For the past few years, I have seen ads on TV for those auction sites that claim you can get high-end electronics for as little as twenty dollars. When I went to check it out, I found out that the catch is that you have to pay just to place a bid. Has anyone tried these sites? It makes me very leery that a site would make you pay for each offer. I was just wondering if anyone else has experience with them. Thanks!
I tried eBid once. By the time you get done bidding, you're paying more in fees than anything else, and you're still not assured of getting what you want. I usually just go eBay or Amazon if I want used stuff.
I've seen these sites and I think it's too much a risk if you have slow internet connection or a less than reliable computer. I tried one of these sites with some free tokens and I guess it's possible, but if your computer crashes or your wi-fi goes down, then it's a costly activity. There is no guarantees with the products too, but if they are really cheap they could be worth it. There are tactics, like choosing a time of day when less people are likely to bid and also to watch an item throughout the day to see how many people are bidding for the same item.
I tried to participate in those sites before with their free tokens, but I never paid to bid. Turns out that site was a scam and they don't honor the winning bids, so I never bothered with those kinds of sites again.
The problem is that heaps of people are all bidding, and each bid costs money, so there are lots of people who really want to win a certain thing. Some of those sites are legitimate, as they can afford to give out expensive goods for just "$20". Say each bid cost a user 50 cents to make. If the bidding goes up one cent at a time and reaches $20, 2000 bids have been made, adding up to $1000 for perhaps a $500 iPad. There are heaps of articles out there to help you get started with this if you are aware of the risks and have a bit of spare money.
