Originally Posted by cfhofer (Post 1427123)

There are 3.5 million items on eBay under the 'Sports Memorabilia, Cards and Fan Shop' category, yet only 101k are auctions. That means 98% of all sports memorabilia listed on eBay are BIN. Hard-endings is a primary reason for this shift.

Regarding AH action, almost all require a bid 24 hours before the soft-ending. That doesn't explain the action 2-3 weeks beforehand.

Originally Posted by vintagesportscollector (Post 1426622)

Yes, eventually there is a max price you are willing to pay, of course there is, but everyone finds it that easy to lock in their max price up front?? Maybe it’s just me…(my wife says I am too emotional :o).

In Theory, Travis, I hear what you are saying. I suppose MY problem is determining exactly the highest amount I am willing to pay or the “that’s enough not 1 penny more” point as you have described. BUT maybe that is just me and most everyone else finds that as EASY as you describe it. I admit I am flawed – call me human. My recent experience that I described is unique and specific (its not always as clear as $1 more will win it). Do you think I should have not bid the extra $1? (BTW - I am looking at the item now on my desk and really glad I won it).

But let me ask you this again? You go through your thought process to come up with your highest amount, following the steps you described for an item you really want. You’re perfect so you know you have confidently figured out your highest amount, because it is an exact science they way you described it. You snipe your bid and are losing but realize if you bid 1 penny more you would win it…would you bid the extra penny? You don’t have to answer because I am sure your response would be your bid would have already thought about that penny.

How many people out there have set a snipe bid and change/raised it at some point?

Edited to add: BTW, Travis, please don’t take my sarcasm as criticism, just provocative to stir the debate. It’s a good discussion, and honestly you do make a point and I am going to try to apply that in the future.

Originally Posted by vintagesportscollector (Post 1427171)

That makes a lot of sense Jake, agreed. In my case the memorabilia item was pretty much one of a kind, in that I had never seen it in twenty years of collecting, and wouldn't expect to ever see it again. If it is a commodity like a card, or a mass produced memorabilia item, then totally agree with what you are saying.

Originally Posted by kmac32 (Post 1427189)

I routinely snipe as it prevents me from getting shilled. Generally works and if it doesn't work, the person that outsnipes me pays a higher price. The key is not to set your bid any higher than what you are actually willing to pay for an item.

Recently was after a common for my W572 set. Bid on a card that was worth around $70. I really wanted the card but could not be by a computer so bid $125.00 as my highest bid. Somebody sniped the card but he paid dearly for it at $127.50. Now if could have been lurking in the shadows, I could have bid with 3 seconds left and probably would have got the card at a semi reasonable price.

The point is that sniping has it's place and the element of suprise can get you an item at a lower price and if you do not win, it will cost your competition $$$.

Originally Posted by murphusa (Post 1427244)

A spalding first basement trophy went for $5770 today. The price rose $2770 in the last 2 seconds

Originally Posted by cfhofer (Post 1427123)

There are 3.5 million items on eBay under the 'Sports Memorabilia, Cards and Fan Shop' category, yet only 101k are auctions. That means 98% of all sports memorabilia listed on eBay are BIN. Hard-endings is a primary reason for this shift.

Regarding AH action, almost all require a bid 24 hours before the soft-ending. That doesn't explain the action 2-3 weeks beforehand.

Originally Posted by bobfreedman (Post 1427299)

I was the direct underbidder and was shocked to lose it by that big of another snipe.

Originally Posted by perezfan (Post 1427310)

While this may seem off topic, it's not...

One of the reasons cited for the decrease of quality memorabilia on eBay is that much of it is now mired in advanced collections. These collectors are not willing to part with "the good stuff" and have no interest in flipping it. The increasing scarcity is what causes the higher prices... not sniping. It's a simple case of demand exceeding the available supply.

Spalding Trophies (while always rare/desirable) used to turn up routinely in the catalog auctions, at the National, and on eBay. The one that closed today was the first one in what seemed like an eternity. These spectacular trophies have simply dried up, and because of that, the prices rise.

Conversely, some things that were previously thought to be rare (Stanford Pottery, certain Bobbleheads, 1940s Split-Finger Gloves) have proven to be fairly common. So those prices have dropped. It's simple supply and demand. The Spalding probably would've climbed even higher if sniping wasn't an option.

Originally Posted by vintagesportscollector (Post 1427380)

Bob, Mark made an interesting point that the trophy may have climbed higher if sniping wasn't an option. Would you have gone higher if you were outbid earlier?

Originally Posted by cfhofer (Post 1427635)

Just depends on if you think eBay is/was vital to our hobby. 10-15 years ago the pieces that were coming up for auction on eBay was simply amazing. EBay made our hobby accessible to everyone, even the non-collector. People who didn't have a clue about sports memorabilia were listing items daily. Collectors didn't need to look elsewhere for quality pieces. I think we can all agree those golden days are gone.

EBay is now a huge dumping ground, with a rare diamond in a sea of turds. With 98% of sports memorabilia listed at a fixed price eBay's auctions (and snipe bids) have become irrelevant to the hobby. Either the pieces have dried up (which seems the majority opinion here) or sellers have just abandoned eBay auctions (my hopeful opinion).

Originally Posted by vintagesportscollector (Post 1427683)

Not sure what your agenda is, but you seem to have a lot of hatred toward ebay - albeit much of it I agree is justified. You make good points, but for me ebay auctions are far from being irrelevant to my hobby/collection. It certainly is harder to search and find items, and requires more patience, but I am still purchasing many items on eBay through auctions. Maybe not all gems, and mostly smalls, but still adding valued items to my collection. It seems many people on here are continuously posting some quality items that they picked up on eBay. Golden Days gone? Yes. Irrelevant to the hobby? No, not in my opinion, at least for my hobby.

Originally Posted by cfhofer (Post 1427635)

Just depends on if you think eBay is/was vital to our hobby. 10-15 years ago the pieces that were coming up for auction on eBay was simply amazing. EBay made our hobby accessible to everyone, even the non-collector. People who didn't have a clue about sports memorabilia were listing items daily. Collectors didn't need to look elsewhere for quality pieces. I think we can all agree those golden days are gone.

EBay is now a huge dumping ground, with a rare diamond in a sea of turds. With 98% of sports memorabilia listed at a fixed price eBay's auctions (and snipe bids) have become irrelevant to the hobby. Either the pieces have dried up (which seems the majority opinion here) or sellers have just abandoned eBay auctions (my hopeful opinion).