Topic: Just got denied a Power Glove... >_<

[JonLeung]

So I'm watching on eBay this one Power Glove auction.  It's in good shape, it's within Canada, it's only $36.  The auction was to end at 10:22 PM local time.

I'm on the computer since 10:00, fighting an intermitted Internet connection.  This computer is old, and despite being recently reformatted, has its issues, so I figure it's like any other time and I just have to mash Refresh or close/reopen Internet Explorer to get it to work.  Also because it was recently reformatted, I have no other Internet browsers installed 'cause I didn't get around to it.

You already know where this is going.  I can't get to eBay.  When I restart IE, sometimes it loads up the home page (VGMaps.com of course) so I know I'm not totally disconnected.  But eBay refuses to work.  When I finally do get on, it's 6 minutes until the auction ends.  I haven't placed a bid yet since I always wait to the last moment but seeing how bad the connection is, I want to place one now.  But now it doesn't go to the "Confirm Bid" screen.  I keep trying and trying but then it's soon about 2 minutes and I know if I reboot I won't make it in time.  So nothing to do but just keep trying, and now with less than 2 minutes IE doesn't want to work at all.

A minute or so after the auction has already ended, the Internet connection (and/or IE) now works perfectly.  I didn't do anything like reboot or change firewall settings, it just decided to start working after it was too late.  >_<

[DarkWolf]

Why do you always wait for the last minute?  Just bid the maximum you are willing to spend and ebay will bid incrementally on your behalf.  You're also more likely to pay too much if you bid at the last minute since there's the tendency to get in a bidding frenzy.

[JonLeung]

I always figured the logic was like this:

If an item is at about $50, but I'm willing to pay $100 for it, by withholding my bid until the last second, I may only have to pay $55 if I bid at the last moment, because it'll just be a couple increments higher than the bids that are already there.

I guess putting out my maximum bid at the start is like saying, "if you want to outbid me, I'll just tell you how right now", which is practically forfeiting the item.  See, if I bid at $100 too soon, other bidders will see how much I'm willing to pay as they put in their own bids.  That makes it too easy for people with deeper pockets to beat me by putting in bids higher than $100.  By waiting to the last moment, they won't know I'm even there, and therefore they won't know how much I'd bid.  I'm going to be at the computer at the last minute if I can help it anyway, and as I don't like being defeated by a couple dollars, it's going to make me raise my own maximum, so I would be spending more than if I just put my "lower maximum" in as late as possible as per my usual strategy.  Yes, I also convolute the definition of "maximum" is when it suits me.  

Of course, I'm working with the assumption that on the things I bid on, jerkier and richer people are also after.    Typically on eBay I go for the "Buy It Now" things, less drama that way.

With my bad connection last night, I wasn't able to place a bid for the entire half-hour before the auction end anyway, and I was busy for a few hours just before that.  I certainly could've put in bids earlier in the day, but that would've been way too early by my logic.

Also, it would help if people in my household didn't go to sleep too early, or if auctions didn't often end at night, 'cause then I could've used any one of the other more reliable computers in the household.

Ah, well.  Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.  There are other Power Gloves (and for less) on eBay now.    Stay away if you're a rich jerk.  >_>  Go buy one of those complete NES cartridge collections or something.

[Maxim]

If every bids their maximum amount early, it goes for the highest possible price and eBay earns more money. So that's what their bidding guide tells you.

If you have no competitors, you get it for the starting price (or reserve), i.e. the minimum.

If all your competitors are bidding incrementally, they may (for example) bid a low price to "win", then wait to bid again if they are outbid. By bidding at the last minute (sniping), you get the item for (their low bid) + (one increment) instead of (their highest bid) + (one increment). Also, there's no time for a bidding war so you avoid complete insanity. If your competitor has bid "correctly" (their maximum amount) then you are no worse off than if you'd bid your maximum earlier.

In conclusion: sniping gets you the best results.

Also, Power Gloves are lame.

[JonLeung]

Also, Power Gloves are lame.

To quote Lucas Barton from The Wizard: "I love the Power Glove...it's so bad."  And that is exactly the point.  It's not like I'm going to seriously use it much...that's why I bought a R.O.B. a few months ago.

I guess I have to buy a creepy mannequin hand to display the Power Glove though.  Ick.  Are there such things as gauntlet-holders?

Actually, I had a Power Glove way back in the NES days, and then we returned it a short while later because it was, as you said, lame.  If I had understood the kitschy retro value of it, I wouldn't've returned it.  Similarly, I only rented a Virtual Boy instead of buying one, because I was apprehensive about it.  In a sense it was a "smart" move, to trust my consumer instinct and not support crappy devices, but now if I want one just for the sake of having one, I have to deal with eBay shenanigans.

Now if/when I have kids, I'm probably going to keep all the boxes from their toys and games and encourage them to keep everything in good condition so they can be worth something later.  (But then I guess if every parent these days thinks to do that, the value of things won't be as high because things will be less rare.  I guess I have to hope that there are still dumb parents out there like the kind who throw out entire boxes of comic books.)

It's kind of weird that I've recently been having nostalgic longings for the NES.  After all, I run VGMaps.com, you'd think I'd have my NES fix in spades.  I guess maybe I need the hardware and the "culture" too.

[DarkWolf]

Now if/when I have kids, I'm probably going to keep all the boxes from their toys and games and encourage them to keep everything in good condition so they can be worth something later.

Ungh, the consumer culture is a disease.  If you teach your kids to take care of things it should be so they don't become wasteful, not because there is a slim chance they may profit from it in the future.

I understand the whole collecting thing.  I still have 100 or so Genesis games in the closet.  But lately I have been seriously considering trying to sell them off or even give them away to someone who has use for them.  I'm not using them, they aren't bringing me any sort entertainment or joy anymore, so why have them?

I'm not saying you should sell all your possessions and live in a cave, but we could all probably do with a few less things.

[JonLeung]

I got my Power Glove a couple days ago!

I haven't actually had a chance to play with it though.  Looks like I'll have to hunt down the instructions somewhere online, it's not exactly plug-and-play.