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Author Topic: Tired Of Being Snipped on Ebay Jonathan M. Crist Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 531 From: Hershey, PA, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 01-19-2004 04:19 PM                     I admit that I am not a big Ebay user. I probably only bid on couple of items a year - usually only something that I can't get somewhere else. Today I lost an auction on a piece of equipment that I really needed. Nothing major but something I have not been able to come acoss for a long time. For the last ten days and until the last 5 seconds of the auction, I was the only bidder. I would have bid higher if I had the time. The use of these computerized 'auction snipe' programs has soured my taste for Ebay. It is the functional equivlent of the mechanized computer trading which has helped ruin the secruities and mutual fund markets. As of today I am done with Ebay.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-19-2004 05:01 PM                     I've always said Ebay should have a deal where if there is a bid in the last hour of an auction that the auction should continue for another hour. Every subsequent bid that is placed during that "final hour" resets the countdown clock to another 60 minutes. Not only would it increase revenue for Ebay, but to the seller as well. Plus it would make things more fair to bidders. Everybody wins.  |  IP: Logged Aaron Sisemore Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day! Posts: 3061 From: Rockwall TX USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 01-19-2004 05:03 PM                     If the 'sniper' bid more than you were willing to pay, then what's the problem? You would have lost the auction anyways... In my dealings with Ebay I have taken the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em..." attitude with regard to 'sniping' and 'sandbagging', but I 'play fair' and do it manually... I do agree that the automatic bidding/sniping clients take the fun out of it... Too bad you are done with Ebay. Brad: I can see where you are coming from, but I can see the potential for abuse of such a system to artificially inflate the price of an item by 'shills' (which is illegal in many states and prohibited on Ebay) or just incrementally increasing bids by small amounts by 'joke bidders' to effectively allow an auction to go on indefinitely... then Nobody wins. Just my $.02 -Aaron  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 01-19-2004 05:32 PM                     I don't see the problem either. I buy and sell on ebay and when I bid on something I enter the most I am going to pay for it. If someone outbids me, at any time, then it would have been more that I was willing to pay.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 01-19-2004 05:37 PM                    I don't see what the problem is. You (Jonathon) weren't going "by the book" either. You're not supposed to bid in the traditional sense of the word; you're supposed to put down the absolute highest amount you would be willing to pay. If you'd done that you would either have won the item or lost it to someone, whether a human or a bot doesn't matter, who was willing to pay more than you did. If you think about it putting in the amount that represents your true maximum comfort level makes it less likely you will lose your head in a bit a competitive fury as the auction ends. Doing otherwise means you have an expectation that others won't put down their maximum and the auction will end before they change it. I sometimes swoop in at the last minute too as do many/most people but I don't whine about it if I lose.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 01-19-2004 05:43 PM                     Aaron, obviously there would have to be some sort of limit, preferably one randomly set by ebay or by the seller. The reason for my thoughts is that a lot of people don't understand the theory of placing your bid for the highest amount you are willing to pay. Those people lose out as well as the sellers (and ebay). For the people who do read how ebay works, I agree it is a pretty fair way to bid, but quite often people decide at the end that they are willing to pay more. Just a thought. I personally only use ebay maybe once or twice a year.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 01-19-2004 05:59 PM                        If you had entered your initial bid as the maximum amount you were willing to pay, would you have won? It seems like a lot of people still don't understand how the proxy bidding thing works. Assume the reserve is $20, and you're willing to pay up to $100 for the item (though obviously you'd like to pay less). There are no bids -- you are the first bidder. You enter $100, as that's the most you want to pay. The current bid will then show $20. The sniper comes along in the last 5 seconds of the auction and bids $40. He loses, you get the item for $40. If the sniper had bid $150, you're out of the running anyway because you weren't willing to go over $100. Sorry if I'm covering old ground, but it seems like a whole lot of ebayers don't understand proxy bidding.  |  IP: Logged Michael Schaffer "Where is the Boardwalk Hotel?" Posts: 4143 From: Boston, MA Registered: Apr 2002 posted 01-19-2004 06:08 PM                        I only ever bought an item on ebay once, so I am not very familiar with the bidding system either. But I understand that if you enter a bid of, say $150, that doesn`t necessarily mean that you are going to pay that much in the end. As I understand it, ebay bids for you in small steps ($5?) up to that sum. So if the 2nd highest bidder says $70, then you get the item for $75 (or $80 or whatever the increment is). Correct?  |  IP: Logged Chris Hipp Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1462 From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas) Registered: Jul 2003 posted 01-19-2004 06:57 PM                     It usually bids in $.25 incerments if I recall correctly  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 01-19-2004 07:01 PM                    The increment varies with the current price and goes up in stages. But, yes, the winning bidder only pays one increment higher than the 2nd highest bidder's maximum amount.  |  IP: Logged Phil Hill I love my cootie bug Posts: 7595 From: Hollywood, CA USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 01-19-2004 07:08 PM                  I agree with Chris and think he said it best. I always bid the max "I" want to pay for something. If I get it, great...If I don't... eh? So what? I'll live. However, I will admit that I manually snipe. It's all a big game. I have NO sympathy for the whiners. If ya wanted it, ya shudda increased your bid before the we-bitching hour! Been on eBay since 1997 and have bought and sold. I've spent waaay too much $$$ there! And NO Daryl, not on the stuff ***YOU*** think! I actually had some numb-nuts cuss me out in email cuz I outbid him with 2 seconds left. Poor Baby! What an asshole! Him, not me! >>> Phil  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 01-19-2004 07:12 PM                        What, this stuff?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-19-2004 07:18 PM                     I agree totally with Dave S. on this one. You need to bid what you are ewilling to pay fomr something...or what you feel it is worth to you.....perhaps it would still be alot less than a new whatever it is. You can of course also get the bidding software and use it just like the guy that probably stole the bid out from under you does. Infrequent bidding or infrequent use of E-bay deosn't mean a thing....you just need to go in there prepared. Mark @ CLACO  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 01-19-2004 08:24 PM                        I don't see the problem. Ebay does a very good job of explaining the rules in detail, so ignorance of their policies shouldn't be a problem. If you don't like the rules, don't buy stuff on Ebay. "Sniping" may be annoying, but it's perfectly legitimate and is a very common practice (yes I've done it personally, though not in an automated way). Anyone who bids on anything before the final day of the auction is a fool who will almost invariably be outbid (there are lots of fools bidding on stuff on Ebay). That's part of the "game." Again, if you don't like it, then don't play. There are plenty of other ways (often cheaper!) to buy stuff than Ebay.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 01-19-2004 08:42 PM                     Another thing to never do is to bid before the last moment. If you put a bid in...then someone else does...you are effectively bidding against yourself. As the others have said...have the highest amount you will pay in mind...wait until the last minute (if you can) and put that bid in...if it was yours to win, you will if it wasn't it wasn't. I have won just about anything I was really after. Those that I lost I wouldn't have paid as much as the winner would. Seems fair to me. Another nifty feature is the "Buy Now" . Sure it may not be the best price but if you want it and can affor the Buy now price...then there is no mystery or time wasted...you simply point, click pay and receive...just like any on-line shopping. Steve  |  IP: Logged

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