I was robbed, robbed I tell you

[kirbysthebest]

I was bidding on a Hoover Portable 3013 on ebay. Pretty little green, totally compete. It had a buy it now, but I thought there had been no interest so I gave a bid for the starting price of $50. It sat at $50 for six days. On the last day, Wednesday, I upped my bid, just in case to $75.77.

I was watching the clock count down and I was the highest bid at $50. Ebay never indicated there was another bidder or anything. All the sudden the clock runs out, i was expecting the "you won" and then I got a text that I had lost the auction.

WHAT!!!. I logged back in and in my history it shows that I had been out bid, by only one bidder at $76.77, this bid took place 15 minutes before closing. I just feel robbed, if ebay had told me I had been out bid during the auction, I was watching the clock count down; I would have increased my bid. I feel robbed.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ho...vip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l44720

 

[gregvacs28]

how do you figure you were "robbed"?

You put in the maximum you were willing to pay, and someone outbid you.

THAT happens sometimes.

 

[ultralux88]

Yikes! Between the bidding and the insane prices, I don’t bother with anything on eBay unless it has the buy it now option! And that’s assuming the price isn’t ridiculous already...

 

[bnsd60m9200]

i wouldnt pay 75$ for a hoover portable, unless it was new in the box. id be hard pressed to cough up $25 for one. check your local thrift stores, no one ever buys them. them or slimlines.

 

[completenutt]

It did look gorgeous, probably mint condition. :-(

Sorry you lost it.  Hopefully you'll find another soon!  xo

 

[kirbysthebest]

maybe in your part of the world the thrift stores are aflush, but I have never seen one in a thrift store here.

What often happens in cases like this is the seller is actually bidding against you, and he overshot your maximum. The item in those cases will either show up relisted in a few days, or you will get the notice that a bid has been retracted do you still want it.

I was just disappointed that I was watching the auction from five minutes to the close and the bids did not change on the screen until the auction was complete. I have never had that happen before. I think it was a glitch in Ebay. Typically I never bid over $30 for a used machine, but I really wanted that one, and It just so happens to be my money I was spending so I didn't ask anyone else to chip in.

I have been shopping on ebay for 15 years, and this is the first time an auction I was watching did not update live. [this post was last edited: 12/7/2018-12:43]

 

[luxkid1980]

I've had that happen many times. The best thing to do (for your own sanity) is enter the maximum you are willing to pay for the item, then walk away. If you sit there and keep refreshing, you will likely end up paying more than you wanted to and potentially regret your decision to spend so much. Ebay only shows the winning price, so as far as we know, the winner could have bid much more $!

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I THINK I have two of the "garland green" ones.

IF I do, would you like to purchase it? NOT through Ebay?
I am not a huge fan of ebay anymore, although, sometimes I DO bid.

 

[kirbysthebest]

John

That would be great.
If you have a spare, Private message me and we will make arrangements.

I've been on a Hoover kick lately.

Besides the Air -revolve, I found a stainless Connie, my Orange Portable, and a React. Added those to the Wind tunnel anniversary Self propelled. Oh and two Hoover spin scrub.

 

[justjunque]

I lucked into mine at a Salvation Army store for $10.
But it was the only one I've ever seen at a thrift/second hand store.
For that matter, I never really see anything but uprights, when they have vacuums at all.

Barry

 

[huskyvacs]

eBay is known to have email delays in their notifications of being outbid, or they are never sent at all. What happened was someone did a bid snipe, either manually or automatically with a program/app. There's nothing you can do about it, it's the nature of bidding at auction. If you want it immediately, look for buy-it-now listings. Just keep hunting. Also save a search for the vacuum you want so you are notified by eMail when one is posted. That's how I got my Hoover Z700.

 

[huskyvacs]

All kinds of Hoover Portables here cheaper than what you bid - not in green, if that was the color you were specifically looking for - or if you just wanted any color.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ho...=item286cef3c10:g:FikAAOSwWudbudxR:rk:65:pf:0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ho...=item260c2c7180:g:UtIAAOSwhJNb4Msc:rk:71:pf:0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ho...=item286e120989:g:RO0AAOSwpkFY7DDV:rk:78:pf:0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Ho...o:sc:FedExHomeDelivery!46614!US!-1:rk:79:pf:0

https://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-ho...=item4b3dc04803:g:Of0AAOSwlGVasVUa:rk:81:pf:0

 

[kirbysthebest]

Thank you Huskyvacs
But. . .None of them are that color green, I have the orange one. None of them appear to have the cord winder.
Some of them are missing their attachments.
Many of them have shipping cost far above what the price of the machine is, which actually exceeds the total of my bid.

I do know how to do a search on ebay. I was not interested in the ones you have listed.

I was not dealing with an email delay, I was watching the auction on the screen live watching the clock tick down.

 

[bnsd60m9200]

if you want help , consider dropping the bitter attitude. insulting people who are trying to help out will get you nowhere quick.

that is one of the last portables made, and they were made in lower numbers. john long would be a best bet, but scoffing someone (huskyvacs) offering alternatives is childish.

its a vacuum. youll find one you want eventually. if you want a less stressful aquisition of vacuums, ebay is not the place for you to aquire things. try picking local vacuum shops, estate sales or craigslist. travel to places where stuff is helps too. dont limit yourself just to city limits.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Well I guess you told me.

I don't believe anywhere in any of my post did I ask how to bid on ebay, or how to search on ebay, or what I should pay. The post was originally posted in good humor that I lost a vacuum that I was coveting. And again in testament that some ebay sellers will boost their sales by bidding against you.

John very graciously, as always, offered to look in his collection and he and I will discuss privately if a transaction can happen.

I am so sorry that your criticism is unwarranted or unneeded, but thank you for offering your unsolicited verbiage anyway. So far the only thing you have offered is a large pile of Texas fertalizer. So give yourself another upvote for that.[this post was last edited: 12/7/2018-17:42]

 

[rowdy141]

eBay is not the manual marketplace it once was.

Automated Bidding Apps will place a buyer's bid on their behalf, in the last one or two seconds of an auction.
In the past 'snipers' had to sit there monitoring an auction in real-time, hoping they had bid enough in the one or two bids they could manage in quick succession. If not, they raised the price for you, and moved-on. But now, these Apps do the work for them.
This hides their interest, leaves you no opportunity to counter-bid, and wins the item for them, often at a lower price because you don't learn of their interest in the same item until its too late.

The only way to beat this is to bid a very high amount and expect to pay a high price for the item, or be prepared to lose it and try for another.

Sounds as though this may have happened in this instance.

I have thought for many years that eBay's system should extend an auction's expiry-time, by say 15 minutes, when a higher bid is made in the closing minutes/seconds, to give everyone an opportunity to respond, either by App, or in-person. This would ensure the best possible price for the Seller, increased commission for eBay, and a happier bunch of Buyers. A physical Auction House, with Auctioneer, would never dismiss further bids while two or more parties were competing. That's eBay for you.[this post was last edited: 12/7/2018-19:31]

 

[texaskirbyguy]

You weren't robbed, but auction-sniped. It has happened to me as well several times.

Many years ago there was actually a site or software which was marketed as an auction sniper - it may still exist today.
Basically it knew the exact end time of the auction and it put in the users max bid at the very last minute, giving no opportunity for others to raise their bids. Your competitor could have put a max of 150 or more, so you might not have had a chance even if you were notified.

If you really want something, you do have to put your maximum bid. I usually do this within the last 10 seconds or so if there are other bids going on. Even then I have been sniped. All I could say is that they valued it more than I.

Keep watch for another and don't get too discouraged. )

 

[gregvacs28]

Not a lot of vacuums at charity shops....

Has anyone else noticed....

particularly at Goodwill, WHEN YOU OFFER TO GIVE THEM a DONATION, they sometimes try and 'cop an attitude' ? "oh, we don't take _____, we CAN'T take ____...."

I've donated FREE stuff to them over the years and especially in the last 5 years, I've heard "we CAN'T take vacuum cleaners".
Now I know they sell them, so if they aren't taking donations, then where is the stock coming from?

I recently went to drop off a single box of household stuff: books, kitchen things, and an electrolux power nozzle wand. This woman comes out and thinks she's going to sort through the box and take what she wants.

B.S.- I grabbed the box out of her sleezy hands, before she could take any of it, and pushed it back in the trunk. Her naive assistant helping her uttered "oh, that's a vacuum part. We can't take...." I was already getting back in the car.

It's ALL or NOTHING !

It was so rude. These resale shops have NO over head inventory, they get it for free. All they have to do is sort it, price it, and put it on the floor. They have NO RIGHT nor privilege to be nit picky. They are in much better position than say even walmart as they are making 100% profit regardless what an item sells for. As long as people aren't dropping off literal garbage or toxic waste, Goodwill is obligated to take EVERYTHING and do it with a smile on their face.

As it is now, I won't even consider contributing to Goodwill anymore. What are they going to try and request next? Have us sort it, price, and put it neat packages for them?

Goodwill Industries is a sleazy business that hasn't been exposed yet.....YET.

Don't get me started on the people working there. They often look like they have fear in their eyes. I've heard and seen videos on the demeaning working conditions there. Unacceptable.

Anyway, if you aren't seeing vacuums at YOUR local Goodwill, it could be the stores, or the regions sort center's attitude. Consider calling to find out.

 

[rowdy141]

Similar problems with SOME Charity Shops here in the UK.
Directors on £100,000+ per annum. Staff all unpaid volunteers.
Staff cherry-pick from donations.
Good stuff goes up on eBay, or to shops in more-affluent areas, not in the window.
Poorly-performing shops set ridiculously high prices, sometimes more than New, to achieve 'Sales Targets'.
Its a Business.

Electrical items such as vacuums have to be safety (PAT) tested before they can go on sale. This costs the business money and creates storage problems while they're awaiting testing, so they turn-away donations.