Buying equipment on FleaBay

[RogerDat]

I see where some folks post mention of "good deal" on such and such they picked up on well known auction site. I understand where some things only drop in price to a certain point then hold value. A working set of used dies or used press in good condition is only going to be certain amount less expensive than new.

However I find the auction set up to be insane, prices make little if any sense much of the time. I have a list of things that I would like to buy on my computer. No addiction (yet) so looking at what is in the gun safe informs what I might purchase. What needs the most regular feeding informs what is highest priority.

Lee dies and presses used sometimes sell for a within a couple of bucks of what they are new on Titan, heck I just saw a 3 die set go for $1 more than Titan. Couple of RCBS dies I could buy on Midway new for the same price as the used ones being sold. See the same with other die sets, or presses. $98 starting bid for a press that goes new for $114.

So is there some secret handshake or special way to hold the mouse? Or does this boil down to repeatedly putting in a Bid at a reasonable price and hoping that one stays low so you win below that point to get a "deal"? Having to wait for each item auction to close before trying again so you don't get stuck with duplicate item? Seems pretty inefficient, each auction lasts a week one could easily try a whole lot of times without having the winning bid and have to wait each time for days before being able to try again.

Anyone have any suggestions or am I correct in figuring this is a waste of time unless one is looking for some odd out of production item.

[knifemaker]

If you find a item on EBay that you need, figure out what you feel is a fair price for that item based on new or used and availability and bid that price. If some idiot outbids you with a unreasonable price, let it go and not get into a bidding war. Also check the sellers rating, because some will screw you in a heartbeat, and make sure there is plenty of pictures for you to judge the condition of the item. I have gotten some good deals on EBay, and have also seen many deals that I would not touch with a ten foot pole.

[airsmithy]

You have to be willing to spend time waiting and watching. Yes, I see some things go for above normal retail from time to time. But, I also find some deals. If you have time to wait, and time to watch, you can pick up a deal. If you have to have something in a set time frame, it may not be your best bet.

[jcren]

Not what you asked, and not a vendor, but I found that natchezss.com was usually cheaper than eBay+shipping in Lee stuff. Their website is a PITA, but call or ask for a catalog and you won't be disappointed. I still use them to decide if "x" is a good buy.

[bangerjim]

Auctions are bad in my opinion. Always have been. All it takes is ONE other person to want something a little more than you do and the bidding can go absolutely crazy. I used to sell a lot of stuff on evilbay and had stuff take off like a rocket, going 2x to 3x the new value during the last 30 seconds!! Like I said , it only takes one other! It is GREAT for the seller.

I used to go to live auctions a lot back in the midwest and just hated getting into a bidding war against other people. But at least with a live auction, you can see who you are bidding aginst and watch thier body language. Most people have tells.

Evilbay has turned into an electronic sniping software bidding war. You have to have sniping software to bid on stuff unless you are on-line all the time. Or if you are rich, put huge proxy bids in for something you really REALLY want. The evilbay system will increase your bid beyond any other bid as long as you maximum is there. Not a very smart way to buy things!

Or you can luck out and find something you want that nobody else (in the entire world!!!!!!) has seen on the site!

I now buy everything NEW at local stores.

But have fun on those on-line auction places.

bnager

[dikman]

I gave up bidding on items ages ago. I soon noticed that people get carried away with an auction and often end up bidding over and above an item's value. Most of my purchases use the "buy now" option, where it's available - much simpler and no messing around waiting for an auction to finish.

As bj said, it's great for the seller, usually not so great for the buyer.

[dragon813gt]

It seems that people never get caught up in Auction Fever when I have an item to sell. Was hoping to make lots of money w/ a used Star. Sadly one for "parts" sold for $15 more than my working one. It's hit or miss on both ends. If you're bidding set a max bid and stick to it. I prefer to buy new so I don't buy tools off eBay.

[6bg6ga]

I've gotten some die sets off ebay. They were as advertised and work fine. One has to pay attention to the current retail prices when bidding on something of interest.

[RogerDat]

I've gotten some die sets off ebay. They were as advertised and work fine. One has to pay attention to the current retail prices when bidding on something of interest.

I guess so! This showed up in the ribbon under what I was looking at as what other people were watching. RCBS 3 die set for 9mm with "Buy it Now" for $73 and change. Midway has it for $52.99 and frankly the picture from the auction looks like it was lifted from the midway site. Zoom in and it is the exact same image as far as I can tell. That seems like a really sketchy to me.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RCBS-Carbide-3-Die-Set-with-Taper-Crimp-9mm-Model-20515-FREE-SHIPPING/181196060363?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26 asc%3D28772%26meid%3De5de2abce482480d81ce2c9a472b6 ffd%26pid%3D100010%26rk%3D11%26rkt%3D24%26sd%3D251 819182495

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/757170/rcbs-carbide-3-die-set-with-taper-crimp-9mm-luger?cm_vc=ProductFinding

Bought supplies from Natchez and they seemed ok, prices on equipment were a surprise, don't beat Titan by much so I would tend to go to the site sponsor unless the price difference was greater for what I was ordering. On a large purchase or many items purchase it is worth considering. Does set the "reference retail" price for comparing to auction. Yes the web site is poor to pathetic both to use and to promote sales. I purchased supplies more than once and did not even notice the equipment.

I guess dikman posts explains why when I check the selling prices I see such a wide spread in price for the same item. Essentially same press going for between $70 and $160 in as far as I can tell the same condition. I guess the folks that got it for 70 got the deal, the folks at 160 got... well not a deal and a bunch of bidders wasted their time.

Frankly I think one may well do better on used equipment posting in wanted to buy. Sure as sin and taxes there will be someone that has accumulated 3 of them, wants to sell one, probably so they can buy something else. Or maybe just to help a member out with something they don't use anymore. Either way seems like the prices are fair and the dealing direct. Can even dicker a bit sometimes.

[rogerstg]

I don't understand why anyone would think that ebay would be the cheapest place to buy everything. As always, and educated consumer will do the best. For my purposes, Ebay is a great place to buy things that are no longer made, or a component of something hard to find, like bicycle parts, gun barrels, etc. Lots of time the item is the least expensive, but there's no guaranty.

[garym1a2]

Many times they get the high prices cause they will sell and ship overseas.
when I had items to sell a few years ago the good money always came from Europe.

[imashooter2]

On the other hand, commodity type items can often be had very inexpensively by low balling an endless string of auctions until one comes home...

If you gotta have it now, go to a store. If it is something that you can wait on, eBay is not unattractive.

[CastingFool]

I used to buy a lot of stuff off eBay. The key to getting good deals is patience. Like someone else mentioned, pick a price you're comfortable with and if someone else overbids you, so be it. Let it go, something else will come up. Some times there is a demand for the item you want and everybody and their uncle bids on it. A week or so later, no one may be looking for the same item. Also, I look for items that are mislabeled. For example, I wanted a 10" Ridgid aluminum pipe wrench. I was searching for model 810, kept seeing them going for $20-$25 plus shipping. One day, I searched for 10" aluminum pipe wrench and found a listing with a pic of 2 Ridgids 810, and the listing described them as Ridgid 810. Got them both for $20 plus shipping, and they were in excellent shape for being used.

[HATCH]

its a toss of the coin.
Sometimes something may be listed on EBAY but they might have the name misspelled or leave off the model # or might even call it something other then what it really is.
When dealing with reloading equipment you will not really find any deals on EBAY.

Its like on Cast Boolits.
Deals come up "BUY IT NOW" and if you lucky to time it just right then you get the deal.

I will NOT pay more then new price on a item that is still in production.

[Gar]

About the only things I look for on eBay are older, discontinued items that aren't sold through retail outlets anymore. I've bought a lot of antique tools over the years through eBay but in the last 5 to 10 years eBay has been changing to mostly 'retail stores' without the storefront.

[ballistim]

I have saved searches by manufacturers and am notified if something from them is listed. Occasionally its a "buy it now" item at a great price & I pull the trigger, other times I put it on my watch list & am notified when auction is about to end & bid at the end if it's still reasonable, although usually I just shake my head and [emoji1]

[floydboy]

I agree with Castingfools thread. I used to buy quit a bit off ebay. 10 years ago there were a lot of auctions with a bunch of stuff in them. People selling off relatives reloading stuff in whole lots because they didn't know where to get rid of it I guess. I might pay $500.00 for 3-4 large boxes of stuff. I might value the whole lot at $1000. I'd keep what few items I wanted and relist the rest. Would keep me busy for a couple months but quit profitable and a person learns a lot getting to actually see some of all the reloading stuff out there you wouldn't normally see. Once in a blue moon you would get a pearl. One time there was a bunch of old reloading stuff for sale and the pics weren't very good. I ended up paying less than $300 for three large boxes of stuff. Got it home and one of the green presses was a RCBS A2 in very good condition. It now sits on my bench. It is very difficult to buy a small single $20 item at a real bargain on ebay. I haven't found a large lot I'd want in years. On the other hand it is a great place to find vintage out of production items like molds.

Happy hunting...Floyd

[texassako]

Ebay seems to go through phases for me. Bought a lot of figured and unusual wood from small sawmills 5-10 years back, then people caught on and prices went way up while the selling fees were going up and some sellers dropped out. Learned real quick to pay attention to feedback and shipping cost. Lots of padding going on in the back end with jacked up shipping prices to catch the unwary. I don't buy dies off ebay, except for a couple of hard to find ones, because I can't see the inside. The old, oddball, and discontinued seems to draw the least attention unless it is from a collector. A lot of buyers that would jump all over Lee, Lyman, or RCBS don't seem to notice old names like Bair, Pacific, or even Saeco. It is the reason my NIB Bair .25 Remington die set only cost $25.

[RobS]

I do look at eBay at times because some sellers products are new as well as at the same price or a touch less than other online retail companies. However the eBay seller doesn't over charge on shipping. As an example that I just ventured was with a Lee push through die where the eBay seller shipped for a reasonable flat rate of $6 and cost was less expensive than all other online retailers.

[str8wal]

Same as GunBroker, decide on a fair price and bid it. If you get outbid, move on.

[Char-Gar]

I have bought and sold many gun and reloading items on Ebay. There is no mystery about it at all. Whether you are a buyer or seller the first step is the same, i.e.;

1. For several days, look at your item of interest for sale by others and place them on your watch list and forget about them. Come back in a week or ten days and see what they sold for. That will give you an idea of the general price point for the item. Then you decided if you want to sell or buy for that general price.

2. If you want to sell, place the item up for bid with a low starting price, no reserve bid and reality based shipping costs. Then forget about it. Most of the times you will get about what you expect, sometimes more and sometimes less. Just take your profit or loss and move on. That is just the way of life.

3. If you want to buy, figure out what you are willing to pay, then use some online bidding program. This program will make your bid 7 to 15 second before the auction is over and you either win or did not win. By using one of these programs, you don't trigger or respond to auction fever. In ether way pay what you owe, continue looking and bidding or just go play golf or watch a movie on TV. Whatever you do, don't watch the bid on the item and try and top the bid of another, that is how the foolish auction fever starts and the origin of idiotic prices on some items.

Ebay is our national garage sale where items can be found with ease that would take you years of searching locally. It is a good place for wise buyers and sellers to trade, but a bad place for idiots to try and do either.

Addendum: Ebay is NOT the place to buy a new anything. Whatever it is you are looking for, 99.99% of the time you can buy it for less from some online merchant. Ebay is THE place to buy used or out of production items.

[FLHTC]

I have to agree with Char-Gar. I look for things on ebay but I set a price that I'm willing to pay and then enter that bid. Sometimes I win but more often I'm out bid. I buy my gas checks from Sage and he has Buy it Now auctions but when it comes to bidding wars, I only like those when I'm a seller. I won't bad mouth ebay because I use it and am quite satisfied when I find something. I once bought a $10 box of powder cans at a yard sale and inside was a tin from a local cough drop company from the early 20th century. I placed it on ebay starting at a penny and two brothers from the family both wanted it and drove the bidding up to $175. I corresponded with them both and advised them that it was an auction and for them to let their desire be their guide. That said, ebay has done good for me and you won't hear me complain.

[ballistim]

I used to buy a lot of stuff off eBay. The key to getting good deals is patience. Like someone else mentioned, pick a price you're comfortable with and if someone else overbids you, so be it. Let it go, something else will come up. Some times there is a demand for the item you want and everybody and their uncle bids on it. A week or so later, no one may be looking for the same item. Also, I look for items that are mislabeled. For example, I wanted a 10" Ridgid aluminum pipe wrench. I was searching for model 810, kept seeing them going for $20-$25 plus shipping. One day, I searched for 10" aluminum pipe wrench and found a listing with a pic of 2 Ridgids 810, and the listing described them as Ridgid 810. Got them both for $20 plus shipping, and they were in excellent shape for being used.

Great deal! I've been looking for aluminum 10" Rigid or Irwin, hard to find, have a complete set of both but smallest is 14", have several 18", wish I'd replaced my cast iron Rigid wrenches years ago, might have avoided surgery, will trade 18" for 10" with someone if I get the chance sometime.

[bedbugbilly]

I sell and purchase on that site - have for years and I have gotten some good deals on reloading equipment and dies - but - set our limits on what you want to pay and then stick to them. If you don't get the item - wait - another will come up eventually and unless you are in a "hurry" - look at other sites such as this one as well.

I agree . . it's insane at times what people are paying and I see the same thing on Lee dies (used prices) as compared to what Dennis at Titan can sell new ones for. Part of this is folks who just don't have the knowledge your "gumption" to search for what they want and check prices of what they can buy things for when new. But . . . "folks are funny" as they say.

I recently saw a number of Lyman die sets for sale on there that were priced at twice what they sell for new from Midway with the shipping added on. Obviously, the seller was not getting any bids. When I sell something on there . . I view it this way . . . I start it at a reasonable price and it will go for what it goes for. I've always said that an item is worth what a willing buyer is willing to pay for an item to a seller at the time the sale is made. What may not be worth say $10 to you might just be worth $20 to a guy who needs it to complete a set of dies or something he collects.

Crazy? Yes. . . but it's called "free enterprise".

[W.R.Buchanan]

Roger: I mostly only buy " buy it now" items. I recently bought a Ponsness Warren Metal Matic II for a very good price and I fully intend to resell it for twice what I paid for it.

If the item is something I want but is not a "buy it now" item I hold off until the last day and if the price is still below my max I will snipe it. By sniping your bid is only dropped in 10 seconds before the auction ends, thus preventing others from bidding up an item based on your bids, simply because they don't have time to do it. However if others are sniping that same item also and bid more,,, you will lose it.

You have to be prepared to lose it or pay more. That is simple fact. I have never lost any sleep over losing an item off Ebay, and I don't think anyone else should either. Plenty more where they came from.

On Lee stuff you are better off just buying new from Dennis as there are few deals that will beat his prices and also unless the stuff is new in box,, condition becomes an issue. Used Lee stuff other than Lee Loaders themselves are seldom worth more than half MSRP, so act accordingly.

On Used items condition should dictate the price. That P/W loader I bought was not in as good a condition as I thought it was based on the pics. I had to put more time into it than I had originally planned, but I can still make some money on it and it will be in nearly new condition once I finish with it. However I won't make as much on it as I had planned.

Ebay can be frustrating or it can be a great thing. My wife sells stuff there all the time and it goes both ways for her everyday and I have to listen to the problems she has way to often. However in her case, the good outweighs the bad, so she keeps going.

Ebay has one main rule,,, and that rule is not exclusive to Ebay. "Caveat Emptor." Buyer Beware!

Never bid on something that you don't know about, this is how you get screwed! Do your homework first then go looking for the item.

Randy

[SSGOldfart]

Ebay is our national garage sale where items can be found with ease that would take you years of searching locally. It is a good place for wise buyers and sellers to trade, but a bad place for idiots to try and do either.

.
very well said good job

[Blood Trail]

I've made some good buys off of eBay and Gunbroker. I bought a used Mossberg 5500MKII auto for $150 shipped. That was my go to gun for years. I bought a heavy duty drill press that the guy delivered to my house for $12.50. That's been my best purchase so far. I recently bought a Lee factory crimping die for .44 Mag brand new for $18 with free shipping.

[41 mag fan]

I see where some folks post mention of "good deal" on such and such they picked up on well known auction site. I understand where some things only drop in price to a certain point then hold value. A working set of used dies or used press in good condition is only going to be certain amount less expensive than new.

However I find the auction set up to be insane, prices make little if any sense much of the time. I have a list of things that I would like to buy on my computer. No addiction (yet) so looking at what is in the gun safe informs what I might purchase. What needs the most regular feeding informs what is highest priority.

Lee dies and presses used sometimes sell for a within a couple of bucks of what they are new on Titan, heck I just saw a 3 die set go for $1 more than Titan. Couple of RCBS dies I could buy on Midway new for the same price as the used ones being sold. See the same with other die sets, or presses. $98 starting bid for a press that goes new for $114.

So is there some secret handshake or special way to hold the mouse? Or does this boil down to repeatedly putting in a Bid at a reasonable price and hoping that one stays low so you win below that point to get a "deal"? Having to wait for each item auction to close before trying again so you don't get stuck with duplicate item? Seems pretty inefficient, each auction lasts a week one could easily try a whole lot of times without having the winning bid and have to wait each time for days before being able to try again.

Anyone have any suggestions or am I correct in figuring this is a waste of time unless one is looking for some odd out of production item.
As the old saying goes. ..a fool and his money will soon part. .. or one man's junk is another man's treasure. I laugh at auctions and keep going

[gwpercle]

Another trick is to become familiar with the older, less known but high quality tools/equipment. Like Bair, C-H, Bonanza, etc. A good reference is old Hand Loaders Digests .
I was watching the bidding go into the stratosphere for some RCBS 41 mag dies, but not one person put in a single bid on a set of Bonanza 41 mag dies. I knew Bonanza was a quality die maker, so entered a low bid and got them for $6.00. The RCBS went for more than Midway new! I don't understand why folks do that but there's a lot I don't understand.
Deals are out there you just have to look and wait for them. Patience is truly a virtue ( that's what mom always told me)
Gary

[RogerDat]

And I thought understanding my wife was complicated! Any suggestions on sniping software? Seems like that is about the only way to win a bid if the other fellow is using it. Especially if it allows for odd increments.

I will say the Buy It Now sniping that was mentioned by Randy requires spending time watching for new items to be offered to be the first to hit the button but when looking into it people say it does work to get good deals.

I guess I rarely purchase something without needing it (or at least having convinced myself that I need it) so it seems like the best advice is to plan in advance and keep putting in bids on suitable items until I get lucky. Kind of backwards for me. I normally dig around and do research to find out what brand/model will be the one I want then go looking for that exact thing at the best price.

A member offered a pair of Pacific dies in response to a WTB post I made. I went looking into that brand of dies since I was not familiar with them before agreeing to the purchase. I think becoming familiar with the older stuff is good advice because those are nice dies but not one of the current major brands.

[josper]

I'm one of those e-bay snipers. I set a price that's reasonable in my sniping software and if I win I win .If I lose I lose. If you bid on an item usually some knot head comes along and out bids you. I've seen items get caught up in a biding war and it ends up selling for much more than new from a dealer.

[RogerDat]

I'm one of those e-bay snipers. I set a price that's reasonable in my sniping software and if I win I win .If I lose I lose. If you bid on an item usually some knot head comes along and out bids you. I've seen items get caught up in a biding war and it ends up selling for much more than new from a dealer.

And this piece explains why your strategy is the optimal one. http://www.omniscienceisbliss.org/sniping.html

Essentially people stink at determining the maximum price they would pay for an item, much better at determination of amount they would pay more than or amount that is too high. EBay auto bids and early bidding just encourages the "nibblers" to drive the price up by providing them a price that they would be willing to pay $1 more than to own that item. A few nibblers will keep pushing the price up a bit at a time.

Snipers are setting an actual max they would pay and deliver that at the end. Avoids giving the nibblers any information or encouragement.

[bangerjim]

Evilbay and sellers just LOVE nibblers and those that "bid early and bid often!"

Years ago when I DID buy stuff on there (antique clocks, scales, scientific stuff only), I would watch stuff and never bid until the last 10 seconds. And would previously have looked at all those bidding early to see their method of bidding ( proxy, sniping, etc). Now they stopped that. ID's are hidden. Hate that!

Makes me sick.

[RogerDat]

I was poking around in sold items and found that I could look at the bid history. Thing I'm puzzled by is if something was at say $30 and 1 person submits a max automatic and hidden bid of say $35 the new "high bid" is $31 but if a second person comes along and decides they would also put in a max hidden bid of $35 then Ebay is going to auto bounce that bid between the 2 people all the way up to $35 almost right away.

Am I reading that history right? Sort of like an live auction where 2 people keep bumping each other until one stops. Then the item sits for a few more days waiting for someone else to come along willing to pay a little more and process starts over again. Sniping is the only thing that makes any sense in that scenario since your best (and really only) chance to win is as time expires. Then it is just a matter of who snipes with the higher offer.

[bangerjim]

Supposedly the 1st time-stamed bid takes precedence.

When I was buying years ago, I won 90% of the stuff I bid on becuase I was there the last 15 seconds of the auction. 2 monitors......one with current bid, one with my bid to place....and a digital countdown timer on the desk set for 7 seconds B4 the close. And (VERY IMPORTANT) a very fast internet connection!!!!!!! No dial-up when sniping.

Now that they have hidden the ID's of all bidders, I quit bidding on anything. But I did buy a lot of antiques in the past..........at good prices!!!!!!!

If you really want something, you probably will have to snipe for it. Those stupid early bidders will run it up but you never know if the high bidder has a high proxy in. If he is always on top, you know he does!

Good luck with bidding.

[Charley]

I sell quite a bit of stuff on Ebay, buy occasionally. I know what most retail/online prices run, and I price accordingly. I sell and make a profit. Buying, never bid early.

[RogerDat]

One (hopefully) last question. If one puts in a snipe bid at the last minute the price you are actually going to pay is not the bid but rather the amount of that bid required to beat the 2nd highest bid by the increment. Is that right.

Say item is at $60 and I snipe at $75 and someone else snipes at $69 then I would end up paying $70 for the item. One dollar (the increment at this price point) over the 2nd highest bid of $69. Not the $75 I actually bid.

With one last twist. I should have bid $75.56 just to beat any other $75 or $75.50 bids that were sniped. However the prices paid history is generally in round dollar amounts (at least for presses). What gives there? Does the $75.56 bid win but get rounded up or down to an even increment?

[josper]

One (hopefully) last question. If one puts in a snipe bid at the last minute the price you are actually going to pay is not the bid but rather the amount of that bid required to beat the 2nd highest bid by the increment. Is that right.

Say item is at $60 and I snipe at $75 and someone else snipes at $69 then I would end up paying $70 for the item. One dollar (the increment at this price point) over the 2nd highest bid of $69. Not the $75 I actually bid.

With one last twist. I should have bid $75.56 just to beat any other $75 or $75.50 bids that were sniped. However the prices paid history is generally in round dollar amounts (at least for presses). What gives there? Does the $75.56 bid win but get rounded up or down to an even increment?
That's correct. It will enter the bid you need to win and not more.

[jmorris]

I will add, the best deals I have made on eBay are on items that the seller misspelled.

I don't generally get an item unless it is a steal, has to beat a "good deal" if I am buying something used that I cannot operate first.

I imagine I win 1 for every 100 items I bid on.

[bangerjim]

I ALWAYS did bid odd amounts when I used to use evilbay, never ever round dollars, to be successful. My snipe bid of $55.99 wins over someone else sniping at $55.00 at the last 3 seconds every single time. Or a proxy of $55.

It is shocking to see, when the auction closed, how high some fool set thier proxy!

Use whatever cents sense you feel necessary to win!

Good luck!

banger

[EDG]

We all have our tricks and most of us keep them to ourselves.

[bangerjim]

We all have our tricks and most of us keep them to ourselves.


I do not use evilbay any longer and am more than happy to share any secrets that may help fellow members on here win a bid against snipers. I was VERY successful in winning a large majority of the antique items I bid on.

I am not concerned about bidding against one of them because I never buy any gun related stuff on web auctions. Only new from local stores. I am a small business owner and try to keep all my expenditures in my state to support the local economy.

Any of my ideas are there for the taking!

Good luck bidding.

banger

[RogerDat]

We all have our tricks and most of us keep them to ourselves.

There is a confusing wealth of information on "winning on eBay" out on the net but the advice and explanations offered here are helpful so the advice and sharing of experience by the more knowledgeable members is appreciated. Just stuff like expect to lose most bids and not to get caught up in early bidding or bidding wars, watch out for shipping costs is all useful to those of us still trying to acquire some basic items on a budget.

I like to think that the information provided here has helped me understand the other things I have read or the information available on ebay to make me a better informed consumer. I think from what I have learned so far....

Know what it goes for retail or used at other sites as a reference is number one!
Know the difference between models. (up stroke press vs. down stroke or rare model)
Look at the Sold History to know what price range bid will be successful.
Determine if that price range works for you. Don't forget to factor in shipping.
Skip all the bidding that goes on days before the auction ends. It is pointless.
Send your max bid in the closing seconds of the auction.
If you really want the item then you bid on the high end of historical sales.
If getting a good deal matters more bid toward the low end of historical sales.
Expect to lose a lot of bids, even more if you are trying to score a deal and bidding lower than average sale price.
If you watch closely as new items come online you might find a good deal with a Buy It Now button.
Experienced sellers seem to put buy it now price up high enough that it is essentially bait for those that don't know the actual value.
One may get lucky and find someone that sets BIN at their minimum sale price.


In short you might get a "good" price on a rock chucker press but don't expect that price to be $50 and don't get sucked into paying more than it is worth just because the idiot you are bidding against will. Wait for the next one. One hears all the time about "great deals" being had but it seems to me that is not always the case (how many losing lotto tickets did you scratch before you got that $50 winner?) A picture is not the same as moving the ram to see if action is still smooth. It takes effort to find, recognize and successfully make that "good deal".

How the automated bidding works and how the winning bid is determined has been very helpful information. Thanks to those that provided it or confirmed my understanding.

[gds45]

I have saved searches by manufacturers and am notified if something from them is listed. Occasionally its a "buy it now" item at a great price & I pull the trigger, other times I put it on my watch list & am notified when auction is about to end & bid at the end if it's still reasonable, although usually I just shake my head and [emoji1]
I agree with ballistim. I get notified on my saved searches and then look to see if price is reasonable. I use Myibidder eBay bid sniper and the software will bid my price 6 seconds before the auction closes. If my max bid is exceeded I just let it go. I have won some good items cheap but don't get in a bidding war. When a bidding war starts the prices get crazy. :drinks:

[jmorris]

Skip all the bidding that goes on days before the auction ends. It is pointless.



I put in a minimum bid when I find something I am interested in then the eBay app alerts me when it is ending.

[EDG]

>>>Skip all the bidding that goes on days before the auction ends. It is pointless.<<<


Not true.
There is some psychology you can exercise with early bidding.

[William Yanda]

Char-gar said:

1. For several days, look at your item of interest for sale by others and place them on your watch list and forget about them. Come back in a week or ten days and see what they sold for. That will give you an idea of the general price point for the item. Then you decided if you want to sell or buy for that general price.

Alternatively one could look at "sold" listings to glean the same information without the wait.

[Remiel]

i use midway, brownelles or the S&S forum here when i need stuff

[tmc-okc]

I very rarely purchase anything on Ebay except on Buy It Now sales and darn few of them. Good buys do come along occasionally and I will use Snipe Budding with a threshold I am willing to pay. I then back off until the auction Is over & then I look to see if I won the bid or not.
About a year ago I saw a Lyman Devastator Boolit Mould # 401638 HP for 10mm/40 Caliber advertised. I set up my max bid at $59 and walked away. There was only 2 days left on the auction. I later discovered I won the bid at $53. I was extremely happy to get an out of production mould at that price. When I received the mould in the original box it was very clear the mould was new/unused and still had the Lyman inspectors note in the box. Mary Ellen had inspected this mould in (1989 ???)...I don't know what that mould would have sold for new in 1989 but the Devastator moulds today go for about $70.
Just an example of what you can find & purchase if you are willing to set your max price and walk away until auction is over.

Ron H

[MtGun44]

Two big factors in eBay prices.

1) A LOT of folks have no idea that Natchez, Midsouth, Midway, etc will sell for better prices
than std retail.

2) There are a lot of places in the world where people reload that do not have good local
suppliers for these things, and what is available costs 3-4 times our retail price. For them,
paying almost US retail is a super bargain and they are really happy to do it. Even more
compelling is that their importer just doesn't handle a particular die or tool EVER, so getting
it this way is their best or only way.

Just set your price, pay no more and go on. Frankly, there are fewer and fewer deals
on eBay, and I haven't bought much in reloading there in a while - BUT every once in
a while, a deal sneaks through.

Bill

[too many things]

well I have done good on there. last week got 100lbs of shot for $1lb shipped cant buy that at any supplier for that amount ,
just have to spend time looking , and making contacts to see what they may have that is not listed yet .

[257]

I was looking thru ebay about a month ago there was a auction for a star .358 size die it went for 232.00 you can buy a new magma/star die for 47.50 now that's insanity

[Rich/WIS]

I buy off E-Bay but usually the "Buy Now" stuff, and you can refine that by checking the "free Shipping" button. I have bid on a few items, but don't bid more than I think an item is worth to me and I figure shipping costs into the bid. For some things E-Bay is the most likely and maybe the only place as it has items from all over the country versus local or even the various forums. I recently bought a Redfield 102KT receiver sight for my Krag for $98 shipped, which is considerably below what they normally sell for if one can even be found. E-Bay has its faults and can be dangerous to the wallet of the unwary or unknowing but is a good resource if you know how to use it.

[RogerDat]

Well I finally bit the bullet <pun intended> I have thought of purchasing Lee Loaders for small batches to test with or maybe someday getting a Lee Hand Press to use with the dies I have to buy anyway. Started paying more attention to the hand press when I realized the current offering of hand press is only in the Breech Lock configuration. Set a goal of saving $10 on purchase of a used hand press that would be around $26 plus shipping. Which while not the historical bottom price on eBay is pretty darn close.

Used the approaches suggested here and got the hand press. Went with a last minute bid that would be just enough to beat the $26.xx bid which would have lost by a small amount more times than it won. So thanks for the information, really helped me figure out what I needed to do and consider.

Can't wait until it gets nice enough I can use it in the field to work up some loads. I'm thinking I'll have brass all prepped so the only thing the hand press is doing is seat and crimp. That is one drawback to the Lee system of using separate seating and crimping die. But for the caliber I'm most interested in starting with I have a die with the two operations combined.

Anyway thanks again for all the helpful information :-)

[trapper9260]

I have got some sizen dies off of ebay and it was buy now and it was brand new in the package and was lower then what the maker was selling it for or any one else.You just need to price and watch what you get and know what it is and some press need work like some shotgun press.If you know the make and model then you know what it is worth and also if you need parts you know where to get them but make sure you check what the new ones gose for because some time that is where you are better off to go.

[3jimbo3]

Not what you asked, and not a vendor, but I found that natchezss.com was usually cheaper than eBay+shipping in Lee stuff. Their website is a PITA, but call or ask for a catalog and you won't be disappointed. I still use them to decide if "x" is a good buy.


I agree with you about Natchez, but I live 50 miles from them and they won't sell to Tennessee residents for some reason. I think I will email them and ask what the deal is. They do have some really good deals.

[Tenbender]

I bought a Lyman 450 on eBay for $83. Sold a set of reloading and case forming dies for a 219 Zipper Ackley improved for $150. I got a good deal and sold a good deal ! I buy lot's of reloading items on eBay. Haven't got burned yet.

[Garyshome]

Sometimes you can get a deal. I needed a rebuild kit for my Tapco brake reg price included shipping was about $45.00 less then anywhere else, go figure!
Back in the panic days I sold at auction a lee 9mm 4 die set for over $120.00 and a Lee 401-175-tc mild for over $125.00, but they were not available anywhere else at the time.

[RogerDat]

I agree with you about Natchez, but I live 50 miles from them and they won't sell to Tennessee residents for some reason. I think I will email them and ask what the deal is. They do have some really good deals.

I think Tenn. may be one of those states that require online retailers to collect the state sales tax. If they either don't have online store set up for sales tax collection or don't want the hassle of setting aside and sending Tenn. money that might explain it. Unless you have some issue with cross border transfer of firearms via straw man sales such as Chicago does with their heavy restrictions close to a state that is less restrictive.

[legend 550]

I don't get caught up in the bidding sniping and waiting **** anymore. Left side click Buy it now, Free shipping and Us only. Find the guy that wants to sell me something and have it before the snipers even get done bidding.