To help manage my bids, as well as keep track of lot closing times, I copy a list of lots and paste them into Excel. I use this list to select lots -- and compare prices -- without begin chained to CB. Over time, the list also helps me estimate an average CB market price for a particular item.

To much Work For Me.I Set My Auto Bid And Forget It.

Then how do you decide your maximum bid for an item?

I check retail (using various online vendors) for an item I am unfamiliar with, decide what I am willing to pay (including shipping), set my auto bid price and check back at the end of the auction. The prices I set are always below retail for boxes and at retail box price for 5 packs that I want to try.

That's my point. Retail prices -- from up-scale smoke shop to local beer stop, from mail order catalog to internet retailer -- can vary widely. And winning bids can vary widely. I think a continous auction -- versus the annual fund raiser for the local high school band -- is setting a market for any particular item based on the average winning bid, over time, for that item. I think I can set a much closer maximum bid by knowing that average rather than the average retail prices. To me it's worth a little extra effort. Beside I'm analytical and playing the spread increases the fun.

I Know What I Want To pay for An Item And Set The Auto Bid At That Price And If I Win I Win.If I Loose I Will Bid on It Next time.No Big Deal.

I Have Hung Around Here A Lond Time I Have A Pretty Good Idea What Things Could Go For.

Thanks for the advice. I'm new to CB and still trying to figure things out...such as why 5-packs close one day and boxes another.