Yeah, I get that. I have read all sorts of psychological studies about eBay bidding. Like I said, I don't see it as a competition. Abd even if I did, if someone outbids me, then I figure they paid more than I thought it was worth, so who is the winner here?
Like you said, it does seem to be about winning, not about a simple purchase. I am just interested in an item, and will pay what I think it is worth to me! I have gotten all sorts of good deals and bargains, and have never regretted what I paid for an item.
And when the " it's mine" guy bids over its worth, who really loses?! Social service? I think the sellers would think otherwise!
There's one other aspect here - There's a difference between "I lose getting something I want" and "I lose getting something I need."
What I'm bidding on at the moment are things i need for my business. Not something I want to decorate my wall with. Therefore, the lower the price I get the item for, the better the bottom line in my business. If I lose out on an auction and someone else wins, I still -need- that item, and have to move on to the next one of those items for sale.
If I can nip that process in the bud and get the item I need for a sustainable and not overburdensome price, then I'm naturally going to go that path. Mostly I'm working how -other- folks are reacting to the bidding, not reacting on my own.
So, how do I leverage the casual buyer's mindset? First, don't tempt them into bidding something higher than mine. Keep my bids low until the last minute so I don't provide a temptation. If it's too low, someone will outbid me - sure, cool, let 'em. :)
One other thing. Lets say me and Bob are interested in Item X. Bob puts in a bid, he wants the lowball price. He puts in his lowest interested price ($150). He won't up his own price, but if I outbid him, he will. The auctioin approaches closing, and I outbid him one more notch, to $165. If he doens't have time to re-bid, I win.
So, why doesn't he put in $250 as his max bid to begin with? Because the "Yeah, I'll take it!" feeling works at $150. But he'd have to really think hard about if he wants it if the price does jump to $250.
It's not a flat line. People want something more if they get to pay less for it. If someone offered me a car for $5000, and the same car for $20,000, I'd be more likely to pay $5000 and get it, even though they'r eboth the same car. See?
Like I said, I completely understand HOW this works.
People want something more if they get to pay less for it.
This is the part that gets me. Because me, I either want something or I don't. I don't want something more if I can get it for less..maybe that's where I am different and not willing to play this game!
And BTW I mostly buy things I need for my business on eBay. If I really need it I don't solely depend on eBay.
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timeasmymeasure
Re: Why?
Date: 2003-12-10 06:06 pm (UTC)I have read all sorts of psychological studies about eBay bidding.
Like I said, I don't see it as a competition. Abd even if I did, if someone outbids me, then I figure they paid more than I thought it was worth, so who is the winner here?
Like you said, it does seem to be about winning, not about a simple purchase. I am just interested in an item, and will pay what I think it is worth to me! I have gotten all sorts of good deals and bargains, and have never regretted what I paid for an item.
And when the " it's mine" guy bids over its worth, who really loses?!
Social service? I think the sellers would think otherwise!
Re: Why?
Date: 2003-12-10 06:48 pm (UTC)What I'm bidding on at the moment are things i need for my business. Not something I want to decorate my wall with. Therefore, the lower the price I get the item for, the better the bottom line in my business. If I lose out on an auction and someone else wins, I still -need- that item, and have to move on to the next one of those items for sale.
If I can nip that process in the bud and get the item I need for a sustainable and not overburdensome price, then I'm naturally going to go that path. Mostly I'm working how -other- folks are reacting to the bidding, not reacting on my own.
So, how do I leverage the casual buyer's mindset? First, don't tempt them into bidding something higher than mine. Keep my bids low until the last minute so I don't provide a temptation. If it's too low, someone will outbid me - sure, cool, let 'em. :)
One other thing. Lets say me and Bob are interested in Item X. Bob puts in a bid, he wants the lowball price. He puts in his lowest interested price ($150). He won't up his own price, but if I outbid him, he will. The auctioin approaches closing, and I outbid him one more notch, to $165. If he doens't have time to re-bid, I win.
So, why doesn't he put in $250 as his max bid to begin with? Because the "Yeah, I'll take it!" feeling works at $150. But he'd have to really think hard about if he wants it if the price does jump to $250.
It's not a flat line. People want something more if they get to pay less for it. If someone offered me a car for $5000, and the same car for $20,000, I'd be more likely to pay $5000 and get it, even though they'r eboth the same car. See?
Re: Why?
Date: 2003-12-10 09:02 pm (UTC)People want something more if they get to pay less for it.
This is the part that gets me. Because me, I either want something or I don't. I don't want something more if I can get it for less..maybe that's where I am different and not willing to play this game!
And BTW I mostly buy things I need for my business on eBay. If I really need it I don't solely depend on eBay.
good luck!