eBay bidding

IgorZ · 12-02-2016, 09:53 AM

Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here.

I had an interesting eBay experience, which left me scratching my head. There was a lens I was interested in - a Trioplan 2.8/100 in Pentax mount, according to the seller. I've never seen these lenses in K mount, mostly Exakta, Altix, or M42. I was interested in Trioplan, so I wanted to place a bid. Starting bid was 1 euro. I went up all the way to 250 euros, while getting a message "Reserve not met' and then gave up, as I wasn't sure if the seller would ship the lens to Canada. I asked him the question abound shipping and kind of forgot about it. Yesterday I go to eBay, check my "Watching" tab, and see that that particular Trioplan was sold for... 150 euros. I was a bit surprised. I am not yet senile, and I remember that I bid 250. I even made a post about it under Pentax price watch... That listing was on the German site, so maybe there was something lost in translation, but the message I kept getting was "Reserve not met. Please increase the bid to...". That should be clear enough...

Is there something I don't know about eBay???

Adam · 12-02-2016, 09:54 AM

What likely happened is that the listing ended for 150 euros, but the seller didn't proceed with the transaction because his reserve wasn't met. Maybe someone else only bid 140, hence it sat at just over that at the end. I don't think the reserve price will ever bump up bids.

LensBeginner · 12-02-2016, 09:56 AM

Reserve prices are set on certain auctions so that an item is not sold if bids don't reach a certain price.
Are you sure it was sold? It certainly looks strange...

pete-tarmigan · 12-02-2016, 10:06 AM

Maybe the initial auction ended without the reserved being met. Then the seller re-listed the item for a new auction with a lower reserve price, i.e., 150 Euros.

noblepa · 12-02-2016, 10:20 AM

I'm not sure, but I believe that, if your bid, meets or exceeds the reserve price, the ebay proxy bidding process will increase your bid to the reserve price.

If, OTOH, you place a bid that does not exceed the reserve price, it only increases your bid until you are the high bidder or reach your maximum bid.

If the seller lowers the reserve price, any previous bids that did not exceed the old reserve, but now meet the new reserve, are lowered to one dollar (or one Euro) less than the reserve. This is to prevent a bidder inadvertently being the high bidder. One could make an unsuccessful bid and go off and bid on another item, only to find that the first seller lowered the reserve and you are now the proud owner of TWO similar items.

So, in your case, I suspect that the seller lowered the reserve after you placed your bid. When you did not return to the auction and increase your bid, someone else beat you to it.

CarlJF · 12-02-2016, 10:22 AM

Or a second chance offer was made, but then you should have been selected since you had the highest offer... But the seller may choose anyone having bidded on the item.

Are you sure your 250Euros bid was registered ?

noblepa · 12-02-2016, 10:28 AM

Just looked at eBay's help and I was right.

Lowering or removing your reserve price

This is for the US site, but I suspect that, except for the different currency, the policy is the same.

IgorZ · 12-02-2016, 01:43 PM

Originally posted by CarlJF

Or a second chance offer was made, but then you should have been selected since you had the highest offer... But the seller may choose anyone having bidded on the item.

Are you sure your 250Euros bid was registered ?

No, it probably wasn't, as every time I would enter a bid it would say "reserve not met, increase your bid"... Or does it mean it was registered?

---------- Post added 12-02-16 at 01:47 PM ----------

Originally posted by dcshooter

If it was the same one you discussed in the following thread, the buyer refused to ship to the U.S., so I imagine he was unwilling to ship it to Canada as well.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/94-pentax-price-watch/334566-meyer-optik-...-trioplan.html

That could be the case - certainly language barrier is there, so I had to rely on Google to translate from German. I thought if he wasn't accepting bids from Canada, it would say so, rather than saying increase bid... It did say "lens does not ship" right below "shipping next day after the end of auction" or something to that effect. I did not pursue that auction in part because I wasn't sure if he ships or doesn't ship outside of Europe.

---------- Post added 12-02-16 at 01:49 PM ----------

Originally posted by noblepa

I'm not sure, but I believe that, if your bid, meets or exceeds the reserve price, the ebay proxy bidding process will increase your bid to the reserve price.

If, OTOH, you place a bid that does not exceed the reserve price, it only increases your bid until you are the high bidder or reach your maximum bid.

If the seller lowers the reserve price, any previous bids that did not exceed the old reserve, but now meet the new reserve, are lowered to one dollar (or one Euro) less than the reserve. This is to prevent a bidder inadvertently being the high bidder. One could make an unsuccessful bid and go off and bid on another item, only to find that the first seller lowered the reserve and you are now the proud owner of TWO similar items.

So, in your case, I suspect that the seller lowered the reserve after you placed your bid. When you did not return to the auction and increase your bid, someone else beat you to it.

I see - I did not know this. To be honest, I don't shop much on eBay, so I didn't know these intricacies ... Thank you for educating me!

---------- Post added 12-02-16 at 01:50 PM ----------

Originally posted by pete-tarmigan

Maybe the initial auction ended without the reserved being met. Then the seller re-listed the item for a new auction with a lower reserve price, i.e., 150 Euros.

That could be too. Oh well, at least now I know something about eBay, as well as that it's possible to find a Trioplan in K mount...

---------- Post added 12-02-16 at 01:51 PM ----------

Originally posted by LensBeginner

Reserve prices are set on certain auctions so that an item is not sold if bids don't reach a certain price.
Are you sure it was sold? It certainly looks strange...

yep, the listing is marked "sold" for 153 euros...

UMC · 12-02-2016, 02:41 PM

Could you pls post a link to this auction? I'm a native German speaker and probably could bring some light into this issue.

12-02-2016, 09:53 AM	#1
IgorZ Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,735	eBay bidding Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. I had an interesting eBay experience, which left me scratching my head. There was a lens I was interested in - a Trioplan 2.8/100 in Pentax mount, according to the seller. I've never seen these lenses in K mount, mostly Exakta, Altix, or M42. I was interested in Trioplan, so I wanted to place a bid. Starting bid was 1 euro. I went up all the way to 250 euros, while getting a message "Reserve not met' and then gave up, as I wasn't sure if the seller would ship the lens to Canada. I asked him the question abound shipping and kind of forgot about it. Yesterday I go to eBay, check my "Watching" tab, and see that that particular Trioplan was sold for... 150 euros. I was a bit surprised. I am not yet senile, and I remember that I bid 250. I even made a post about it under Pentax price watch... That listing was on the German site, so maybe there was something lost in translation, but the message I kept getting was "Reserve not met. Please increase the bid to...". That should be clear enough... Is there something I don't know about eBay???

12-02-2016, 09:54 AM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,593	What likely happened is that the listing ended for 150 euros, but the seller didn't proceed with the transaction because his reserve wasn't met. Maybe someone else only bid 140, hence it sat at just over that at the end. I don't think the reserve price will ever bump up bids. Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Dear, "i...i" and "r....t" on ebay, bidding on the 50-135mm lenses	mee	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	64	02-07-2015 07:25 PM
LBA, eBay, and bidding habit	dragonfly	Photographic Technique	32	03-30-2010 08:18 AM
Ebay shill bidding essay	Dale	General Talk	7	01-19-2010 12:45 PM
Another eBay Pentax bidding war	amateur6	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	13	01-18-2008 03:43 PM
Ebay and last second bidding.	Deni	General Talk	15	08-06-2007 11:41 PM

12-02-2016, 09:56 AM	#3
LensBeginner Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 4,696	Reserve prices are set on certain auctions so that an item is not sold if bids don't reach a certain price. Are you sure it was sold? It certainly looks strange...

12-02-2016, 10:06 AM	#4
pete-tarmigan Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Conception Bay South, New-fun-land Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,272	Maybe the initial auction ended without the reserved being met. Then the seller re-listed the item for a new auction with a lower reserve price, i.e., 150 Euros.

12-02-2016, 10:20 AM	#5
noblepa Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bay Village, Ohio USA Posts: 1,142	I'm not sure, but I believe that, if your bid, meets or exceeds the reserve price, the ebay proxy bidding process will increase your bid to the reserve price. If, OTOH, you place a bid that does not exceed the reserve price, it only increases your bid until you are the high bidder or reach your maximum bid. If the seller lowers the reserve price, any previous bids that did not exceed the old reserve, but now meet the new reserve, are lowered to one dollar (or one Euro) less than the reserve. This is to prevent a bidder inadvertently being the high bidder. One could make an unsuccessful bid and go off and bid on another item, only to find that the first seller lowered the reserve and you are now the proud owner of TWO similar items. So, in your case, I suspect that the seller lowered the reserve after you placed your bid. When you did not return to the auction and increase your bid, someone else beat you to it.

12-02-2016, 10:22 AM	#6
CarlJF Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Quebec City Posts: 1,185	Or a second chance offer was made, but then you should have been selected since you had the highest offer... But the seller may choose anyone having bidded on the item. Are you sure your 250Euros bid was registered ?

12-02-2016, 10:28 AM	#7
noblepa Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bay Village, Ohio USA Posts: 1,142	Just looked at eBay's help and I was right. Lowering or removing your reserve price This is for the US site, but I suspect that, except for the different currency, the policy is the same.

12-02-2016, 01:43 PM	#8
IgorZ Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,735 Original Poster	Originally posted by CarlJF Or a second chance offer was made, but then you should have been selected since you had the highest offer... But the seller may choose anyone having bidded on the item. Are you sure your 250Euros bid was registered ? No, it probably wasn't, as every time I would enter a bid it would say "reserve not met, increase your bid"... Or does it mean it was registered? ---------- Post added 12-02-16 at 01:47 PM ---------- Originally posted by dcshooter If it was the same one you discussed in the following thread, the buyer refused to ship to the U.S., so I imagine he was unwilling to ship it to Canada as well. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/94-pentax-price-watch/334566-meyer-optik-...-trioplan.html That could be the case - certainly language barrier is there, so I had to rely on Google to translate from German. I thought if he wasn't accepting bids from Canada, it would say so, rather than saying increase bid... It did say "lens does not ship" right below "shipping next day after the end of auction" or something to that effect. I did not pursue that auction in part because I wasn't sure if he ships or doesn't ship outside of Europe. ---------- Post added 12-02-16 at 01:49 PM ---------- Originally posted by noblepa I'm not sure, but I believe that, if your bid, meets or exceeds the reserve price, the ebay proxy bidding process will increase your bid to the reserve price. If, OTOH, you place a bid that does not exceed the reserve price, it only increases your bid until you are the high bidder or reach your maximum bid. If the seller lowers the reserve price, any previous bids that did not exceed the old reserve, but now meet the new reserve, are lowered to one dollar (or one Euro) less than the reserve. This is to prevent a bidder inadvertently being the high bidder. One could make an unsuccessful bid and go off and bid on another item, only to find that the first seller lowered the reserve and you are now the proud owner of TWO similar items. So, in your case, I suspect that the seller lowered the reserve after you placed your bid. When you did not return to the auction and increase your bid, someone else beat you to it. I see - I did not know this. To be honest, I don't shop much on eBay, so I didn't know these intricacies ... Thank you for educating me! ---------- Post added 12-02-16 at 01:50 PM ---------- Originally posted by pete-tarmigan Maybe the initial auction ended without the reserved being met. Then the seller re-listed the item for a new auction with a lower reserve price, i.e., 150 Euros. That could be too. Oh well, at least now I know something about eBay, as well as that it's possible to find a Trioplan in K mount... ---------- Post added 12-02-16 at 01:51 PM ---------- Originally posted by LensBeginner Reserve prices are set on certain auctions so that an item is not sold if bids don't reach a certain price. Are you sure it was sold? It certainly looks strange... yep, the listing is marked "sold" for 153 euros...

12-02-2016, 02:41 PM	#9
UMC Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Vienna Photos: Gallery Posts: 205	Could you pls post a link to this auction? I'm a native German speaker and probably could bring some light into this issue.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search