Bid Early, Set Reserve... 23 56.10%

Wait till Closing, Last minute pick up... 18 43.90%

Well, We all knew it wouldn't be too much longer before I came up with another poll... :-)

When using bid sites, do you typically bid early and set your reserve to your max? or are you more the type to wait and cherry pick deals toward the closing minute?

Opinions appreciated, and Merry Christmas!!!

Rob
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I don't use them as much as I used to, but when I did, I'd set my max and just walk away. That way, I figured, I was minimizing my chances of spending more than I wanted on something. I didn't win many but didn't regret too many 'wins'. :-)
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:-)

I always compare to other online retailers and have a price in mind before I bid on something.
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I cherry picked but I haven't used them in two years.
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:-) Same Here.
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I do both
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This.
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I do both, but mostly the first choice. I check out the retail price then choose what I consider a fair offer and use that as my reserve. If it wins, good, if not, try again.

For folks that are new to the auction sites: most of the items are recurring offers. So don't feel like you have to win the item you're bidding on or you'll never get that chance again. Set your reserve, stick to it, and if you don't win check back in a couple of days and you'll usually see the item listed again.
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I check the price on other sites. Find the cost for shipping/ cost of fiver (if I have to do math cool) I also look to see if I can find them on other bid site and see what peaple are bidding on there. It has worked so far. I have only overpaid once. And that was my first time.
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I'm a sniper.:-) If I'm gonna bid on something, it's because I want it.
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I'll do both. Like others here have said, I'll research the price of the item on other sites then set my reserve at a fair price. If it wins, great. If not, that's fine too, saves me some money. From time to time though I'll check the list of closing lots and if there's a really good deal ending soon I'll do some sniping.

One tip I can give is to place bids or do your sniping on holidays. I recently won a box of Genesis the Project torpedoes for 30+ dollars less than online retail by bidding on Thanksgiving. I figured that most folks would be tied up with their families, dinner and football to pay much attention to cigar auctions.
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:-)
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Agreed!! I won two Palio's last year around Thanksgiving for $10 bucks each!!! All because people were more involved in the Holiday, which worked great for me!
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Something I like but am not bothered if I miss it…I will compare retail prices and set accordingly. If it's something I must have, I will snipe like no tomorrow.
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If there is something I want I will wait around till closing time and see if I'm willing to pay out the cash... I don't chase thats just a way to end up broke. Which reminds me... Bid site huh? :-)
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i bid 50% of what my b&m charges and see how that holds up...if it gets beat and depending on how bad i want them, i will bid again...but only at the last minute and snipe the hell out of it :-)
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Dude, Brilliant...

If only I had that idea a few weeks back... :-)
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um christmas is like 13 days away :-)
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I'm usually only motivated to bid on items I really want, and if I really want it, I will arrange to be online at auction end to snipe the item provided the price is right.
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this
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