Thread: sniper of red imp

"Personally, I can't wait to see them make this change. If you are in favor of seeing this change made, I encourage you to contact ebay and let them know. I sure have."

I am obviously not going to get into the moral/ethical issues of bidding on Ebay. I fail to see how this change in rules is going to benefit anybody but Ebay, which makes profits on the final price of the items. See, let's say that the rule is changed the way you mentioned. You will still give the sniper one more crack at the item after you counter... If the sniper wants to outbid you, HE/SHE WILL! This change will only give you, and everybody else, a chance to reconsider the price that you are willing to pay for an item. At the end of the day, contrary to what Ebay makes you believe (bid early, the earlier bid takes precedence, etc.), the higher bidder wins. Set the highest limit and you will reduce the chance of being outbid, regardless of when you place the bid. And if you are, again regardless of when you place your bid, you should not feel disappointed because someone wanted to pay more than you did... ;-) it is just the way it is... Every auction works this way, the higher bidder wins. I also do not think that the sniper has more/better chances of buy a cheap item... If even if that were true, isn't that what has made Ebay successful?


Al raz.

I agree to the last post.Only ebay\seller will benefit from such an arrengement.Also, it would be incredebly annoying with a new time limit again and again.I would go crazy! Besides theres plenty of razors to go around, so lets just all get along.
Have a great day everyone!

Originally Posted by Alraz

"Personally, I can't wait to see them make this change. If you are in favor of seeing this change made, I encourage you to contact ebay and let them know. I sure have."

I am obviously not going to get into the moral/ethical issues of bidding on Ebay. I fail to see how this change in rules is going to benefit anybody but Ebay, which makes profits on the final price of the items. See, let's say that the rule is changed the way you mentioned. You will still give the sniper one more crack at the item after you counter... If the sniper wants to outbid you, HE/SHE WILL! This change will only give you, and everybody else, a chance to reconsider the price that you are willing to pay for an item. At the end of the day, contrary to what Ebay makes you believe (bid early, the earlier bid takes precedence, etc.), the higher bidder wins. Set the highest limit and you will reduce the chance of being outbid, regardless of when you place the bid. And if you are, again regardless of when you place your bid, you should not feel disappointed because someone wanted to pay more than you did... ;-) it is just the way it is... Every auction works this way, the higher bidder wins. I also do not think that the sniper has more/better chances of buy a cheap item... If even if that were true, isn't that what has made Ebay successful?


Al raz.

Which is how a real auction is supposed to go: people bid until they are done, not until a timer says they are. THis gives everyone a chance to counter a bid.

Then what it sounds like is that you have a problem with how EBay is run. You don't care for the rules. You want a chance to reconsider your decision, change your mind, whatever. My mind is made up when I bid.

But, hey, stick to your guns. Maybe they will turn things around for you. In the end, my method will still be the same. I bid what I'm willing to pay... period.

Last comment on this issue before I move on, it is entirely up to you to push for a change in rules. I guarantee you that there would be, ABSOLUTELY!, no difference in the outcome of the auctions in the proposed scenario: some will win and some will lose, and the looser/s, just like it is right now, will have to take it in the chin when somebody bids more than they did. Remember, with your rules, you will still be outbid if somebody bids more than you. If you think that you would be happier having that the extra chance to change your mind, it is for you to decide. In the current system, that decision is being made when you set your limit. I think that having a time limit works for the buyers, if anything. Only in the open (English) auctions, the system is as you describe. It is true that this is the most common type but there are other kinds of auctions: Dutch, sealed auction, etc..., and many run with a similar proxy system like Ebay. Something tells me that you are, ultimately, not interested if the items sell for their "real market price" but rather to be able to win some items.

I frankly could not care less what rules are adopted because, for the most part, I do not like Ebay, and consequently, I do not use it very frequently. With your system, even more people will overbid just to win, but again, that is their problem.

Ebay and some sellers, and not the buyers, will be ultimately the winners of such a change.

Al raz.

Originally Posted by FastEdge

Then what it sounds like is that you have a problem with how EBay is run. You don't care for the rules. You want a chance to reconsider your decision, change your mind, whatever. My mind is made up when I bid.

But, hey, stick to your guns. Maybe they will turn things around for you. In the end, my method will still be the same. I bid what I'm willing to pay... period.

Now you're just putting words in my mouth. ALL I am saying is that everyone deserves a chance to counter the latest bid. Period. That's all, and that's how real auctions are run; people bid and counter bid until they are done. Not til a timer runs out. I am saying nothing else besides that, so please don't say I am. thanks!

An auction where the end time is staggered because of a last minute bid, is designed to move as much resources as possible from the bidding public into the hands of the seller, and those who will gain from a percentage of the sale… by encouraging “bidding wars” (divide and concor). For the bidders, possession of the item becomes secondary to the ego trip, bidding foolishly like an addicted gambler at a poker table.
If eBay were to be run like that, there would be no bargains. Bargain hunters make up a large percentage of the eBay buying population… ever heard someone say “pick one up cheap on eBay”... there's a reason it’s a household phrase.

Seriously how many times have you upped your bid after being outbid… Imagine how much more you’d spend if you had more time.
I’ve gotten into the habit of bidding as much as I am willing to pay for an item and no more, whether it’s 5 for a POS or 500 for a POH… and if someone wants to bid more or snipe to kick my butt… then they deserve it (the item that is), I am looking for a bargain.

Just to be sure... Everybody is aware of and uses eBay's "proxy" bidding right? That's where you enter your max bid and eBay automatically goes one increment over the last bid until you've reached your max. Some people may not be aware of that or use it. It only differs from sniping in that your bidding is done immediately until you beat the last bid or hit your max. No one knows what your max bid is unless you lose the auction.

Same thing in a real auction. You never know if one more bid will get it because you don't know how far the other guy is willing to go.

Every single piece of advice to buyers new to auctions is "objectively decide how much you're willing to pay for an item before bidding on it and never exceed that once the bidding starts". This is because the only reason you've raised your previous max is that you've become emotionally involved in the bidding -- not good. Very similar to impulse buying. Car salesman prey on this all the time "This price is only good if you buy it right now"...

My feeling is that sniping and eBay's proxy bidding (to a lesser extent) only encourage wise auction practices for buyers. Since eBay's money comes from the seller's side it makes sense to do away with this in order to part the irrational buyer from more of their money.

That's my view.

-- now if I was in eBay PR I'd do away with that and come out with "We felt that it detracted from the 'fun and excitement' of purchasing items through eBay auctions and thought that doing away with it would provide a more enjoyable experience for our customers". (haha, then they'd be in the business of selling entertainment much like the casino house games that you statistically can't win).

One could ague that sniping is “just as fair as bidding”… and before is get stoned for that statement let me explain.

If you are “outbid” by a sniper, it only means he is willing (and probably able) to pay more for that item than you are… he’s just biding at a different time..
When I get ****ed after being sniped I ask myself this, if I really believed the item was worth more than my max, than why didn’t I set it higher?...
… the answer is simple… I didn’t think it was worth more (Damn!!! It was worth more than that?), OR, normally the item is worth more than I can afford, so I set the max I could afford, and “hope” it remains under the radar and I snag the bargain, OR, ….
I’m sure most of us can relate so no need to go on.

You’ve been sniped? Don’t worry, be happy… “Money still in your pocket is better than buyer’s remorse”.