was another bidder so I waited for the last 5 seconds.
I decided that my limit for a 35 year old Minolta SRT 100x would be fifteen dollars plus shipping. If the other person outbid me, so be it.
I know, $15 dollars for a camera and 3 lenses doesn’t sound like a big purchase. But isn’t part of the fun of buying eBay cameras at auction the thrill of winning?
Always add a penny to your eBay Bids
In the past I have won eBay auctions in the last 5 seconds by 50 cents or even 25 cents. But I can never remember winning an auction by a penny.
I wanted the camera for $15 plus shipping. So I bid $15 plus a penny in the last 5 seconds.
Winning eBay Auction Bids by a Penny
So I won a Minolta camera with 3 lenses. I really bid on it because it looked like it was in good condition and someone’s father had used it “lightly” years ago according to the description on eBay.
I know the other person was disappointed when he learned I had outbid him/her by a penny. But I taught the other bidder two important lessons yesterday:
- Never bid with round figures for lesser priced goods on eBay. If you want to bid $15.00, then bid $15.01. Never bid with .25 or .50 or .75. Always bid with 27, 51, or 77 cents. You get the idea.
- If you can watch an auction, all the action happens in the last 5 seconds.
So good luck on your next eBay auction. Just add a couple of pennies to each final bid.
Thanks for visiting What is a Film Camera today.
Hi! I wanted to thank you for your comments on my blog. Like you said, it’s encouraging to know there are other film camera enthusiasts out there that are reading. And thanks for this post on winning auctions by a penny… I’ll definitely remember this since it’ll probably save me some much needed dollars and cents. I’m fresh out of university so it all counts! =)
Caity,
As I said on your blog, those of us with photography blogs need to stick together.
As for winning an auction by a penny on eBay, it’s a nice feeling.
Richard