The ones that got away.

[BadEnoughDude]

Figured I'd start a thread about this. My guess is that almost everyone here has at least one story about something they found but didn't buy. At the time it seemed like a good reason, but looking back you just keep kicking yourself.

The most obvious one for me was about 3 years ago. I stopped at a pawn shop in Alexandria, MN for the first time one day after work. They had a great selection, and I went on to make numerous purchases there before it closed. That first time I stopped I was browsing though the PS1 games and came across an Enix RPG that I wasn't familiar with. It was close to $40 and I was pretty strapped for cash at the time, not to mention $40 for a game that I had never seen for sale anywhere else seemed a little steep. Yeah, it was Valkyrie Profile. By the time I figured out what I had passed on it was long gone. I like to blame it on the fact that I know next to nothing about what PS1 games are worth, but VP is a big-time exception. I still don't have that dang game.

[NES_Rules]

I found an SNES with all hookups and 3 controllers with around 10 games for $15 at the flea market.  I looked through the games and they were all common ones that I had, so I offered $5 and she didn't take it, so I passed.  I got to the end of the aisle and realized I should have bought it, so I went back and of course it was gone.  I did end up seeing it on another vendor's table the following week, only it wasn't $15. 

[BadEnoughDude]

I found an SNES with all hookups and 3 controllers with around 10 games for $15 at the flea market.  I looked through the games and they were all common ones that I had, so I offered $5 and she didn't take it, so I passed.  I got to the end of the aisle and realized I should have bought it, so I went back and of course it was gone.  I did end up seeing it on another vendor's table the following week, only it wasn't $15. 

I just passed up a model 1 SNES deck at a pawn shop for $20. Not the greatest deal, but I didn't even bother to make an offer on it. I went back a couple of days later to pick it up, but it was already gone. Not a huge deal though, as I see them for around this price quite often.

[Grim Fandango]

I think I missed Nascar Racing 2003 at a Goodwill. Guy got there about a step in front of me as it was in a section that I unwittingly skipped, after finding the original TMNT, Tetris and Street Fighter II Turbo for pc.

Didn't know how much it was worth at the time; I was just gonna pick it up cause I wanted a racing game haha.

[Ghost Soldier]

I passed on 30 CIB Sega Master System games.  The store would have let me have them for .99 each.  I didn't collect SMS at the time and passed.  Years later I'm still kicking myself.

[BadEnoughDude]

I passed on 30 CIB Sega Master System games.  The store would have let me have them for .99 each.  I didn't collect SMS at the time and passed.  Years later I'm still kicking myself.

Ouuuuccchhhhh.

[NES_Rules]

I passed on 30 CIB Sega Master System games.  The store would have let me have them for .99 each.  I didn't collect SMS at the time and passed.  Years later I'm still kicking myself.

I almost made a very similar mistake, I found 13 CIB SMS games at Goodwill for $2 each.  I didn't have a SMS (still don't either) so I wasn't going to get them, but I just bought them all anyway. 

[TurboGrafxer AKA DCer]

i keep kicking my ass on the ebay listings for a turbo duo. everytime i think im gonna win it some bastard outbids me at the last 2 seconds. aarrgghh. thats something that keeps getting away.

[BadEnoughDude]

i keep kicking my ass on the ebay listings for a turbo duo. everytime i think im gonna win it some bastard outbids me at the last 2 seconds. aarrgghh. thats something that keeps getting away.

I was looking to pick up a Turbo Duo a couple of years ago and that kept happening to me. I gave up, and they skyrocketed in price. That's usually how it goes though.

[Grim Fandango]

i keep kicking my ass on the ebay listings for a turbo duo. everytime i think im gonna win it some bastard outbids me at the last 2 seconds. aarrgghh. thats something that keeps getting away.

same thing happened to me, but on a smaller scale with a Tengen Tetris. Would have gotten it for a steal, i refreshed with 2 seconds left I got a little bit too excited. Refreshed again only to have my spirits crushed and lost by about 33 cents. I would have gotten over it (even tho the guy obviously used a snipe program, he wanted the game more than I did) but the winner sends me Message about how he won because I was "too slow."

He linked me to another auction, but this still seems in poor form to me.

[BadEnoughDude]

i keep kicking my ass on the ebay listings for a turbo duo. everytime i think im gonna win it some bastard outbids me at the last 2 seconds. aarrgghh. thats something that keeps getting away.

same thing happened to me, but on a smaller scale with a Tengen Tetris. Would have gotten it for a steal, i refreshed with 2 seconds left I got a little bit too excited. Refreshed again only to have my spirits crushed and lost by about 33 cents. I would have gotten over it (even tho the guy obviously used a snipe program, he wanted the game more than I did) but the winner sends me Message about how he won because I was "too slow."

He linked me to another auction, but this still seems in poor form to me.

wow. that's tough. i have never received anything like that.. i have received offers to buy things i had recently won, but never a email like that.

[Tan]

I freely admit I snipe all the time. Dog eat dog I figure on eBay. I don't need any lame-ass sniping apps to do it either. I pay $35 a month for 5.0 mbit broadband and I get my money's worth out if it. I don't see it any differently than employees getting first dibs, people sniping at flea markets when the sellers are unloading etc. I can either complain about it or do it and benefit by it. Dog eat dog. Sometimes I'll bid by only 1 cent early on so my name is in the bid list and it looks like I've been bidding all along. That makes the highest bidder relax their guard a bit having outbid me for a few days then BAM, my max bid with 2 seconds left. 

Sure it makes me a prick but I don't lose any sleep over saving big bucks and pissing off joe1256 from 8000 miles away. Help an old lady across the street and bail out a friend in need, then karma is balanced.  I expect other collectors to do the same and most do whether they admit it or not. That's why we post cool auctions after we win, not during. 

On eBay you can either be a Wolf or a Sheep, and that goes for both buyers and sellers. That's why so many people hate it yet are hopelessly drawn to it.

[Grim Fandango]

Sure, the sniping itself is fine I guess; that I can get over. I just didn't appreciate the gloating email.

[Tynstar]

Tan is an asshole.

[Izret101]

When there is 2-3 seconds left i open my second tab and put my bid thru on the first second.
Sometimes if i want it really really bad and i am worried i didn't put enough up i leave a 3rd tab open with an even higher bid.
Just in case

Like he said.
Dog eat dog.
I am at least decent enough not to compete with anyone on the site in such an evil manner. Yet >:-)