eBay question

[badseed1980]

I couldn't find an answer to this on the website.

If a seller has set a reserve price for an item and it hasn't been met yet, I know that the words "reserve not met" will be displayed on the auction page. What I DON'T know is: is this still true when no actual bids have been placed?

I ask because I'm thinking about bidding on that pink and gold dress I posted yesterday. The starting bid price is very low, and no one's bid on it yet, and the auction ends tonight. I figure that if there's no reserve price (and the words "reserve not met" do not currently show up there), it's possible I could get it quite cheaply. I know it can't hurt to set a low-ish top bid (like maybe $40 or $50) and see what happens, but I'm just curious.

Of course, I've found another website where I want ALMOST EVERY DRESS ON IT too. They're not cheap, but not as expensive as custom stuff. I'm waiting to hear back from them about styles they'd recommend for someone with my measurements (since of course the garment measurements are not shaped quite like me). Stretchy fabric CAN go a long way, though.

EDIT: Never mind. I just placed a maximum bet of $50. No reserve. I'll see how it goes! Maybe tonight or tomorrow morning I'll find I won a vintage dress at a low price!

Comments

[cos]

I'm not sure of the answer, but I wonder why it would matter? At worst, your low bid would be below the reserve and you'd have gained nothing and lost nothing.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Yeah, as I just said, I know I can just bid on it. I did so, in fact. I just was curious. I like to know in advance, before I bid, if there's a chance that I might get disappointed by winning the auction and still not being able to get the item.

[library-sexy.livejournal.com]

If there are no bids I don't believe it tells you that there is a reserve on the item. Once there is a bid, if it is bellow the reserve then "Reserve not met" is displayed.

If an item starts at .99 has a reserve of $25 and you bid $50, then eBay will put you at the reserve price of $25 and bidding between you and other members goes from there.

Bottom line is once you bid you will know if you are on a reserve item and if you have met the reserve with your max bid or less right away.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/automatic-bidding.html

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Ah, cool. I have since found that there's no reserve: I bid, and it's still at the starting bid, but no "no reserve met" thing has popped up!