Auctions - why bid early?

Angela, yes there can be legitimate reasons why same item is auctioned more than once by same seller as you just described. I am just wondering out loud about my description above where friend "could" bid up item to raise proxy bids, and then if he went too far and was high bid not buy the item. Seller would then have to auction again later.

That might be a nice feature to have at Audiogon, an auction history so buyer could see previous results if same item was auctioned before, and draw his own conclusions.

The scenario I describe hopefully rarely if ever happens at Audiogon auctions, especially if seller has great feedback history. Don't want to get too off track here from original question about when to place your bid.

I bid early via proxy bidding all the time. The way I figure it, I'll set my max and if I'm sniped so be it. My max is truly my max so there's no need to worry about being beaten; the same item will come up for bids again shortly. For those who wait for the last few seconds to bid, I can see that being kind of fun but I just don't have the time or inclination. Yes, I love "buy it nows"! An observation: people are far more accurate in their decriptions of their gear here on the 'Gon than on Ebay. On the other hand Ebayers don't ask the buyer to cover PayPal fees. I prefer the 'Gon all the same.

Jeff, I envy you.... I was trying that for about 2 months on a Marantz tuner and always got outbid.... I didn't want to pay too much, you know how the range can vary hundreds of dollars. Finally, I did what you said and bid a fair, but high proxy (I watched recent auctions end to see what going price was) and I just said, I want it,dammit, and if this is what it takes, then okokok already, UNCLE, I'll bid it :) and guess what? I got the tuner (McIntosh mr71) for WAY less than I hoped and my proxy was was fair, but DOUBLE what I ended up paying for it.
I agree with AudioBob, you just never know - I think that is part of the attraction and the game.
Megasam, that practice is illegal and anyone caught doing that will be banned from eBay.
I recently had a friend that someone bid on their auction and won and then started the sob story about no money and could he wait a week or two, then the guy had the bal... er I mean NERVE to copy the guy's auction and put the item up for bid when he didn't take possession yet. too much, he got burned and banned... You just have to be careful. I agree that I feel much safer buying and selling here
-aj
off to enjoy her Sunday :)

Angela, I think thtt Magasam was referring to an Ebay seller who relists an item that was ostensibly "sold" in a previous auction (to his friend Rocco who put in false bids in an attempt to push up the proxy). I suspect this happens frequently, especially for sellers of big ticket items who have set their reserve price too low and start to get nervous towards the end. I've also seen "no reserve" Ebay auctions get pulled by sellers at what seems like the 11th hour, i.e., just when I thought I was getting a steal. The overtime system at Audiogon cures many of these ills, but I wouldn't think it would be appropriate for Ebay since their market is so broad. It helps here since we're such a civil (anti-snipe) group!

I really don't like the auction process and rarely use it. The reserve or opening bid is usually at or close to fair market price so the auction system as a rule is for sellers to increase their return. I have bid early on occasion on something I am serious about purchasing. I list my max price and if I get it, fine. I just don't have the time or energy to play auction in the last hour or so. On occasion on e-bay I have had other sellers e-mail with the same product that I lost the bid on and take my bid offer.