How does HA bidding work?

[AlexanderM]

It seems that Internet bidding often ends a day or two before floor bidding.

 

So how does that work? The 'winner' of the Internet bidding doesn't actually win anything but just gets to set the starting bid for the actual auction?

 

[cousin itt]

Yep.

[AlexanderM]

Yep.

 

Wow.... why would anyone participate over the Internet in that?

 

I can see some value for sellers and HA... but I see no value what so ever for potential buyers?

[AJD]

I just bid my max and wait. I still win about the same proportion as before the new live bidding session was introduced.

 

For me at least, the live bidding happens while I'm at work, so I can't participate (usually... )

[cousin itt]

Because the floor bidding on each lot is very short, and doesn't start at a set time. (It starts whenever the lot ahead of it finishes.) If you wait for the floor bidding, you might miss it.

[AlexanderM]

Can one participate in the live auction over the Internet?

 

And if so is there some kind of qualification?

[cousin itt]

Yes. The way I do it is, I go to my watchlist. (Or your bid list if you have already bid on the thing.) During the floor session, there will be a red button on each lot you are watching (or have bid on.) Just click on that red button and you go to the floor session. Sometimes (only rarely) there is a live auctioneer running the thing. Usually it's all just automated though. You might have to make sure you have flash, java, etc. working.

 

Edit: the only "qualification" is that you need to be logged in. If you have bought from heritage before, you are qualified.

[AlexanderM]

Because the floor bidding on each lot is very short, and doesn't start at a set time. (It starts whenever the lot ahead of it finishes.) If you wait for the floor bidding, you might miss it.

 

So it is actually a huge advantage being able to be physically present. You can pick and chose the best deals... online bidders cannot hide their hand and gwt lucky... they have to just bid their max and hope. So only overpriced items are won by online bidders it would seem. At least as a tendency.

[cousin itt]

No, you don't have to be physically present. You can bid on the live auction online just like anyone else.

 

Edit: I don't think anyone actually is physically present for most of these auctions anyway. I think it's only the ones that have a live auctioneer where there are also bidders physically present (I could be wrong about that though.)

[romanheart]

I have to say with all the peculiar rules that some high end auction houses have, eBay has them beat in this regard. Bids are known in advance, increment in a reasonable stepwise fashion, and everyone is on a level playing field.

[AlexanderM]

No, you don't have to be physically present. You can bid on the live auction online just like anyone else.

 

Edit: I don't think anyone actually is physically present for most of these auctions anyway. I think it's only the ones that have a live auctioneer where there are also bidders physically present (I could be wrong about that though.)

 

But...

 

Just for a random comic now it says:

 

"Internet Bidding Ends: Nov 19, 2014 at 10:00 PM CT

Auction Dates: November 20th at 1 PM CT through November 22nd"

 

Does what you say mean that... Internet bidding DOESN'T actually end Nov 19 anyway? It continues on 20 through 22 Nov?

[cousin itt]

Yeah, that's a bit of a misnomer. "Internet bidding" in this case just means the first "session" of bidding. You are absolutely free to bid over the internet during the floor session as well. It just looks very different, and your first time it will be confusing. There are several tabs at the top, and when it starts, it starts you on the wrong tab. You have to click past a video that's just a general-interest intro to heritage, then click through the tabs to see what each one "means". Also, be warned - when a lot you are tracking or have bid on is (I think) six lots away from being the current lot, a LOUD bell goes off. Scared the spoon out of me first few times.

[AlexanderM]

Yes. The way I do it is, I go to my watchlist. (Or your bid list if you have already bid on the thing.) During the floor session, there will be a red button on each lot you are watching (or have bid on.) Just click on that red button and you go to the floor session. Sometimes (only rarely) there is a live auctioneer running the thing. Usually it's all just automated though. You might have to make sure you have flash, java, etc. working.

 

Edit: the only "qualification" is that you need to be logged in. If you have bought from heritage before, you are qualified.

 

I haven't bought from Heritage before... so you have to have bought from Heritage before.. in order to be able to buy from Heritage?

 

[AlexanderM]

Yeah, that's a bit of a misnomer. "Internet bidding" in this case just means the first "session" of bidding. You are absolutely free to bid over the internet during the floor session as well. It just looks very different, and your first time it will be confusing. There are several tabs at the top, and when it starts, it starts you on the wrong tab. You have to click past a video that's just a general-interest intro to heritage, then click through the tabs to see what each one "means". Also, be warned - when a lot you are tracking or have bid on is (I think) six lots away from being the current lot, a LOUD bell goes off. Scared the spoon out of me first few times.

 

Ok, thanks for the help..

 

They certainly don't exactly make it easy to be their customer...

[cousin itt]

No... i was assuming you have at least bought from them once... ALL you need to bid from heritage is a paypal account. You can log in with your paypal name and password.

[cousin itt]

Yes, it's convoluted and confusing the first few times. But, you might remember, you probably felt that way about ebay the first few times too. It's different. But it makes sense once you have figured it out.

[AlexanderM]

Yes, it's convoluted and confusing the first few times. But, you might remember, you probably felt that way about ebay the first few times too. It's different. But it makes sense once you have figured it out.

 

Ok, thanks. I think I'll give it a go one of these days.

[Speedy-D]

So you don't need to have bought anything previously in order to participate in the live bidding?

[Sqeggs]

Yes, it's convoluted and confusing the first few times. But, you might remember, you probably felt that way about ebay the first few times too. It's different. But it makes sense once you have figured it out.

 

Ok, thanks. I think I'll give it a go one of these days.

 

I think you will find watching the live bidding during the signature auctions to be fun.

 

Some of these auctions end with no live bids (meaning they are won by people who submitted bids before the live bidding begins) but most auctions are won by people bidding live.

 

There aren't a lot of bargains in HA auctions, particularly the signature auctions, but I've picked up a number of difficult to find books.

[cousin itt]

So you don't need to have bought anything previously in order to participate in the live bidding?

 

I haven't tried it, but I can't imagine that they require you to have purchased from them previously to participate in live bidding. When I said "If you have bought from heritage before, you are qualified", I was assuming the OP had bought from them before, so I was just saying that he would certainly be qualified if he has already bought from them before. I did NOT mean that you HAVE to have bought from them before to be qualified. I think having a paypal account is all you need to bid (and you probably don't even need that, though I don't know how it works without one.)