Ebay auction Sniping Software

[defiance]

I was outbid by a few cents because (and I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was something like-) I'd bid max of $700, the bid was in the high 600's, but since it wasn't up to 700 yet, they bid 700.03 or something.  If the CURRENT BID had been $700, they'd have had to bid $710 (I think the increment was $10, not 100% sure.

And it IS true.  Go to ebay, right now, and try to enter a bid $0.01 higher than the current bid on ANY item, and it won't let you.

For example, first item I brought up on ebay.  some kinda excercise junk.  The current bid is $4.10  Since the increment is $0.25, the minimum someone is allowed to bid is $4.35.

Directly from the bid thingy on ebay:

"  Ready to bid?

Exercise Fitness RESISTANCE BAND Pilates Yoga Aerobics 
Item title:  Exercise Fitness RESISTANCE BAND Pilates Yoga Aerobics
Current bid:  US $4.10
Your maximum bid: US $
    (Enter US $4.35  or more)




Having said that, you can bid $4.35, $4.36, $4.37, etc.,etc.  If the current bidder's max is $4.50 (a good guess), I can outbid him by $0.01 by bidding $4.51, even though the difference is less than $0.25, but there is NO POSSIBLE WAY I can increase the bid by less than $0.25.

Furthermore, the minimum increment scales depending on the bids.  For something under $5.00, it's a quarter.  For another $40.00 item, it's a dollar.  For a $500 item, it's like $10 or something.


That's why it's a bad idea to bid even numbers, then $0.01 sniper punks can outbid you by one cent.  Always bid off-key - for example if you're willing to pay around $700 for something, bid like $708.39 or some crap - nobody's going to guess that, so if they want to outbid you at 1 second less, they have to make significant jumps


Check your stuff before telling me something is "absolutely not true".  This is fact, and easily confirmable just by pulling up ebay and looking at any auction that pops up.



As for bidding what you're willing to pay, that's fine and dandy, but as I've pointed out before, my complaint is that sniping makes it so you usually have to wait until an auction is completely over before you get outbid.


Sniping services are redundant, but people want the best of both worlds - the possibility of getting a sniped deal (where the bidding would have gone higher if it hadn't been sniped), but without having to get on their computer at 3:24 AM



Also, I agree that the spiraling price wouldn't happen, that's my *point* - because of the minimum increment, the only way an auction could be extended by much is if the price was spiraling.

[hemigeno]

Check your stuff before telling me something is "absolutely not true".  This is fact, and easily confirmable just by pulling up ebay and looking at any auction that pops up.

No, you are right - and I am wrong about that.

Sorry, didn't mean to offend, but I still do NOT see any redeeming value to any changes to eBay's bidding system.  All it can do is prolong the agony and/or incite a bidding war.  Like I said before, the only people who would benefit from that is the sellers.

[defiance]

I know you feel that way, I'm just saying I disagree; since I'm usually bidding on things I only need one of (thus I can't bid on multiples), it's often very time consuming for me to bid on that stuff, whereas if sniping were eliminated, I'd be getting outbid faster (if i were going to get outbid).

I realize that most people's priorities and desires are different than mine, and as such, this would never happen.  I'm just saying, *I'd* like it

If only I could bend reality to my whim...

Also, sorry; bored, waiting on some ebay auctions to finish up, so just passing the time on message boards ... 

[hemigeno]

As for bidding what you're willing to pay, that's fine and dandy, but as I've pointed out before, my complaint is that sniping makes it so you usually have to wait until an auction is completely over before you get outbid.

Only in the event that someone outbids you at the last second.  If that is the case, and if your maximum bid was truly your maximum bid, the outcome would be the same.  Oh, and their last-second maximum bid might be MUCH higher than what the auction ends at anyway.

Once again, no matter what the timing of a bid is, the highest bid wins at the end of the auction.  I've fallen into the trap before of believing that because the bidding has settled down on an item, my high bid will win - only to be beaten at the wire (partly due to the fact that I didn't get DSL at the office here until right about then).  That's what prompted me to get sniping software in the first place more than two years ago.

My time is worth something, so I would rather not be wasting it hitting the refresh button on eBay if I don't have to (did that for the first two years of my parts searching with only moderate success, and I missed some primo parts because I didn't have time to camp out at the PC).  My guess is that if you dropped the $25 to get one of the sniping programs you'd be singing a whole different tune.  I also guess that the software has paid for itself many, many times over during the past 2 years I've used it - and all because I throw only one bid in at a time, it just happens to be at the last second.  Anyone else can still beat me with a maximum price higher than mine - they just have to be willing to plan for that possibility.

[Steve P.]

If ebay wants to end SNIPING, they should make it like a live, (HUMAN) auction. If people are bidding at the end of the time limit it should extend the time.    Then it would be real.

I snipe and all I have to do is put in the item number and my top proxy bid. It does the rest. I can tell you that I don't win aLLLLLLLLOT of auctions as I will not pay an arm or leg for something worth a toe.. I would just as soon give them a finger .