Blast It All!!!

[reels4me]

Finally found a reel on E-Bay, I really wanted
A 50yd. 'Perfect' by Wm.ShakespeareJr. and
got sniped,
bidder got it for only $186.00 Damn !
Just had to vent. Been waiting 2 years.

[reels4me]

Damn is not proper ? Yikes!

[reelsmith.]

Next time that happens, bid $1500 and you will get it.

It's all about karma.

Dean.

[walt]

I've lost several items to snipers and am also frustrated by the experience. If its an item I want and I don't snipe it chances are someone else will. On the one hand you want to be fair with other collectors and let the auction process work but each time I've followed this path someone has sniped the item in the last 5/10 seconds.
As it currently operates you're forced to be part of the snipeing process or be left out ?

[Reel Geezer]

Jack: I thought that price was cheap! I was going to send congratulations to Jack Sindt, for getting a 50 yard Perfect at a bargain price. What price do you think I'd put on my 40 yard Perfect? These reels are far rarer than any #3 Meek, Milam, or Meek & Milam - or most of the Julius Vom Hofe HR/GS fly reels sold on eBay. They should be in the $500 range at a minimum, and maybe they should top $1000 - based on rarity, workmanship, and visual appeal.

[Ron Mc]

If you really want it, bid what you are willing to pay, and the snipes will wile away their last few seconds trying to catch up. If they outbid you, it was more than you were willing to pay, anyway.

[john elder]

but if the bidders wittling away at your reserve are the seller's buddies, then the reel will just cost you more than it should have. Stop feeling guilty about sniping...it's the only way to do this in a buyer-friendly way. there is nothing illegal here and it's just plain silly to put a number up there for everyone to shoot at and drive the price up...really great for the seller, but not exactly good for the buyer. yes, getting sniped is irritating, but it's not a violation of anything but our egos.

[Harvey]

WOW! $186.00 for a reel that you have been wanting for years? I can spend that in one evening at the local pub and I don't even drink! Phil is right. Someday (hopefully not soon) people will finally come to the conclusion that old Shakespeare reels are a touch of class. I didn't see that reel but I would say that it was worth much more than the high bid. Also, I saw years ago that sniping is the way to go. If I got bent out of shape every time someone jumped in and out bid me in the last nano-second, I would look like a pretzel. I don't hold that against anybody for doing me that way because I would in turn do it to somebody else if I got the chance. I will admit that if I see another collector that I know bidding on something, out of respect, I will lay off it. Those early small size Shakespeare reels are hard to come by. I still can't forgive Phil for the 55 yarder that he got from Jack Gallager at Columbia !
Harvey

[Ron Mc]

and sorry, I wasn't trying to be self-righteous - I'll snipe when I can, as well.

I was bidding against a friend for a reel that I've been wanting for two years last week and I did snipe him. We joked about it.

None of us can snipe on everything we bid on - you still have to have a plan for bidding and walking away when that's all you can do.

[Richard Lodge]

Lots of good insight in this string, I think. I tend to agree with the Ron. Bid what you are willing to pay and if you get beat, then you lost it fair and square - and you didn't lose your shirt in the process. Part of the fun of the auction is tactics. Do you snipe at the last second? Get in early with a really high bid? Do you grit your teeth and decide to spend a lot on a reel - even a little MORe than a lot - knowing that this is your one shot to get it? If you think the snipers are buddies of the seller, then the deck is stacked against you anyway and you can't win for losing. But if you just THINK the snipers are buddies of the seller, then maybe you should lay off the auction for a while and try gardening. What's the old saying, "I'm not paranoid! Why are you asking?"
If somebody's going to use unethical tactics, such as having a shill bidder, then that's an auction to avoid (if you have some way of confirming your suspicions). If it looks like a clean auction and the reel is one you just have to have, I say go for it. If you lose, no regrets. You bid what you thought you could afford and what you thought was a fair price. If you lost, it just wasn't in the cards this time. C'est la vie, eh?

[Brian F.]

I agree with Ron, John and Richard. If your last bid is the absolute most you'd pay for an item, then there should be no problem whether you're outbid days before or seconds before the end of the auction. It just gets tricky as to how and when you make your last bid.

If however, you were to try and get it for less than that ultimate amount, then you're shooting yourself in the foot by bidding early. That's because 1. "the natural auction process" seems to make people competitive (ie get "caught up in a bidding frenzy") and people end up paying unusually more for things than "normal" 2. there are unethical types that will use shill bidders to take advantage of "the natural auction process" and human pride (ie. to goad someone into bidding "just one more time").

If you were to "snipe" or put your bid in at the last minute you can avoid the above pitfalls. If you use either an automated service or sit at your computer and madly type in ONE bid at the last seconds of an auction, you may be surprised at how often you win things at much less than your own maximum, some might even say "dirt cheap". (I say ONE bid because if you bid too early and see that you've been outbid, pitfall one is a sure bet again.)

Also, if it's something that comes around in an auction once in a long, long time, I wouldn't expect to get it cheap. But at least you have a chance to get it (and possibly for less than you think) if you snipe and plug in the absolute most you would pay. It's worked on several occasions for me where I've been outrageously surprised.

[Guest]

I think Reel4Me's comment that the bidder got the reel for "only $186" says it all. Sniped or not, he was out bid. The reel was worth more to the other bidder. I don't believe being out bid is so terrible. The other guy spent more money than I was willing to pay regardless of timing.

Like Brian, I establish my limit, snipe at the last second, and take my chances. By doing so, shill bidders, snipers, and unethical practices are ineffective. I just wish Ebay auctions ended early evening. Ebay has kept all of us up late more than once.

[Jim Schottenham]

I've also found that last second bidding is the way to go if you really want something. However, I learned the hard way today...remember to update your password information (if you change it) with the bidding service you use, or your snipe bids won't get through!
Oh well, guess it was not in the cards...
Jim

[cws/carl schultz]

if i am serious about a reel i wont bid at all till the last seconds if im just trying to get something cheap make a bid and see if it holds up just wound up butting heads with a fellow orcan but he had waited to bid at the end and i had bid a couple times just because the reel was running cheaper than i thought it should be [gee it was also a shakespeare lol] so put in final bid and up popped an id i know very well emailed him and he told me it was one he really wanted and i was only getting it because of the price if i would have known he was bidding i would have backed off also best way to snipe split screen have auction up on both one with max bid ready to confirm[be sure you have signed in] and refresh the other and see how long that takes i will try at about 20-30 seconds with dial-up but you folks with the direct line instant on whatever may be able to cut it finer yet so the secret is out carl

[reels4me]

Thanks to all I have learned a great deal tonight, and will apply next
time(hopefully there will be a next time). I did try to get a last shot
with a substantial amount but waited too long. Hope I sleep better
tonight, Adious y`all.

[Jack S]

Jack - I'm the one that sniped you on the 50 yd Perfect Tuesday night. I won't try to rationalize why I bid in the last few minutes, as it's already been thoroughly discussed above. Suffice to say, I rarely win any bids placed hours or days before the auction close. I know how you feel - I've been in a similar position bidding on SKP sandwich reels (Standard, Professional, etc.) when shoalwater Joe is on the loose. And now he's bidding on the Tournament reels! Ouch! Guess I'll have to wait 'til he gets his fill.

I didn't mean to make enemies with my bid. I really thought the reel was worth more than what I paid for it. I'm sorry I caused hard feelings!

Jack S

PS - I enjoyed our phone conversation earlier tonight. Thanks for the call!

[Don Champion]

Like everyone else, I am disappointed when I loose out at he last minute due to being outbid. But then that bidder was willing to pay more than I. What REALLY ticks me off is when I'm waiting to snipe a last minute bid & the #&**%$! computer goes down! Being outbid I can live with, and am willing to joke about it. Sometimes I hate computers.

[piscesman]

Not much more can be said but I'd like to try. 1)- If you want the reel or whatever Bid your max + 10%. You won't be disappointed if you win it but will be if you LOSE IT! 2)- Use a sniping service. They are much more realiable then your computer. Come on, WHO really wants to stay up to 2 AM just to lose the auction for whatever reasons? Plus can you really afford stay home from work to bid on the auction just to lose it also? They only cost pennys on the dollar to use. Only twice they ever went down for me but was due to EBAY CRASH! Plus don't forget the little women talking to you at the last second. Grounds for a divorce? 3)- Good quality "tackle" will ALWAYS increase in value, not that you are going to sell it. Safer investment than the stock market and you get to touch your shares too...You know what I mean! 4)- Last but certainly not least. It's a hobby of yours! Not ment to pay your bills or send your kids to college. For enjoyment only. I'd rather work on a reel than go to a stress seminar. Not that I do but my wife has the number quite handy. It's amazing what a precision piece of metal can do for the soul regardless how old it is. Enjoy what you have and hope for more.
Remember that sometimes the thrill of the chase is better than the actual find. ENJOY the hobby...

[Guest]

If it was worth $500, then why did you only bid $185?