How I bought 2 microwaves, 2 bins and 3 fans by mistake and answers to Septmber HPUD Guessing Contest
A while ago I was experimenting with an online bidding website that specialises in trade and bulk auctions. One of the auctioneer dealt with returned goods from John Lewis, a major quality department store in UK. I needed a new microwave and figured I might pick up a good bargain there.
The problem with these auction sites, is you don't get a lot of information on the goods and its condition. There was one lot that said microwave, fan and bin (trash can), and a couple photos of the boxes. I checked the microwave, it retail for £99, and I figured I could sell the bin and fan to potentially make a bit of money. So I put in a bid for £20 and the waited for the site to auto bid for me. I got an instant message to say they auto bid at £15 for me, then a few moments later, it said my £20 was outbidded. So I upped my bid to £22. Then the auction closed, and I got no more messages. I figured I had lost the bid. So I found another lot with the same microwave, it also included a bin and two fans. This time I put in a bid of £21 and waited. Again no confirmation on the outcome of my bid. Oh well, was fun, but I decided to give up. A few mintues later, I checked my account on the auction site, and realised I had won both lots!!!! Woops! Now I have two microwaves, two bins and three fans.
A few days later my goods arrived, 4 big boxes!!! All together, including auction fees and delivery, this cost me about £130. I checked the price of the items at new, and I think they are worth around £350. Maybe I might make a bit of profit here.... 🤑 💰 🤑
Here's my microwave, and it's quite a nice one. I got two identical ones. There was nothing wrong with either of them and they came in their original packinging and box. I sold one to my sister for £30 👍 and probably could have sold it for for a bit more, but what's a bit of money between sisters 😀
This is Fan #1 and is worth £55 brand new. I put it on Facebook and sold it for £20. 👍
This is Fan #2 . I think it's worth around £40 brand new and my sister in law said she wanted it. When I tested it, it didn't work even though there was a little sticker saying the auctioneer had tested it!!! Bum!!! And that's the risk with buying in these type of auction. This one is a write off 👎
This is Fan #3, a basic fan that cost £15. Unfortunately my sister in law wasn't interested it this, so I'm keeping it for myself. I've used it a few times this week as we got a rare bout of heatwave. In UK we're very lucky if we can use the fan for more than a week each year 👍
I got two bins. Bin #1 cost around £35 brand new, but the latch in the front of this doesn't work and the lid will bounce back up. It's an easy hack fix, I can slip something, like a bit of cardboard or sponge to prop it back up so it catches the lid. However I don't think anyone will buy something with a hack fix. I'll have use it myself to store whatever that doesn't need a tight lid, like a laundry basket 👍
Bin #2 was gross!!! I mean look at it, the lid is broken and it's obvious that the bin has been used a lot because it's filthy. It's even got stains outside. What kind of person would return a dirty used bin to the store!!! Honestly some people have no decency and morals at all.
Other than the bin being in such a gross condition, it's actually quite a nice sturdy bin, and the colour is nice. I won't be able to sell it, but I could repurpose it as a planter. I think it's perfect for my eculyptus tree.
Overall I got my cost down from £130 to £80, and for that I got a new microwave, a fan, a planter and and laundry basket. Not bad for a bit of experiment.
Answer to September HPUD Guessing Contest
This month I had lots of nice active engagement and entries to my HPUD Guessing Contest. There were 35 participants in total, with 15 winners, of which 14 powered up . What a great result, especially seeing so many people powering up. Congrats to all the winners below, your share of 20 HBD and your bonus for powering up will be with your later on. It might take me a while as I have to do them all manually. If you don't see it in your wallet in a few days time, please do let me know as sometimes I forget 😅
| Name | HPUD Answer | Power up ? |
|---|---|---|
| @cetb2008 | 9 | - |
| @bereal47 | 9 | - |
| @tahastories1 | 10 | - |
| @gems.and.cookies | 10 | - |
| @micheal87 | 10 | - |
| @trangbaby | 10 | - |
| @wongi | 11 | - |
| @wittyzell | 11 | - |
| @happy411 | 11 | - |
| @blitzzzz | 11 | - |
| @itravelrox | 11 | - |
| @soyunasantacruz | 11 | - |
| @emeka4 | 11 | - |
| @coquicoin | 11 | - |
| @nkemakonam89 | 11 | - |
| @coolmidwestguy | 12 | yes |
| @littlebee4 | 12 | yes |
| @mipiano | 12 | yes |
| @leaky20 | 12 | yes |
| @momogrow | 12 | yes |
| @ph1102 | 12 | yes |
| @libertycrypto27 | 12 | yes |
| @ladymisa | 12 | no |
| @pravesh0 | 12 | yes |
| @jhymi | 12 | yes |
| @incublus | 12 | yes |
| @pinkchic | 12 | yes |
| @jenthoughts | 12 | yes |
| @selflessgem | 12 | yes |
| @hoosie | 12 | yes |
| @ninahaskin | 13 | - |
| @stevenwood | 13 | - |
| @tengolotodo | 13 | - |
| @phortun | 13 | - |
| @grindle | 15 | - |
Thanks for everyone who took part this month, and I look forward to you in the Occtober HPUD Guessing Contest. I have something in mind already!
Posted Using LeoFinance Alpha
What a shame I lost by one, and I was so sure of the answer, I felt like a winner because I told it many times, nothing is certain in life and in auctions hehehe
Congratulations to all the winners.
Thanks @livinguktaiwan for the fun
so very true, you never know I could have made a killing with my auction goods if I could have sold them all
Woot woot - I managed to count correctly for a change ! Many thanks in advance !
Interesting experiment with the auction ! I did that with some music equipment years ago. It was an auction house getting rid of accessories (guitar cables, etc) from a music wholesaler that had gone bust. Like you said, the descriptions were not great. I thought I'd gotten a good price at the time, but some of the stuff was really poor quality. Lesson learned and I never did it again !
I saw a lot of other items on the auction site, like sofas and dining chairs, and garden table sets selling on behalf of John Lewis, Dunelm etc. Many lots had no bids on them, so I probably could have got a very good deal with those. Sadly I had already bought a lot of stuff for my new home otherwise I reckon I could have saved tonnes of money.
What a good buy, the fan that does not turn on that should be something simple to solve, because it is practically new.congratulations to all the winners, see you in the next contest, thanks for the opportunity to participate, greetings.
I think so to. It's just so odd that they checked it and said it's working. Sadly these items cannot be returned. Maybe I shall give it away and someone can repair it so it doesn't go to waste
Yes, and it should not be expensive to repair
I can with you on this, i have similar experience. It is just that the way we bit for the goods wasn't online like yours. And highest bidding usually get the product.
you are lucky that you products you bought are fine, i can see through the images of them. Unless it has a mechanical issues i'm not sure, i do hope you have put them all into use.
As I mentioned apart from the one fan most can be used or repuposed, so all is not lost
Glad, it turns out that way.
That is pretty cool. I have often wondered how some of those auction sites work. It sounds like you just need to be careful and ready to be flexible with whatever you end up getting.
I just wish I found out about this site a few months ago, they have so many things I could have bought at a fraction of the price
You got good deals indeed...
Not bad, at least not all is lost. The main thing is I got my microwave and some bits and pieces thrown in
Wow, you got that lots? And then you sold them and got a better payment. The fact that you sold it to your sister at a higher price is unbelievably perfect. I can't stop giggling at that.
I sold the microwave to me sister for £30, which is pretty cheap, sibling price. If I sold it on facebook, I could have charged more
Haha... that's right though.
When I saw notification that you mentioned me I was like awwwww! Hurrrah I won. But when I came and saw the game was different. I lost by 2. Well, congratulations to all of them who participated.
better luck next time
Woohhoooo awesome, I guessed correct 🎉🎉🥳🥳
Great to see so many good guesses! Congrats to all winners.
Oh my… hahaha that’s a surprise. But you did well. Good you could sell some or use it in a different way.
Have a fantastic new week 👋🏻😊
!PIZZA
Congrats Jackie!! It's always great to see so many winners and nearly everyone powering up as well
Thanks Pauline 😊
It sure is… wonderful moments.
Good evening!
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@pravesh0(1/5) tipped @livinguktaiwan
littlebee4 tipped livinguktaiwan
Sorry that all items didnot turn out as expected but you fared well in the end - considering it's an experiment.
Thank you - it's the first time that I am winning the HPUD contest - thank you.
Congrats @momogrow.
It was a fun experience
Some people are trading crypto tokens and you are trading trash bins and microwaves! In these hard times in crypto, I would say that your business is doing better! 😂
Woohoo! Happy that I didn't fall on your trick that there are more sticks hiding... 😜
See you soon! 😃
ha ha!! you know what they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure ^_^
Can't wait!!!
I have never tried to experiment with bidding, who knows how many microwaves I would buy 😂
Maybe 12, as the answer was for the sweets :))
Yay, 15 us guessed well 🤓
The Fantastic Fifteen!!!!
Probably not microwaves, maybe pianos? ^_^
I would not complain then :D
That's a lot of winners, isn't it? 😁
Congrats!
but of course, if you don't receive a response from a higher offer, you have won.... And now? Are you going to have an auction? Kidding.
No 😵/
I have to confess I hadn't read this part, and I had to laugh.
I think that after this experience, the bids are closed for you... 😅 A flower pot, great, put something nice in it to erase the bad experience.
Oh I think you made a very good purchase despite the disappointment with one of the fans and the bin. You've got lots to enjoy as well. I've never tried an auction site before but this certainly looks interesting.
It was a pleasure participating in the game. Lots of love to you.
I think auctioning is a bit like gambling, you never know what you end up winning, so you really need to be prepared to lose all the money
Wow! Congrats for a good purchase of two ovens and the two fan but sadly the other fan didn't work. Yes that's the risk of buying in auction or online because you cannot personally check it. About the bins, oh no! The previous owner just returned it without even cleaning it first? So bad.
Atleast you had new experience and some good buy too.
Yey! I won again. Congrats to all the winners. Thank you @livinguktaiwan for this contest.
well done @jenthoughts, let see if you can continue the streak next month.
Yes, that bin... it was horrible, I don't know how people can do that
I just hope so. Thanks
You might have discovered a little gold mine in those auctions, who knows what you can snatch in the future! :) Good luck!
I think some people do quite well out of them, it's all about experience and selecting a good lot which is resellable
Indeed, resselling is an art!
I guess you know for next time to wait for a little bit to learn the results of the auction. Strange that they don't tell you right away lol. You made it work though so that's good. 👌
Winner winner,whoop whoop!
You're on the roll with the HPUD Guessing Contest!!
Luckily the double bid didn't turn out too bad, could have easily made a bigger loss 😣
Finally, for the very first time guessed it right! Yey! Heheh. I wish to join for more guessing games every HPUD. Have a nice time!
Congrats @pinkchic
I've never been involved with an online auction. I guess you really don't know if your getting a working item. Hey I think you did well by re-cooping and having something for yourself 😊 You trying to resell reminded me of an ex coworker who would go to garage sales and pick up old dishes than re-sell them on eBay. She would find some vintage finds sometimes and did quite well with it.
Woohoo I guessed right. I thought of them being sold in packages of 12. I almost second guessed myself thinking you may have had one, hehe. Take care now.
Sounds like your ex coworker really knows her stuff. I hear there are good bargains to be found at garage sales sometimes.
There's someone on Hive based in the States, who picks up stuff and repairs or repurpose them and sells them at a profit. I recall he made quite a bit on some items.
I've picked up somethings from them but my problem is I keep them, especially if it's fishing equipment 🤣
God I've been away from the UK too long. Every time I read 'bin', my brain translates to 'trash can'. Ugh.
That's so great though! I might try it when I get back cuz I feel I'll be automatically skint upon arrival lol
You coming back at last??!!!
It's really a good way to kit up a new home if you're not too fussy about things being spanky new and perfect. I'm gutted I didn't find out about the website earlier
Well no progress beyond before, but every step is being made to transition, the fiance got a couple of job offers already, savings accrued, pets vaccinated and passported... Credit score is up to 515, apparently which might even be considered normal?? Never had credit so I'm not 100% sure. And I told my job this is at most my final year, but expect me to be gone halfway through contract.
It's getting there!
So? Are you sharing the auction website then !!!
Please
You gonna try it out? Look at the bargains you can get 😁
Let me know how it goes if you do, can't wait to hear
https://www.i-bidder.com/en-gb
I shall investigate further when I am back home, every home needs one of these !
Hey, Pauline, good day! 🤗
Am I the only one who never bought anything in the auction (both offline and online)? LOL
That bin was a great choice for your Eucalyptus, suits it well.
I almost went for 13 and thought I missed one hidden underneath, good thing I didn't...hehe
!LUV
!PIZZA
@livinguktaiwan, @pravesh0(6/10) sent LUV. | connect | community | HiveWiki | NFT | <>< daily
! help(no space) to get help on Hive. InfoI'm sure many people don't buy from auctions, so don't feel left out!!!
Great guess and congrats on winning!!
Wooo! I'm so happy I won this month haha. I hope I get lucky like this every month. I think you shopped well and did a good job of getting rid of the excess at a good price.
By the way, what happened to the depressed repairman? When will he come to your house XD
Yup, you did it at last!!!
More excuses from the guy this week, I'm going to give him till Friday then will cut him loose
That's a clear-cut 220$ profit and it's huge. are you going to resell these items or keep it at home. I am talking about the extra items like the other microwave owen.
If you bothered to read the rest of my post you would have known what happened.
I have a big sweet tooth for candy and chocolate and I'm glad I won :)
I've never participated in an auction and I'm sorry that you found defective or broken items but I still think you made a good purchase in the end and congratulations on your inventiveness in using the broken bin as a pot for your beautiful plant.
!LUV
@livinguktaiwan, @libertycrypto27(1/10) sent LUV. | connect | community | HiveWiki | NFT | <>< daily
! help(no space) to get help on Hive. InfoThanks. It would be a pity to throw things away so if there's a way for alternate use that's best. Luckily I found a way
Too bad I didn't guess the correct answer and missed one. Haha, but it was fun. Congrats to all the winners. OMG, the bin. And why would he return a used bin? It feels like he has the same old bin at home and bought a new one. Then he keeps the new bin and returns the old bin. Deymn.
Congrats to the winners of this HPUD guessing contest and congrats to you Pauline on your successful "trade" or what shall we call it :) Buying stuff in these auctions and then selling it with profit sounds really cool. Are you going to try it again?