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Advice on Auction "Strategery" I WON

majspud

majspud

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[smile]I have found my next Mauser on an auction site and have been given leave to spend a moderate sum on it[banana]. This is pretty much exactly what I've been looking for, and similar to one I missed out on in June.

I'm wondering if I should stake my claim early, or zip in at the end. The auction has a moderate starting price, no reserve, and quite a bit of time remaining. This is to me like 50BMG's 1915 Sestroryetsk Moisen was to him recently, except I can't buy it now. My "finally" is dated 1916.

Wondering if I should contact the seller and express my intent?

MS
 
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I would get in early with a solid bid then keep an eye on it especially during the last hour or so. Your first bid should keep away folks looking to get a deal then all you need to worry about is the last second potential bidding war.
 
If it already has a bid on it, then I don't know if contacting the seller will do any good. If you are the high bidder, you may be able to persuade the seller to end the auction early, but that's a very slim chance.

Place a maximum bid and see if it holds up.
 
Bid now and reserve your max bid for when its getting closer. Some people will start throwing bids at an auction to see if they can top the highest bidder and back out due to bidder's regret when someone bids higher than them.

A few drinks and an interesting item will often bring out bids from people that wish they'd never done it the next day. Then when they see someone has outbid them, they back off because they didn't really want to spend the cash anyway. This is why I never surf GB when I've had a few.[grin]

Plus if someone sees you bidding to keep ahead of the others, it lets potential bidders know you're serious about the item.
 
The strategy you use depends on the auction website rules. It would help to know which website this auction is listed on. AuctionArms has a Proxy bid system where you can bid the max that you are willing to spend, but the system publicly lists a lower amount which is just high enough to beat the competing bids. You don't have to pay the full amount of your max bid unless competing bidders run the price up that high.

In general, the best chance of winning an item is to wait until the "last minute" and then bid whatever you are willing to spend.

PS- AuctionArms is the only online site for firearms that I know of that has decent customer service to protect both buyers and sellers.
 
I usually wait until the last 15 to 20 minutes. I like the freedom to be able to pass on it when something something else pops up before the end of the auction. But then again I may be a little ADD... [smile]
 
Some great advice so far. Though, for me personally, I'm one of those people that are called snipers and are cursed at after auctions are done. I wait until there's 15 seconds or less and then throw my bid in. There are other snipers out there as well, so my bid is high enough that I'm comfortable paying if I win. Plus doing this makes it so I don't get protective of a bid I previously made and spend more then I'd normally be comfortable paying. I win 3 out of 4 times on auctions I use this strategy with.

This strategy changes a little depending on the auction site. I forget which one, but one of the firearms auction sites add another minute onto the auction time when someone bids in the last few minutes. Negates the sniper type bids.
 
Rockrivr1 said:
This strategy changes a little depending on the auction site. I forget which one, but one of the firearms auction sites add another minute onto the auction time when someone bids in the last few minutes. Negates the sniper type bids.
Click to expand...

15 minutes on GB.

BTW... the avatar of you shooting Jay's saiga 12 is much more manly than the old spandex pic.[laugh]
 
I've never used GB, but on eBay (for, you know, not gun stuff) I tend to put in a small bid early, and then throw in a "maximum I'm willing to spend" bid shortly before the auction closes. If it's a common item, sometimes people are deterred simply by the fact that there is another person going for it. That obviously goes out the window when you're hunting something rarer.
 
Rockrivr1 said:
Some great advice so far. Though, for me personally, I'm one of those people that are called snipers and are cursed at after auctions are done. I wait until there's 15 seconds or less and then throw my bid in.
Click to expand...

On GB, it seems like half the bidding is last-second sniping. Yes, it extends the deadline by 15 minutes, but if you're not paying attention right thru to the very end, someone else will get "your" item. And the only cure for a sniper is...a countersniper.
 
As long as it's an ebay-style auction (where you can bid high but in the end only pay enough to beat the next-highest bid), I may put in an "interest" bid early so a dead auction isn't cancelled, but otherwise I'll hold it until the end and then put in my real bid.

Bid enough that you'll be happy if you win and relieved if you don't, then it's all good either way.
 
I always wait until the last hour or so to bid. I dont show my hand to early but if very few folks have checked it out then I throw a bid at it. I also check out the other bidders feedback and items they have purchased. If they are all low end buyers than the higher the price the better off you are.

Also contacting the seller about buying it prior to the bidding ending is a BIG no no on GB. You can get banned for it. Asking questions about the item is OK but trying to buy it offline so to speak is really frowned upon.
Good luck, I hope it ends up in your gun safe.[smile]
 
The advice was 2:1 (here and GB) to place my maximum bid early and walk away. This I have done; now comes 12 days of wait and see (or try not to think about it).

PM
 
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SKS Ray said:
Or hope some evil bastard doesn't see your post and seek out your rifle.[hmmm]
Click to expand...

I know guys like that on other sites... That dang Milsurps 4 Me is....


... one of the good guys. Had you going for a minute, huh Ray?


In the end, we all play by the same rules. Bid early, bid often, place a max bid, bid late - it all comes down to what one is willing to pay and if you are the last one standing, then it's yours.
 
12 days and you bid[shocked] .....well now its starts. Lay low, dont bid again, JMO,and set your alarm clock for when its near the end. If you fall into the trap of bidding often, even just 10 bucks it will drive ya nuts. Hang in there.

I too hope some evil troll doesn't wait until 15 minutes prior to the end and bid...oh wait I have done that.[devil]
 
Good luck, keep a close eye on it. I just lost a Romanian SKS in the last 15 min by 10 bucks.............I didn't need another one anyway...well that's what I keep telling myself.
 
I tend to wait until the end of an auction to bid. I'm a bid sniper on sites that allow it and I bid at 15 minutes on the others. I will put in my maximum I'll pay at the end and see where it goes. I don't like to put in my bid early when there is a reserve because I don't want to take the chance of revealing it if it is set low and getting competition.

When I'm selling I hate people like me.
 
majspud said:
I have found my next Mauser on an auction site and have been given leave to spend a moderate sum on it[banana]. This is pretty much exactly what I've been looking for, and similar to one I missed out on in June.
Click to expand...

So - Any updates ??? Did you 'Win' it ?
Inquiring gun nuts want to know!
 
This is a two week auction which has five days to go. I am high bidder with three bids total, $44 over starting price. I still have $200 in reserve. I'll know Saturday.

MS
 
My last big bid held up for nearly two weeks. The other bidders knew I was serious. The spoils came through last night.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=198363891

pix348064979.jpg


pix698274477.jpg



$381 may sound a little heavy for a Chinese, but not for this one. This was an absolute steal. Anyone know why?
 
55_grain said:
For those of us who just see a factory 26 SKS in the pic...why?
Click to expand...

After an exhaustive search on several boards, I can only come up with around a dozen of these that are known to be in the US and then posted on the forums.

It's the Egyptian Contract model, and mine looks to be in the best shape of them all!

Check it out here at YooperJ. Go to SKS - page 11.

http://www.yooperj.com/

I can find more pictures of East Germans, North Koreans and North Vietnamese than I can for Egyptian Contracts.
 
TMI!! 12 years of K98k's and 10 different manufacturers are enough for me. It will take the better part of the decade on a teacher's pay to get the last six or so. Then there's the upgrading factor...it also seems that the average K98 goes for double that mint sks.

MS
 

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