anybody ever try quibids

QBids is ok if you are trying to purchase a common item that are all the same such as a new IPad or smart phone or something like that and your not in any time limit.
Qbids sucks for selling something like a cue.
You rarely get the selling price you could have got in many other ways.
Buying or bidding is a pain in the butt section also.
You will be hard pressed to find an auction for something that needs to meet your specifications. Let's say you want a Samsara Bar cue with no wrap, light colored maple, close to 19 ounces with a 13 mm tip.
You probably will never find one and if you do, you might spend days trying to win the bid and possible spend more money on bids than the cue is worth and on top of that you most likely will not win the auction unless you over bid.
It might be a brilliant idea on Qbids part, but it's a ridiculous idea for selling and worse for buying.
Even eBay is not a true auction. Items sell for just over what the second highest bidder is willing to pay, not very often what the highest bidder is willing to pay.
For example: You list a cue that you hope to sell for $1000.
You decide that you are willing to accept $750 minimum, so you set your reserve at $750.
Bidding goes hot and heavy and reaches your $750 resererve. Somebody enters $1200 as their max bid, but the high bid only indicates that $755 is the high bid. Time runs out on your auction and the bidder that was willing to pay up to $1200 wins the cue for $755.
Sure you reached your $750 reserve price, but in your mind you hoped it was worth $1000 to somebody, but it has to be also worth $995 to the another bidder or $1195 to the second highest bidder to get your $1200 out of it. I made all these numbers up to demonstrate my point, but compared to a true auction which would have brought in $1200 from the highest bidder, your eBay auction sold for $445 less than the highest bidder was actually willing to pay for it.
 
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Bill Yerd said:
Even eBay is not a true auction. Items sell for just over what the second highest bidder is willing to pay, not very often what the highest bidder is willing to pay.
For example: You list a cue that you hope to sell for $1000.
You decide that you are willing to accept $750 minimum, so you set your reserve at $750.
Bidding goes hot and heavy and reaches your $750 resererve. Somebody enters $1200 as their max bid, but the high bid only indicates that $755 is the high bid. Time runs out on your auction and the bidder that was willing to pay up to $1200 wins the cue for $755.
Sure you reached your $750 reserve price, but in your mind you hoped it was worth $1000 to somebody, but it has to be also worth $995 to the another bidder or $1195 to the second highest bidder to get your $1200 out of it. I made all these numbers up to demonstrate my point, but compared to a true auction which would have brought in $1200 from the highest bidder, your eBay auction sold for $445 less than the highest bidder was actually willing to pay for it.
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I run items through an auction house two times a month (live, in-person auction). I am not sure what you mean by a "true auction" and the blue italicized quotes above. No matter the format, live, online, etc. you still have to have that 2nd person to drive what the 1st person will pay, irregardless of what that price might be. Maybe I misunderstood what you are trying to convey.

Peace.

~Razor
 
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Too bad you didn't grasp it after reading my first book...I mean post.
You will have to keep an eye out for my next book.
 
Occam's Razor said:
I run items through an auction house two times a month (live, in-person auction). I am not sure what you mean by a "true auction" and the blue italicized quotes above. No matter the format, live, online, etc. you still have to have that 2nd person to drive what the 1st person will pay, irregardless of what that price might be. Maybe I misunderstood what you are trying to convey.

Peace.

~Razor
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Maybe the word true through you of. How bout regular, traditional, normal.
Here is another way to explain it.
You are playing pool with 3 of your buddies. You say you want to sell your jump cue. One of your buddies says he will give you $40 for it. Buddy #2 says he'll give you $50 for it. Buddy #3 says he'll give you $75 for it. Normally you would decide if you want to let it go to buddy #3 for $75. eBay style would go back to buddy #2 or #1 and find out what the max they were willing to pay for the cue. If neither one of them wants to increase their bid then buddy #3 wins the bidding at $1 more than what the second highest bid was, which was $50 from buddy #2 so buddy #3 wins the bidding at $51 not the $75 which he was willing to pay.
I hope you grasp it after this second attempt.
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
it is a total scam - guaranteed

best,
brian kc
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Not a scam. I am proof. I have won 4 pairs of Oakley sunglasses, electric knife sharpener, two ipod nanos, a toy helicopter, a complete pyrex set, and three hand held childrens video games. And all at a huge discount. Qbids is designed to attract people trying to get something for nothing (all of us). And as soon as you learn that trying to get a $3,000 item for $3.24 is very unlikely to happen (yet possible), you'll actually do well at the Qbids game. I say game because that's exactly what it is. It's a bit of a gamble. It's entertainment. You play the game that costs money to play, but if played small and smart, can walk away with huge discounts. I agree most people probably lose their a$$es with Qbids, but it's because they're lured in by the tempting possiblity that they're gonna pick up an Ipad 2 for a buck fifty. It's a form of gambling, and a smart gambler knows he's mostly likely not going to will the whole lumberyard by throwing toothpicks at it. But if you throw toothpics at 2x4's, you'll do better.

dave
 
Occam's Razor said:
I run items through an auction house two times a month (live, in-person auction). I am not sure what you mean by a "true auction" and the blue italicized quotes above. No matter the format, live, online, etc. you still have to have that 2nd person to drive what the 1st person will pay, irregardless of what that price might be. Maybe I misunderstood what you are trying to convey.

Peace.

~Razor
Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't understand that either. Even at Sotheby's, if the second highest bidder stops at $750, the highest bidder would only have to bid slightly more. Yes, you may get a little more than $755 because after the $750 bid perhaps the next bid would be $800 say. But I don't see how the high bidder for sure pays $1,200 if the 2nd highest bidder stops at $750 just because it's a live auction.
 
Tokyo-dave said:
Not a scam. I am proof. I have won 4 pairs of Oakley sunglasses, electric knife sharpener, two ipod nanos, a toy helicopter, a complete pyrex set, and three hand held childrens video games. And all at a huge discount. Qbids is designed to attract people trying to get something for nothing (all of us). And as soon as you learn that trying to get a $3,000 item for $3.24 is very unlikely to happen (yet possible), you'll actually do well at the Qbids game. I say game because that's exactly what it is. It's a bit of a gamble. It's entertainment. You play the game that costs money to play, but if played small and smart, can walk away with huge discounts. I agree most people probably lose their a$$es with Qbids, but it's because they're lured in by the tempting possiblity that they're gonna pick up an Ipad 2 for a buck fifty. It's a form of gambling, and a smart gambler knows he's mostly likely not going to will the whole lumberyard by throwing toothpicks at it. But if you throw toothpics at 2x4's, you'll do better.

dave
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Hi Dave;

When I said it's a scam I should have elaborated - at least shared my experience.

I joined qbids, lured by the 'big screen plasma tvs for $2.87' story thinking I had to take a look for myself.

The way they had me join was a bit deceiving in that they reversed the order where I was hit with a previously undisclosed join up fee very late in the sign up process. Can't recall exactly but I believe it was $20 or $30 on top of the qbids currency that you must buy to spend on the auctions you choose.

But the real issue I had with qbids came next when it became apparent that in order to participate with any hope for success, it would require that you remain locked to your computer for what seemed like forever. Basically, qbids would have to become the focus of your life. And if there really were any reasonable chance of getting big dollar items for cheap, I might have stuck it out a little longer.

It seems like you have done well, indeed, Dave. Can I ask, how much of your time did you have to spend to win all of those nice items?

I tried with no luck to reach their customer service then simple requested and received a refund from my credit card company whom, by the way, said they have been busy with requests from many others who were unhappy with their qbids experience.

Hence the reason for my thinking they are a scam.

best,
brian kc
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
Yeah, I didn't understand that either. Even at Sotheby's, if the second highest bidder stops at $750, the highest bidder would only have to bid slightly more. Yes, you may get a little more than $755 because after the $750 bid perhaps the next bid would be $800 say. But I don't see how the high bidder for sure pays $1,200 if the 2nd highest bidder stops at $750 just because it's a live auction.
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Man! I don't see why it's so hard to grasp!
Bid is at $750. Another bidder yells out "$1200"
It sells for $1200 if nobody bids more than $1200.
The auctioneer doesn't say "I got $1200, do I hear $755?
He says: "$1200, I got $1200. Do I hear $1250?"

I'm done trying to explain it. I can't make anybody smarter than they already are.
 
Kickin' Chicken said:
Hi Dave;

When I said it's a scam I should have elaborated - at least shared my experience.

I joined qbids, lured by the 'big screen plasma tvs for $2.87' story thinking I had to take a look for myself.

The way they had me join was a bit deceiving in that they reversed the order where I was hit with a previously undisclosed join up fee very late in the sign up process. Can't recall exactly but I believe it was $20 or $30 on top of the qbids currency that you must buy to spend on the auctions you choose.

But the real issue I had with qbids came next when it became apparent that in order to participate with any hope for success, it would require that you remain locked to your computer for what seemed like forever. Basically, qbids would have to become the focus of your life. And if there really were any reasonable chance of getting big dollar items for cheap, I might have stuck it out a little longer.

It seems like you have done well, indeed, Dave. Can I ask, how much of your time did you have to spend to win all of those nice items?

I tried with no luck to reach their customer service then simple requested and received a refund from my credit card company whom, by the way, said they have been busy with requests from many others who were unhappy with their qbids experience.

Hence the reason for my thinking they are a scam.

best,
brian kc
Click to expand...
Brian, you hit it right on the head when you said that you have to spend lot's of time on it. However, I look at it in the same way as how much time somebody may spend clipping coupons or visiting 3 different supermarkets in the same day to save money (my wife). I didn't exactly spend hours and hours on the pc, but I did spend enough time to identify the times of the day and days of the week that items tend to close early or cheaply. Another thing I did was take memo of user names and their past winnings history. There are several users on the site that do it for a living, so they'll specialize in the higher end products. They'll chase an Ipod with unlimited funds until they outright win it, or if they fail, they 'buy it now' by taking a bit of a loss as a result of their slightly higher retail prices. But for the most part, these guys win enough items at enough of a discount to still flip their winnings on Ebay to make money. So, by identifying the "heavy hitters" you then get a better idea of who and what you're up against. Example: If you're bidding on a 55" Samsung TV, the bids are still around $3.00, and there are 18 active bidders involved and you see one of the heavy hitters plugging away at it, you need to hold off. This item will most likely sell for close to $150-$200, so the auction is far from over. And, the heavy hitter you've identified is hitting heavy this early in the auction, you know that he's gonna bid until he wins, or until his bids end up equaling the retail price of the item. Which means he's getting the TV.............win or buy. Take a look at his history, and if his history is packed with nothing but the high end items, you know not to mess with him.
Keep in mind, that my sucess has been because it appears that I've chosen to avoid the TVs, DSLRs, Game consoles, and laptops/Ipads. By going after household items, gift cards, sunglasses, and small electronics, I've come to the conclusion that most likely I'm competing with housewives that are concerned about money, and don't stay up all night!! My best wins/items have been the 3 Ipod Nanos. I haven't spent any more than $50 on each of them, and they retail at well over $150. Sold two, kept one for myself. But even those are borderline bigger items that I most likely will avoid going after. Likey I say, get your wife a nice fry pan set, a couple pairs of Oakleys (yes they're real), a blender, or a George Foreman indoor grill..........and most likely you'll have a good time and save money. Go after the big ticket items only if you are already prepared to pay the full retail price. This way, the worst that can happen is you'll pay retail which is around $30 more than at Best Buy, and by playing the game, at least you run the chance of getting lucky.
dave
 
Bill Yerd said:
Man! I don't see why it's so hard to grasp!
Bid is at $750. Another bidder yells out "$1200"
It sells for $1200 if nobody bids more than $1200.
The auctioneer doesn't say "I got $1200, do I hear $755?
He says: "$1200, I got $1200. Do I hear $1250?"

I'm done trying to explain it. I can't make anybody smarter than they already are.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I appreciate the insult. But it sounds to me like the guy who can't get smarter than he already is, is the guy who ups a bid of $750 to $1,200 on an item the seller hopes will go for $1,000, and when the auctioneer is asking if anyone wants to go $800.

With the bidding at $750 nothing prevents that guy from coming in with the same $1,200 bid in an Ebay auction.

In ANY auction the item will usually only sell for what the highest bidder is willing to pay IF the 2nd highest bidder is willing to pay almost, but not quite, as much.

Sorry Professor, but your statement that the item WOULD have sold for $1,200 in a live auction is incorrect. It might have, but not necessarily - and most likely not.
 
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Just pick out some of the "penny auction" names and google them, you'll see the Federal lawsuits against them.

Allegations of shills moving bids up, can't remember the phrase, but it was a phrase used most commonly with check cashing places where they charge so much over what you get. Or places like rental centers etc.



3andstop said:
I looked into this once. It sure was a great concept. For the buyers however, it amounts to no more than a roulette wheel spin for your bid.

You don't win until the wheel stops, and the wheel doesn't stop till the bidding stops, and the price increases by "X" amount of dollars with each bid.

You never know how many bids you will have to submit before the one that is the final winning bid.

Unlike EBay, each bid costs you money, not only your final bid, but all bids. In fact you may never reach a winning bid before you run out of barrels to throw at the merchandise.

Nothing more than a crap shoot.

In fact, I'm often surprised the US Government allows this total blind lottery to go on, when they disallow poker that at least offers some measure of skill to win something.
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Tokyo-dave said:
Brian, you hit it right on the head when you said that you have to spend lot's of time on it. However, I look at it in the same way as how much time somebody may spend clipping coupons or visiting 3 different supermarkets in the same day to save money (my wife). I didn't exactly spend hours and hours on the pc, but I did spend enough time to identify the times of the day and days of the week that items tend to close early or cheaply. Another thing I did was take memo of user names and their past winnings history. There are several users on the site that do it for a living, so they'll specialize in the higher end products. They'll chase an Ipod with unlimited funds until they outright win it, or if they fail, they 'buy it now' by taking a bit of a loss as a result of their slightly higher retail prices. But for the most part, these guys win enough items at enough of a discount to still flip their winnings on Ebay to make money. So, by identifying the "heavy hitters" you then get a better idea of who and what you're up against. Example: If you're bidding on a 55" Samsung TV, the bids are still around $3.00, and there are 18 active bidders involved and you see one of the heavy hitters plugging away at it, you need to hold off. This item will most likely sell for close to $150-$200, so the auction is far from over. And, the heavy hitter you've identified is hitting heavy this early in the auction, you know that he's gonna bid until he wins, or until his bids end up equaling the retail price of the item. Which means he's getting the TV.............win or buy. Take a look at his history, and if his history is packed with nothing but the high end items, you know not to mess with him.
Keep in mind, that my sucess has been because it appears that I've chosen to avoid the TVs, DSLRs, Game consoles, and laptops/Ipads. By going after household items, gift cards, sunglasses, and small electronics, I've come to the conclusion that most likely I'm competing with housewives that are concerned about money, and don't stay up all night!! My best wins/items have been the 3 Ipod Nanos. I haven't spent any more than $50 on each of them, and they retail at well over $150. Sold two, kept one for myself. But even those are borderline bigger items that I most likely will avoid going after. Likey I say, get your wife a nice fry pan set, a couple pairs of Oakleys (yes they're real), a blender, or a George Foreman indoor grill..........and most likely you'll have a good time and save money. Go after the big ticket items only if you are already prepared to pay the full retail price. This way, the worst that can happen is you'll pay retail which is around $30 more than at Best Buy, and by playing the game, at least you run the chance of getting lucky.
dave
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Dave;

thanks for the very detailed explanation. Obviously, you have this sorted out and your 'system' makes a lot of logical sense.

like my daddy used to say, "you do that one more time and I'm gonna kick your....." oh, sorry, wrong quote. like my daddy used to say, "there ain't no free lunches", but as you've pointed out so nicely, there can be some extremely well priced brunches. :smile:

continued success to you working your system. :thumbup:

best,
brian kc
 
DogsPlayingPool said:
Thanks, I appreciate the insult. But it sounds to me like the guy who can't get smarter than he already is, is the guy who ups a bid of $750 to $1,200 on an item the seller hopes will go for $1,000, and when the auctioneer is asking if anyone wants to go $800.

With the bidding at $750 nothing prevents that guy from coming in with the same $1,200 bid in an Ebay auction.

In ANY auction the item will usually only sell for what the highest bidder is willing to pay IF the 2nd highest bidder is willing to pay almost, but not quite, as much.

Sorry Professor, but your statement that the item WOULD have sold for $1,200 in a live auction is incorrect. It might have, but not necessarily - and most likely not.
Click to expand...

This is a common practice at auctions to take people out of the bidding, it's a tactic to raise the Bid and make others think your willing to go as high on that item as it takes......but still be where you want to be on that item.
 
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