Disclaimer: This post reflects my personal experiences with eBay auctions. I am not sponsored by eBay or any other entity, and this is not financial advice. Always do your own research before bidding on sports cards.

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Introduction

After casually browsing on eBay for a while, I finally decided to jump into the world of sports card auctions. It was an exciting, frustrating, and ultimately rewarding experience that taught me a lot about how eBay auctions work.

I lost a few auctions before finally winning my first one, a Paige Bueckers 2023 Bowman U Chrome PSA 10 for $61 ($65.51 after shipping). Looking back, I now understand more about what works, what doesn’t, and how to improve my strategy for future bids. In this post, I’ll break down my experience and share key lessons I learned along the way.

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Understanding eBay Auctions: What I Learned the Hard Way

One of the biggest surprises for me was how the bidding system actually works. I had assumed that eBay auctions functioned like traditional ones—where the timer resets when someone places a last-second bid. I quickly learned that this is not the case.

Instead, once the clock hits zero, the highest bid at that exact moment wins. There are no time extensions, and if you’re not prepared with your final bid when the clock runs out, you’ll lose. This led to some frustrating losses early on, but it also helped me refine my approach.

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How I Won My First Auction

After a few losses, I adjusted my strategy and finally won an auction for a Paige Bueckers 2023 Bowman U Chrome PSA 10. Here’s how I did it:

• I determined my max bid in advance. Based on recent comps, I decided I was comfortable going up to around $65, so I set my actual max bid slightly higher at $66.27 (which gave me an edge over people bidding in even dollar amounts).
• I waited until the last three seconds to place my bid. By holding off until the very end, I hoped to avoid a bidding war and unnecessary price increases
• Even though I had set my max bid at $66.27, the final price I ended up paying was $61, so I didn’t actually need to go that high (importantly though, even if you set your max bid higher than it needs to be, you only pay up until what is needed to beat the second highest bid).

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Lessons Learned & Key Takeaways

1. Losing a Few Auctions Is Normal

If you’re new to eBay auctions, expect to lose your first few bids. It takes a few tries to fully grasp the timing and strategy needed to win.

2. Know Your Max Bid in Advance

If you bid too emotionally, you might overpay in the heat of the moment. Before bidding, I checked recent sales of similar cards and set a number I was comfortable with. This helped me avoid spending more than I wanted.

3. Don’t Rely on the Timer Resetting

Unlike traditional auctions, eBay’s timer does not extend when a last-second bid is placed. If you wait too long or hesitate, you’ll lose. The key is to place your best bid with just a few seconds remaining.

4. Odd Increments Can Give You an Edge

Many people bid in whole dollar amounts (e.g., $65.00), so adding a few cents to your max bid (like I did with $66.27) can give you the edge over someone who stops at an even number.

5. Auctions Work Best for Cards That Sell Frequently

If you are bidding on cards that sell fairly often, you can just keep bidding until you win at a fair price. However, there is also more data and price comps to go off of, so cards that sell often will typically sell in a tighter price range.

If you are bidding on a rare card that does not pop up often, though, you never know when the next time it will come up for sale, so be prepared with your best offer to secure it.

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Final Thoughts: Will I Keep Bidding on eBay?

Absolutely! eBay auctions are fun, competitive, and a great way to get cards at market value (or sometimes below). I wouldn’t pay full price for a fixed listing unless it was a card I really wanted, but I’d definitely use auctions to find good deals.

For this particular auction, I also decided to ship the card directly to my PSA Vault, which is something I’ll cover in a future post once I see how smoothly the process goes.

Overall, my first eBay auction experience was a great learning opportunity, and I’m excited to refine my bidding strategy moving forward.

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What Do You Think?

Have you had success with eBay card auctions? What strategies have worked best for you? Drop a comment and let me know—I’d love to compare experiences!