I think we can all agree that the Star Trek DVD box sets, while nice, are a trifle bit ... expensive?
For a variety of reasons (mostly because I couldn't afford them), I put off purchasing the DS9 DVDs ... until now. Logged onto eBay, and scooped up the first four seasons for a grand total of $217.50 - a little over half the retail cost (and seasons 3 & 4 are both NIB).
Anyway, I just wanted to gloat. I also got TNG season 1 for $37. Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
I've never actually bought anything off eBay. The bidding always goes just that little bit higher than I'm prepared to pay. Just recently I tried to get a waterproof case for my digital camera (so I can get some photos while scuba-diving); it's outrageously expensive in the UK, much cheaper in the US, and some German guy was selling one on eBay. I tried, but it got to the point where the cost plus shipping from Germany would equal the amount I'd pay for it in the UK. So I bought it from a supplier in the US; even with about $30 shipping it worked out as the cheapest option.
I also follow Trek prop auctions on eBay (again, tried once or twice, but generally stopped because I had doubts about provenance). If there were as many "GENUINE SCREEN USED STAR TREK PHASER AS USED BY CAPATIN KIRK IN STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK!!!" as have been sold on eBay, they'd have made enough props to outfit a whole army of Shatner. Now that's a scary thought. . .
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
The trick is to wait until it's in the last ten seconds or so, and then bid-up. With luck, you'll outbid the previous high bidder before he or anyone else can rebid.
In the case of seasons 3 & 4 (a single auction) it was set to end at 8:30am today, and I wasn't interested in waking up early. The high bid was at 1am $120, so I placed a bid of $150 and went to bed. Woke up, checked the auction, and the sets were mine for $122.50. I seriously lucked out on that auction!
Posted by Topher (Member # 71) on :
quote:Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: The trick is to wait until it's in the last ten seconds or so, and then bid-up. With luck, you'll outbid the previous high bidder before he or anyone else can rebid.
I hate people like you.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
We all hated him anyway.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Piss off.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:Originally posted by Topher:
quote:Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: The trick is to wait until it's in the last ten seconds or so, and then bid-up. With luck, you'll outbid the previous high bidder before he or anyone else can rebid.
I hate people like you.
I guess I'm off your Christmas card list too then! Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Sod.
Posted by Spike (Member # 322) on :
I hate eBay. It's addictive. Bought 14 DVDs within 2 weeks.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I got a rather nice set of FJ's Constitution-Class Blueprints, a very nearly mint copy of Mr Scott's Guide a copy of the Dune Encyclopaedia, a very tatty copy of The Starfleet Chronology and a bunch of cheep PC games. All in the space of a fortnight. I don't Ebay so often anymore Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I also got twelve throwing knives for $15. Yay!
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"The high bid was at 1am $120, so I placed a bid of $150 and went to bed. Woke up, checked the auction, and the sets were mine for $122.50."
So, what about the other $27.50? They just didn't want it?
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
TSN, you don't know how eBay works, do you?
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Obviously not. And after that woeful attempt at some sort of British-swearing, I'd refrain from being smug if I were you.
Timmy boy: What happens is that you place a maximum bid that no-one else can see. Then a bid that's a certain figure above the current is put down. If someone else bids higher, then your bid is automatically increased, up to the value you first entered. It's more of a "Maximum bid". It's so that you don't have to sit at the keyboard constantly to see if you have been outbid, I would assume.
Posted by Siegfried (Member # 29) on :
quote:Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: The trick is to wait until it's in the last ten seconds or so, and then bid-up. With luck, you'll outbid the previous high bidder before he or anyone else can rebid.
People like you royally tick me off as well. Because of people who did this, I was knocked out of winning the Japanese releases and special editions of several Zoids kits. Punks.
On the other hand, I do like eBay. I got quite a few Zoids kits off of there that were quite a deal. And if I ever get around to it, I'm going to auction off my old clarinet.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Seriously, if you're gonna outbid someone anyway, put in the maximum you're willing to pay when you first bid. That's the whole point, after all.
Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :
That's all good, but you'll often get outbid by $.50 if you don't watch it 'til the last. I've been outbid by eBay Snipers several times. Generally not a big deal to me, as I learned early on how addictive eBay can be and just made sure to bid my max and deal with it if I was outbid. It still sux losing by $.50, but it's yet to be something I couldn't live w/o....
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
I have used EBay thrice, and thrice only.
The first time was to win a 1997-1998 Be A Player Manny Fernandez gold autograph card.
The second time was to buy a lot of ten or so Star Trek Novels.
The last time was to buy a Time Machine so I could go back to 1997 and stab myself in the face.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I prefer to "Watch" items in "My eBay" until as close to the auction end time as I can get it. For one thing, it discourages a bidding war with any other bidders, and hopefully keeps the price down.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
That's all good, but you'll often get outbid by $.50 if you don't watch it 'til the last.
Which is because someone put in a maximum bid higher than yours at the last minute. It could have been $20 higher than yours. It's still pointless to bid at the last minute.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Jeff is a cracker ass cracker.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
Let's just get an SUV and run Snay down one day. Irony, that would be...
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
No, it would be ironic if a deer got an SUV and ran me over with it.
Posted by Balaam Xumucane (Member # 419) on :
I've sniped three times. I got the big black LaserDisc boxset of the original Star Wars trilogy (without that gloppy Greedo-shooting-first/Jabba's tail BS) all nice and remastery with extras and trailers. I also got the previous pre-remastery LD releases and also a MIDI saxomaphone. This may or may not make me a bastard.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
I have that Star Wars LD set. I was actually thinking of selling it at some point before the movies are released on DVD.
Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: That's all good, but you'll often get outbid by $.50 if you don't watch it 'til the last.
Which is because someone put in a maximum bid higher than yours at the last minute. It could have been $20 higher than yours. It's still pointless to bid at the last minute.
...and you just might be there w/a higher bid ready to go when you see that the auction has gone up by that lil' $.50. I've won two auctions that way, paying only $2 and $3.50 more than my original bids - and still managed to pay less than retail for those items when they were originally available in stores. Most of the time, I don't much care and just read about my losing the auction the next day, but occasionally sometihng of is interest enough for me to actually watch 'til the very end.
Plus, it's given me a warm feeling in my stomach when I can snipe those who regularly snipe others. Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
quote: I was actually thinking of selling it at some point before the movies are released on DVD.
Snark: Star Wars will never be released on DVD. Instead Lucas will someday release a series of films that happen to have the same name and most of the same actors.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
A series in which even the bloody Ewoks shoot before Han.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
What do the furry Ewoks do?
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Go home and weep in their basements on their terrible weblogs about how nobody understands their fetish.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"What do the furry Ewoks do?"
What, since you can't pull off British-style swearing, you're not going to let the Brits do it, either?
Posted by Griffworks (Member # 1014) on :
quote:Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: What do the furry Ewoks do?
Same thing that the non-furry Ewoks do, but w/o an overcoat...? Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
quote:you're not going to let the Brits do it, either?
I don't care about the British, I care about the furry Ewoks. Honestly, where have you been?
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Bought 14 DVDs within 2 weeks.
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