Originally Posted by
wrk101
How do you know the maximum bid that the winner placed? Although the item "sold" for $325, the winner may well have placed a proxy bid of $500 or more. I often "win" auctions well below my proxy bid, as I always place my proxy bid (through esnipe of course) at the maximum value the item has for me. Often I will win at 50% or less of my bid. Is there an ebay report that shows the maximum bid placed by the winner? I would like to see that report. The last item I won was a set of NOS shift levers.
My proxy bid was around $12, I won the item at 99 cents. I wouldn't doubt that someone looking at completed auctions would jump to the erroneous conclusion that they could have won those shifters for $1.04.
There is really no way of knowing the TRUE maximum amount which a winning bidder had offered. It's a bit like playing poker where other players will never be assured of just how high you might have been willing to continue raising the ante once play is done and you have won the hand.
I too have lost auctions for what would seem only a single incremental bid. However, being familiar with the buying power of some of the more frequent (often Japanese) opposing bidders, I know that their maximum bids could easily have run hundreds of dollars over my own modest highest offer for a small item.
Sniping mainly benefits bidders. It helps me to evaluate in advance precisely how badly I truly want an item, and then I seal my bid accordingly. It helps to eliminate a frenzied bidding war volley which is often simply fueled by bidders egos.
That is something which you can really witness at live art auctions. I imagine that certain collectors later kick themselves when they come to their senses and realize how much they have in fact spent after being sparked by opposition from an acquaintance who they simply despise and are determined to beat. But, I've seen the same phenomenon on eBay between two Japanese rivals, each with excessive spending power.