Keeping track of auction rivals

[RoboFlonne]

I put hidden GPS tracking devices on my bidding Rivals' bodies and computers...

This way I'll know when they are even in the proximity of bidding!

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

What a spooky and creepy thread!

I tend to remember names fairly well. It's nice to know who wins what and where certain cels are going. If I lose a cel, I'd like to know if it's going to be available for public viewing later on and possibly available for sale at a later date. You never know. It's always good to have information like this in mind if the cel is a high priority piece.

I don't, however, take any special amount of time with this practice. I don't save down auctions or write down names. I try to effectively "let go" when ever I lose an auction. I've found if I save the URL or image, I tend to obsess over it. So, instead, I try to forget about it and hope for something similar to come my way in the future.

I commend Krafty and anyone else who keeps copious notes because, in essence, I wish I could do the same. It demonstrates how serious they are about cel collecting.

[transmet]

I put hidden GPS tracking devices on my bidding Rivals' bodies and computers...
This way I'll know when they are even in the proximity of bidding!

Mmm... I like you style RoboFlonne.

"All warfare is based on deception.
If your enemy is superior, evade him.
If angry, irritate him.
If equally matched, fight and if not: split and re-evaluate.
Every battle is won before it is ever fought." ~ Sun Tzu

[Startyde]

When the auctions are as heated as some of the ones I go in for, it's prudent to know your enemy

We both know who that is Krafty...as far as Umetsu goes anyway...

[Keropi]

What a spooky and creepy thread!

That part wasn't creepy.

Creepy is when you look up a bidders auction history going back four months writing down all the auctions they won, what they were for, how much they won them for and how they bid in each auction. Once I wrote down someone's previous thirty auction wins.

I decided to go through twenty two of the previous YJ auctions I've bid on. Auction history for Mandarake would be helpful since I've bid somewhat high amounts there recently, but you can't tell who is bidding over there.

Out of the twenty two auctions that still have info accessible on YJ, eight auctions went uncontested. There is some truth to the story about uncontested auctions because some of the items I'm least glad I won came from auctions where I was the only bidder. A lot of the items I'm most glad I won came from auctions with a lot of bids on them. Well...it holds true for the previous four months anyway.

Out of the fourteen CONTESTED auctions I bid in there were very few names that appeared more than once. I eliminated the low bidders that came nowhere near the ending price. Out of the nineteen different names, only two appear more than once (both appeared twice).

I guess the summary is I haven't been running across the same YJ bidders recently. I suppose since my collecting habits are now somewhat generalized I'm not running across the same people much. The people I'm seeing the most are the ones who bid low amounts hoping for a miracle and then run off never to bid again in that auction.

[graymouser]

When I used to bid a lot on ebay, I kept track on those who were repeat snipers. It was then fairly easy to predict which auction was likely to be sniped, by who and what the rough amount would be (even when they tried to vary their bids - people are rarely as unpredictable as they think they are)

Overall, I know who tends to bid on the same shows. I keep a few mental notes, but most of the time I don't bother to keep stats on other bidders.

[GuyvarIII]

“I have no rival, no man can be my equal.”
“If I know more about my targets, it will disrupt my concentration.”
“Hell of a thing, out bidding a man…”

[Kata]

You guys have WAY too much time on your hands.. @_@

[klet]

You guys have WAY too much time on your hands.. @_@

I concur.

I've noticed who bids against me in the past, but never keep records or anything. Like, there's a Celga bidder who will bid on Saint Tail cels sometimes. I usually don't bid on those auctions, because St. Tail isn't one of my major collecting focuses.

If I'm going up against a Rinkya bidder, chances are that the series is slightly more popular, and so I usually log into my Rinkya account to see who is bidding, if I stand a chance, and if I should just let it go and wait for the bidder to sell the cel.

I've checked some Japanese bidders' feedback before to see how much they've spent on past auctions of the same series, but that's only when I'm bidding at the end, and I only do that if I'm using my own YJ account rather than a deputy.

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

You guys have WAY too much time on your hands.. @_@

Oh, don't play innocent! You can be deadly when it comes to Kenshin

[Kata]

You guys have WAY too much time on your hands.. @_@

Oh, don't play innocent! You can be deadly when it comes to Kenshin

Who? Me? I'm innocent!!!!!!!! *evil laugh*

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

You guys have WAY too much time on your hands.. @_@

Oh, don't play innocent! You can be deadly when it comes to Kenshin

Who? Me? I'm innocent!!!!!!!! *evil laugh*

[kizu]

I don't really like someone keeping track of me so I don't keep track of others. It's kind of creepy to me. To be honest I think auctions are fair game so if I lose that's ok. Of course if it's something I -really- want then I try my hardest to win so that if I lose it's still ok. It just means they wanted it more.

[Keropi]

I've mentioned this in a previous thread- I save the auction image then go into the image properties and leave this sort of info in the Summary field:

"Seller = twin_angels_xx Winner = rost0bdozin, 23,500y. 16 Bids. Sunday 29th October 2006. Runner Up = blackwater, 23,000y"

Krafty...do you ever make note of what numbered appearance the item is? I've been doing that recently:

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.

I notice it helps keep track of general price trends. Everyone has their own spending patterns and pricing habits. You have your big spenders, mid-level spenders and bottom feeder bargain spenders if you know what I'm talking about.

[metheus]

Everyone loves a good bargain : )