Something doesn't seem right

[rancher hicks]

I've been bidding on an auction site and I just don't get it. Why would anyone bid for birds higher than what they could pay straight to the farm.

Case in point.

They've got posted chickens from Green Fire, but the bid is higher than if they ordered directly from Green Fire. What's up with that?

In one case? For the same amount as the highest bid (where it is when I dropped out) you could order two hens and a rooster. Why would you pay more? Quite honestly I kept increasing my bid to see just how far up it would go. I have the money of course, but I wanted to see just how far up this particular person would go to get these birds.

I tried researching the bidder to see what gives but couldn't really find out anything. I did find info on Federal funding but not sure how to take that or where to go with it. This has kinda soured me on Green Fire. Not cuz I blame them but why not just run your birds through the auction and make a killing? I've been saving money to order from them but this doesn't make sense. I thought I might be able to save some money and not have to order so many, but then I've had bigger disappointments.

I just don't get it,

Rancher

 

[sourland]

Upon occassion some people get carried away with the 'competition' of bidding. Also upon occassion the seller can have a friend helping to push the bid higher.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
I have seen this often on Ebay..having someone or an alias pushing up the bids. It ticked me off big time when they do that!

 

[rancher hicks]

Green Fire has a trio of Isbars up but the hightest bid is $410 at last check. Yet if your ordered directly from them you could get 4 chicks for that price. The odds of getting a least one of each sex is very high. So three of one or the other is enough to create a good line of birds.

So I just don't get why anyone would bid so much more than necessary. I posted this to see if anyone had an answer. Some times I miss the obvious.

 

[ChooksChick]

Perhaps the buyer hasn't considered buying directly? That seems a bit of a stretch...but I'm just not sure. It's odd.

 

[chickened]

http://reviews.ebay.com/SHiLL-BIDDiNG-5-Ways-To-Detect-Shill-Bidders-On-Ebay_W0QQugidZ10000000002559018

A few things to check for if you suspect shill bidding.

Sometimes it is the obvious... people are stupid

I watched a person bid against herself at an auction 3 or 4 times mind you, finally a stranger next to her told her what she was doing and she got mad and left.

 

[rancher hicks]

Well to be honest both of the auctions that concerned me were Green Fire. While I don't think it involved Green Fire "shilling" I do suspect some thing funny is going on. I have noticed their birds going for more than if one ordered directly from them.

I have since learned to put in my max bid, which is what I would have done in one situation that I lost. I felt bad for the seller actually. But then the winning bid was so much higher than my highest bid and it came through at the last minute that I thought , what's up with that. Why go $40 dollars higher?

But I am new to all this.

 

[muddyhorse]

is the auction for the specific birds pictured or just that breed ? If a person particularly liked a bird, good conformation, color ideal comb. I could see paying alittle more to know what you were getting. however if it is for random birds then that doesn't make good sense, humans are not terribly rational creatures.

 

[annageckos]

Last year I was looking at gift cards on ebay, and many people were bidding more then the card was worth. We couldn't figure it out.

 

[Tracydr]

I've seen used cattle panels and junk at farm auctions go for way more than new at the store. Sometimes I think auction buying is a lot like gambling, certain people are addicted. Go to any weekly farm auction and see people going crazy bidding over somebody else's trash or an animal they couldn't even give away on Craig's List.