Heritage? Ebay sniping? --2 questions

[seank]

Two questions here:

 

1. What are people's experiences with Heritage like? I recall reading somewhere on this board that they will go in and bid up books across the board right before an auction ends. Is this true? Or is there bargains to be had from the Heritage vaults? And how's their grading overall? The big scans are a plus (as opposed to some of the small fuzzy ebay scans I've seen.)

 

2. What's the consensus on ebay sniping and the use of sniping software. I tried to get some NM Jonah Hex books recently and lost every auction by a dollar or two in the last seconds. I'm frustrated.

 

Thanks all. I' ve been lurking here for a few weeks and gotten much enjoyment and information from everyone's posts.

[fantastic_four]

If you want to get a book for the lowest price you can, then sniping is the way to go. And sniping software is the easiest way to not have E-Bay be this big monkey on your back that forces you to skip going out or to jump up in the middle of eating dinner so you can be in front of the computer to snipe an auction.

 

I'm very surprised E-Bay hasn't given sellers the option of allowing auctions to be extended by 10 or 15 minutes whenever a bid comes in within the last 5 minutes of an auction.

[comicinvestor-migration]

I'm very surprised E-Bay hasn't given sellers the option of allowing auctions to be extended by10 or 15 minutes whenever a bid comes in within the last 5 minutes of an auction.

 

I'm not, as that would eliminate sniping and lower the number of EBay buyers. You can't have you cake and eat it to, and if sniping is taken away, then the don't expect everyone to start hammering in the bids (and exponentially raising the price) in the last few seconds.

 

EBay is run by some extremely intelligent people, who understand that the thrill of the last-second snipe brings 'em in, and in record numbers. Take that "thrill" aspect away and you've got dead-zone Yahoo! or Amazon auctions.

 

So no, I'm not surprised that the most popular, highest revenue generating, and most visible online auction house doesn't want to mess with success, and cook their goose adapting the business model of a lame-o unit like Yahoo! Auctions.

 

Would you?

[fantastic_four]

Is Yahoo auctions still free to list? That's the reason I think they suck.

 

I tried Yahoo auctions for a while, but eventually I realized that 95% of the auctions there were HORRIBLY overgraded, and a big part of the reason for the overgrading is because it was a bunch of "yahoos" relisting the same VG described as NM for double Overstreet NM prices. If it costs nothing to list, why not fish for some suckers? The E-Bay listing fees force people to try to do their auction right the first time a WHOLE lot more than Yahoo.

 

You are likely right about the "thrill" of sniping adding to their success. I haven't even tried Amazon auctions much, so I dunno why they're floundering. I know they haven't advertised like E-Bay has; first time I tried E-Bay was after I heard a radio commercial for it.

[drbanner]

1. What are people's experiences with Heritage like? I recall reading somewhere on this board that they will go in and bid up books across the board right before an auction ends. Is this true? Or is there bargains to be had from the Heritage vaults? And how's their grading overall? The big scans are a plus (as opposed to some of the small fuzzy ebay scans I've seen.)

 

Although I don't believe they've explicitly stated as such, they appear to raise all their auction to the "reserve" within a few days of the auction's end. Yes, there are deals to be had in their auctions. There have been several instances of people on this board buying books from Heritage and turning around and flipping them on ebay for a profit. I've purchased many books from their auctions and feel I got good deals, and of course their selection is second-to-none.

 

"Their grading" for the most part is CGC's grading. For "raw" books, you can trust their grading without hesitation (and the humongous scans pretty much tell the story).

 

Good luck!

[comicinvestor-migration]

You are likely right about the "thrill" of sniping adding to their success. I haven't even tried Amazon auctions much, so I dunno why they're floundering. I know they haven't advertised like E-Bay has; first time I tried E-Bay was after I heard a radio commercial for it.

 

It's really a no-brainer, and not only for sniping, but for large vendors (and buyers) to have a set date for ending times, and set revenue targets, shipping dates (gifts) and other factors that are made easier and much more logical due to strict end auction times.

 

I also remember reading a business article where one of the major investors (a Japanese firm - name??) of Yahoo! Auctions was vehemently trying to get sniping online and working, but that some "old school" executives were hesitant to change. He had a ton of data that suggested last-second sniping is one of the core reasons why EBay is so danged popular and not adding it is tantamount to extinction.

[clobberintime]

Actually glad to see you back -I took some time off myself. Absolutely agree on the sniper aspect of ebay - it is a rush - kind of like an old western shoot out. Who is best on the last draw. I kind of wish ebay had only auctions at specified times at maybe once or twice a week and you could just bang them out. If a lot of people weren't addicted to that part of ebay they could pretty much find anything they wanted between Metro, CL, and HighGrade. On ebay you never quite have the assurance you will indeed receive the book unless you are dealing with someone you know or with great feedback, but you have the thrill of competition and the hint of getting a "bargain."

[Lantern]

Your question about sniping is a great one. I have had the exact experience (sniped in the last few seconds) on so many auctions I have lost count. While I do not use snipe software, I have thought about it. The way that I get around it is to make my maximum bid whatever I am wiling to pay for the book. This is not as thrilling as sniping, but it gets the job done. It also keeps me from increasing my bids every few hours or minutes.

 

To expand on your question, perhaps some experienced snipers out there can give some information about snipeware cost. Does it cost anything to use or it is free?

[aardvark88]

U can try a free service like AuctionStealer.com. I've seen 3 bids inserted in the last 3 seconds b4 the end of an eBay auction. This will open up your weekends so u can go on a date or (better yet ) go to the local comicon rather than sit at your computer waiting to manually snipe.

[fantastic_four]

I use both AuctionStealer.com and AuctionSniper.com. They both give you a few free snipes per week.

 

I mostly snipe myself, but if I suspect I'll be out of the house, I enter snipes into those web sites. If I were buying more than a few comics a week I'd probably buy that downloadable software that ComicInvestor mentioned once before.

[FlyingDonut]

I use eSnipe, which is great, and costs almost nothing. If you are serious about winning something the only way to do it is to snipe the book. I don't understand what the big deal is with sniping anyway. Who cares when I place a bid?

[notch_top]

There can be a drawback with sniping.

 

Getting another sniper with a high dollar bid. Part of the reason for alot of the INSANE prices realized on many books.

 

And FF your not allowed to snipe anymore Dammit....

[Bugaboo-migration]

That's true......but I'd rather take my chances with sniping. If you just enter your maximum bid long before the auction is going to end, then that gives all the "nickel and dimers" a chance to go in with 50 more bids until they break your high bid. Sniping eliminates that possibility and gives you at least a chance at a bargain even though another sniper can, as you said, jack up the price considerably on occasion. I think the better odds are on sniping though.

[notch_top]

I do agree with sniping by entering a reasonable bid amount.

 

I was referring to those "whales" that enter crazy figure snipes, then another does the same.

 

Get's ugly at times...

 

M

[Bugaboo-migration]

I hear you brother. I remeber a year or two ago, I found a CGC 9.2 copy of Superboy #98 up for sale on eBay (first appearance of Ultra Boy).......so......I hid in the shadows and came out at the end to snipe with something like a $200 or $300 bid (which I thought was a lot for this book in only 9.2......not like it was a 9.4 or 9.6). Man.......was I pissed when about 3 other snipers came out of the woodwork in the last 10 seconds and it sold for over $900.

 

Oh well.

[FlyingDonut]

Sometimes you win with a snipe, sometimes you lose. Damn, I really wanted that book too - I'm looking for CGC 9.6 or higher FF 160-175. Misbegotten youth and all that...

[Bugaboo-migration]

Sorry brother.......it sucks to lose a book you really want.

[Illiterati-migration]

I remeber a year or two ago, I found a CGC 9.2 copy of Superboy #98 up for sale on eBay

 

Wait wait wait, hasn't your story always been that you'd been away from the hobby for a long time and you're just NOW getting back into the swing of things... STARTING with those lame- books you had as a kid?

 

Or was that some OTHER quasi-anonymous forumite?

[greggy]

Mmmn, that bidder usually normally bids on DCs. However, he seems to be bidding on numbers in your wantlist range. Tough luck man, he usually bids quite strongly for books that he wants!

[Bugaboo-migration]

Not quite Sherlock. I did just start getting back into collecting in the last year or two (probably closer to two) for the first time since I was a kid. But, after seeing the absolute stupid multiples that CGC books were getting, I switched my collecting habits. I sold the books I had been buying and decided to just switch to buying high grade copies of the first comics I owned as a kid. Makes it much more enjoyable and satisfying for me and means I'm not spending money as quickly on them as I was. Less stressful too......since most people wont care about the books I go after and I don't have the big dogs coming in to drive the prices up into the stratosphere.