Vintage view: Online goods

When competing for an item in an online auction, you can use a bidding service which will place your highest bid in the final seconds of the sale, giving you a much better chance to nab a bargain.

Buying and selling antiques online, outside of a straight purchase from a retailer with an online presence, is generally an auction situation with bidding against all comers. Let’s look at Ebay, the largest of the online auction hosts.

Listing any item involves joining Ebay (free for private individuals) and paying a fee to Ebay for inserting (listing) and selling (final value fees) for each item. It’s free to list items as a private seller if you start the bidding at a price of 5c to €1.49 without a reserve.