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How to Bid and Buy at eBay Live Auctions

I'm collaborating with eBay on a series of articles written to help introduce their new live auctions-- auctions that take place simultaneously online via eBay and live on the bidding floors at a number of America's most established auction houses. There are many similarities between bidding online via eBay and bidding live at a bricks & mortar auction house. These articles talk about those similarities and about how to bid and buy effectively and in an informed manner, no matter where the live auction is being held or what the specific circumstances are. This is the first in that series....

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Buying at eBay live auctions is not all that different from buying at bricks and mortar auctions. In fact, it's more like buying at bricks and mortar auctions than at regular eBay auctions. Just like any auction, you sign up to bid and once sign-up is completed, you're good to go. But understanding how eBay Live Auctions are different from standard eBay auctions is essential to your success.

Perhaps the most significant difference between the two is that in live auctions each item is only on sale for a period of two minutes, so you have to pay close attention to the bidding at all times, and be prepared to bid up to your maximum amount within that two-minute period. Another difference is that bids can only be made in specific increments, those increments determined by the auction house where the sale is taking place. All bricks and mortar auctions...

To read the entire article, written as part of my collaboration with eBay, go here .