OT eBay

Ever get the idea that you are wasting time bidding on a new item on eBay listed by the manufacturer because they have already placed a bid on it themselves equal to or greater than the "Buy Now" price?

I have NEVER clicked on the "Buy Now" price and not been able to buy it for that (you did say equal to or HIGHER than).

I have arrived at the conclusion that just going to Ebay is a waste of time.

(reply to post at 09:42:50 06/28/15)

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Please explain. Why would you ever bid higher than the 'buy now' price? I think I am not understanding what you really mean.

You can always buy at the "buy it now" price. That in fact is the sellers cash offer. BUT, If you keep bidding once that price is reached the "buy it now" option goes away and it becomes a true auction.

I buy a lot of stuff on Ebay and compare the buy it now with free shipping to retail store web sites before buying. I look for used parts that I want and after figuring shipping I decide what my total bid could be. I never get in a hurry to get a part because over the years I have found sooner or later the parts I am wanting will show up again. Sometimes better and cheaper. More and more new parts are being offered by store front dealers at less than they sell over the counter. Not all sell cheaper though, some bump the price up. Like anything you need to shop. It is just easier for me to shop on line. I buy on line from Advanced Auto, Menards and Walmart and pick the items up at the stores. You can even get sale items without walking the allover whole store which is a problem for me.

The last time I went to ebay to buy some thing I found out later that I save money by buying it at the big store. Plus I could get the factory rebate and did not have to pay for shipping plus handleing.

Dunno - I bought a part for my Farmall H a week or so, ago (NEW water jacket cover). It was cheaper there than ANYWHERE, and had free shipping. I called the company because I wanted a gasket for it, too. They tossed the gasket in for FREE and gave me the ebay price!

a couple months ago I was getting parts together to put Charlyn PS on my SMTA. I found several of the parts on ebay, new sold by a particular seller. Shipping on ebay item was free but if I had bought it from their store I would have had to pay shipping. Cost a couple dollars more at "buy it now" on ebay but was cheaper than paying regular shipping.

Maybe for you, but I have saved lots of cash buying on Ebay and have the UPS, Fedex, or USPostal honey hand it to me a couple of days later. TDF

I use Ebay for a lot of things. I often remember stuff late at night/evening. Like last night I noticed my cell phone holder was torn. I found one just like it on Ebay for $6 delivered. I can't drive to town to buy one for that. I find that I buy on line as I hate to go shopping for things all over the place. I buy what I can locally but after that I usually just order it online. The price even with shipping is cheaper for me than wasting half a day "shopping" for stuff.

Once there is a bid different than the Buy it Now price, doesn't the Buy It Now price disappear?

That's a real good question. I've picked up
a couple things when it was clear the
bidding going to pass up the buy it now.

Next question: why can they call it a no
reserve auction and put a starting bid on
it for more than it's worth?

I've bought a lot of stuff on ebay. Most recently a shift sleeve for the PTO on an H Farmall for $19, new aftermarket friction throttle for my M for $16, H governor for $15, other parts too numerous to mention. Plus several sets for tires with no tax and free shipping (I mount and balance them myself). Etc.

There IS a wide variation in price for the same part from one seller to another, so you have to shop around.

Good buys can be found on eBay but it is very time consuming. I normally use eBay as a winter pass time when the weather is terrible outdoors.
It is all up to you.

I've bought all sorts of parts new and used on ebay usually the cheapest place around and the safest to deal with as you can read their feedback.Just bought a set of tires for a NH
256 hay rake from Tucker Tire off ebay great folks to deal with and bought a water pump for a 1365 Oliver both arrived quickly, in good shape and cheaper than anywhere else.

I buy a lot on Ebay. Rarely mess with auctions unless I think I can get it at a real bargain. I do have to do the price research though, compare with other retail sources, see where they stand. Also getting the tax break is a plus, especially on big ticket items.

I've found Ebay to be a real problem solver when looking for obsolete parts!

If I am not mistaken, the "buy it now" price is the price at which the seller will simply sell it to you outright and discontinue the auction, and once bidding starts, the "buy it now" disappears and it just becomes a bidding auction.
It is my understanding that the whole idea behind the "buy it now" is for potential buyers that want to bypass the bidding process and the time it takes to get a result - typically 6 to 10 days. I also understand that once a bid is received, the "buy it now" should disappear, since it now becomes an auction. Those that start bidding on a "buy it now" are hoping to get the item for a lower price.
I LIKE the "buy it now" because it means that I can go find the item I want, and not have to wait for the auction to play out - which adds greatly to the waiting time to actually GET the item.
Sellers bidding on their own stuff to jack up the price is a practice called SHILLING. It is illegal. If caught and prosecuted it can result in heavy fines and potentially jail time. I'm sure that some of it goes on anyways, but I also would say that eBay does not condone or support that kind of activity.
I never did like the "secret" reserve prices. Why bother? Why not just come right out and say "I want this much or I will not sell it" ??? Why play games discovering what the reserve number is?? If the item will not bring that price, why waste my time bidding on it? My opinion would be that is a seller wants to put up a reserve, why not just list it so their potential buyers will know where they stand right from the start?