Re: OT Question about ebay (Apple Lisa)

["Michael J. Mahon" <mjmahon@aol.com>]

Jorge Chamorro Bieling wrote:
> Please take a look at the bids for this ebay item:
>
> <http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8755141248&rd=1&sspa
> gename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1>
>
> The question is 
>
> 1.- Why would someone bid several times "against" himself ?

He's bidding against a higher, earlier proxy bid.

This is a behavior I call "dinking away", because the bidder is
"probing" rather than considering the maximum he is willing to
bid, then bidding it at the last moment.

That way, he either gets the item for less than or equal to
what he is willing to bid, or he loses it for more than he
is willing to bid--and is therefore happy with the result.

If he places his maximum proxy bid earlier, as eBay suggests,
he invites the current high bidder to counter (if he has not
already bid his maximum) and encourages others to "dink away"
at his proxy bid, potentially increasing the amount he may
ultimately pay.

-michael

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