any savvy Gunbroker tips you'd care to share?

there are a couple of auctions that i am keeping an eye on.

the items are not in current production (semi-collectible revolvers) so i have a feeling things will likely get silly before things are over.

thanks in advance --

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UPDATE: I did not win the auction. I placed a bid in the high $500s then another one of $775 IIRC which was pretty much my max as it would cost another ~$75 for shipping / local transfer. The revolver ended up going for $899 but who knows what their max bid 'could' have been.

As mentioned -- there will be another to come along at some point.

Thanks for all the tips--

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sig209,

Sniping, only works if you can watch the end of the auction. At the last minute, throw your bid in, only if you want it at slightly higher than last bid. :shrugs shoulders:

quote:

Originally posted by wreckdiver:
Sniping, only works if you can watch the end of the auction. At the last minute, throw your bid in, only if you want it at slightly higher than last bid. :shrugs shoulders:

Sniping doesn't work on Gun Broker because there is a 15 minute time limit after the last bid for someone to bid again if they like.

What I usually do is put in my max bid and then don't look at it until after the auction is over. That way you don't get emotion involved and keep saying only $5 and $400 later you own it.

By putting your high bid in it will bid $5 over the current bid. Then if no one bids again that's what you get it for. If someone outbids you and the total is still under your max it will bid $5 over that bid and so on.

Sniping does NOT work on Gunbroker at all!

Gunbroker has a '15 Minute Rule' specifically to prevent Sniping.

From the GunBroker Website:

"All of our auctions use the 15 Minute Rule. If a user places a bid within 15 minutes of the scheduled end date/time, the auction automatically switches into a special mode analogous to the "going, going, gone" of a live listing. In this mode, the listing is automatically extended until no bids have been placed within 15 minutes. When 15 minutes have passed with no bidding activity, the listing ends.

The purpose for the 15 Minute Rule is to prevent sniping and offer all users the opportunity to bid. The 15 Minute Rule allows all bidders an equal opportunity to place their best bid, and the seller can be assured he/she will receive maximum value for the item."


ETA - Got distracted (and have poor typing skills). 1s1k beat me to it...

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by wreckdiver:
Sniping, only works if you can watch the end of the auction. At the last minute, throw your bid in, only if you want it at slightly higher than last bid. :shrugs shoulders:

Sniping doesn't work on Gun Broker because there is a 15 minute time limit after the last bid for someone to bid again if they like.

What I usually do is put in my max bid and then don't look at it until after the auction is over. That way you don't get emotion involved and keep saying only $5 and $400 later you own it.

By putting your high bid in it will bid $5 over the current bid. Then if no one bids again that's what you get it for. If someone outbids you and the total is still under your max it will bid $5 over that bid and so on.

Solid advice. Decide what your maximum price and bid that. You either win or you don't. Auctions are designed to extract a high price by psyching up buyers. Don't fall for it.

Buy what you know. Know what you are buying.

If you want a revolver in 45-70, there is only one model that holds 12 rounds, etc...

I usually wait till near the end of the auction, then,take a deep breath, decide what the MAX amount is that I feel the item is worth, then place a bid, and walk away from the keyboard.

My bad, I was using my Ebay strategy of years ago. I haven't been on Gunbroker in at least 5 years. Please excuse my blunder!!

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

What I usually do is put in my max bid and then don't look at it until after the auction is over. That way you don't get emotion involved and keep saying only $5 and $400 later you own it.

Unless the item is something you absolutely must have and money is no object, this is the best advice you're going to receive. Also, friends don't let friends bid drunk.

My experience in buying has been that the condition is always worse than what it was supposed to be. Make sure you examine every picture carefully and ask for high res images if you intend to buy.

thanks Gents -- so just so i understand lets say the item is currently at $550 -- the guy currently 'winning' placed his bid on 11/29 even though my bids which were 'accepted' were on 12/4.

so if i understand their 'autobid feature' -- even though it shows $550 -- that he has placed a 'high bid' potentially much higher than $550 ? but it's only 'bidding up' enough to beat me at my last bid.

i think i understand the point above about simply place in my max and 'walk away'. the system will automatically bid up for me as required but not go to my max if not necessary to win.

like i said the revolver is decades out of production -- think along the lines of a mint old school 1980s S&W Model 19. kinda collectible but not really rare so I don't want to get too crazy. ( i realize Smith makes current 19s but that's not really apples / apples)

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Auctions that allow credit cards are generally crazier than ones where you have to pay with money orders/cashier's checks. Fewer people have the cash on hand for the bigger ticket items ($1K+), so competition is less which increases your chances. Credit cards encourage bidding wars.

You also need to be on the right "foot". Know your gun's predictable price point by looking at completed sales, and bid comfortably ahead of that. If you feel like you overpaid, consider the cost of driving around to multiple gunshows in the next few years to find the same thing.

Be prepared to lose, even on the rarer guns that you don't think you'll see again...they will come around if you keep looking. And like others have said, place the highest bid you can possibly live with and walk away.

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
thanks Gents -- so just so i understand lets say the item is currently at $550 -- the guy currently 'winning' placed his bid on 11/29 even though my bids which were 'accepted' were on 12/4.

so if i understand their 'autobid feature' -- even though it shows $550 -- that he has placed a 'high bid' potentially much higher than $550 ? but it's only 'bidding up' enough to beat me at my last bid.

i think i understand the point above about simply place in my max and 'walk away'. the system will automatically bid up for me as required but not go to my max if not necessary to win.

like i said the revolver is decades out of production -- think along the lines of a mint old school 1980s S&W Model 19. kinda collectible but not really rare so I don't want to get too crazy. ( i realize Smith makes current 19s but that's not really apples / apples)

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You got it.

A lot of ummm... interesting information on this thread.

First off, sniping (bidding only at the very last second) is very much a good tactic, even on Gunbroker. There are two reasons why one should “snipe”, Gunbroker has partially eliminated one of them but not the other:

1. If you snipe at the very last second, you don’t give the other buyer time to respond and counter bid (the 15 min extension partially fixes this, but the other bidder HAS to be watching the auction).

2. Sniping helps to avoid OTHER bidders from letting their emotions get the best of them, and overbidding for an item, allowing you to pay less.

Here are two examples:

1. If Sig209 followed the advice in this thread, and bid his max price early on, with 4 days to go, let’s say at $800. The gun is listed for $500, and jhe88 also wants it. He sees that the bid is $500, gets excited, and bids $600. The price automatically climbs to $625, as gunbroker counterbids for Sig209 up to his max. jhe88 sees the new price at $625, rationalizes a bit, and ups his bid to $750 (his new max). Gunbroker counterbids, the new bid is $775. jhe88 stews for a day or so, then, after his wife is fed up with his grouching and allows him to go higher, promptly bids $850. Sig209 sees this, really wants the gun, and ends up bidding $900 and takes the gun.

OR

2. Sig209 decides to snipe. jhe88 sees the item listed at $500, and bids his initial max of $600. No one else bids, and on the night it is ending jhe88 is out with the wife shopping or at drinks or whatever. Sig209 bids with exactly 16 minutes to go his absolute max of $800, and ends up buying the gun at just above jhe88’s price of $600.

Reloader is right. Sniping is different on gunbroker. I will usually make an early low bid then wait until the last 60 seconds to place my real bid.

quote:

Originally posted by hjs157:
...friends don't let friends bid drunk.

Oh have I failed you.....

I’ll bid my mad at 15:10 and let it ride. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don’t.

A friend of mine is looking for a rifle in the $3500 range, not a common rifle but they are a few out there.

I’ve been helping him because I love spending his money and he is new to GB

There is a vendor that over the past month or so has had three of the rifles listed as no reserve auction each starting at $2999.99, 5 day auction.

This is where it gets weird, the same bidder has been “winning” the auctions. Yet the seller has never left feedback for the buyer.

This buyer has won 9 auctions for $3500 or more from this seller in the past month. I would think if someone spent almost 35k at my shop I would leave feedback for them.

He currently winning 2 more that are over 4K each

His “winning” has knocked my friend out for now

quote:

Originally posted by Hammer1967:
A friend of mine is looking for a rifle in the $3500 range, not a common rifle but they are a few out there.

I’ve been helping him because I love spending his money and he is new to GB

There is a vendor that over the past month or so has had three of the rifles listed as no reserve auction each starting at $2999.99, 5 day auction.

This is where it gets weird, the same bidder has been “winning” the auctions. Yet the seller has never left feedback for the buyer.

This buyer has won 9 auctions for $3500 or more from this seller in the past month. I would think if someone spent almost 35k at my shop I would leave feedback for them.

He currently winning 2 more that are over 4K each

His “winning” has knocked my friend out for now

Sounds like a shill situation. I would avoid any seller who does it.

^ Isn’t this an offense that GunBroker wants to be made aware of?

Or do they not care anymore?

It has been a good while since my last gun transaction there. Bid on some magazines and gun parts recently.