Ebay Fixing Sniping Problem?

bronzemat · January 28, 2014 12:51PM

I've been bidding on some action figures I need & some coins and all the times tonight ebay is no longer showing the pop-up window to confirm your bid, now it takes you to another page to confirm the bid.

I use snipe programs sometimes but I also have better experience sniping the last 1-3 seconds using the pop-up window & countdown on IT to confirm bid & win.

Anyone else seeing this feature?

3keepSECRETif2rDEAD · January 28, 2014 12:54PM

...as long as I can breath...I can snipe....they will never stop me

Erik

Edit: what kind of AF? MOC/MISB or loose?

rec78 · January 28, 2014 2:23PM

I do not see sniping as a problem. It is just part of the game.

I use a snipe program also. I just missed an auction yesterday that I was planning on bidding on in the last few seconds, but I forgot about it and did not put a bid in the program. DUH!!

Bob

bronzemat · January 28, 2014 2:26PM

<< .

Edit: what kind of AF? MOC/MISB or loose? >>

Just Marvel figures, sometimes loose & sometimes MOC. Depends on the figure.

braddick · January 28, 2014 2:27PM

I also agree sniping is not a problem and if anything, eBay encourages it and sellers should embrace it.

bronzemat · January 28, 2014 2:29PM

<< I also agree sniping is not a problem and if anything, eBay encourages it and sellers should embrace it. >>

I never found it to be a problem, I was only asking if anyone noticed that the little pop up window when you confirm the bid is gone, it takes you to a whole page now with no countdown timer.

That comes across as a way to bypass sniping when doing it manually.

lostincoins · January 28, 2014 2:34PM

If you hit your back browser button you can do the one click bids like normal.

3keepSECRETif2rDEAD · January 28, 2014 2:40PM

...I just got done doing what I do via iPad (eBay app; always making sure to keep it updated) and nothing has changed...I still got the same great feeling of "oooooohhh, I can feel the other guy who got outbid with half a second left...freaking out while trying to press random buttons and spilling his drink all over his keyboard" that I have always gotten since I joined eBay

Like Alec Baldwin said in Glengarry Glen Ross..."A loser is a loser!"

Erik

braddick · January 28, 2014 2:47PM

First place: Cadillac.

Second place: Steak knives.

Third place: You're fired!

CoinJunkie · January 28, 2014 2:53PM

A.B.S.

(Always Be Sniping)

Justlooking · January 28, 2014 3:34PM

Get a clock with a second hand. It's more fun that way anyway!

You know what it takes to snipe ... (hint: they're made out of brass).

pitboss · January 28, 2014 9:50PM

I would like to see them add an additional 10 seconds to the clock when a bid id made to make it like a real auction so the buyer has a chance to win and a seller has a chance to make a little bit of money.

I am tired of getting robbed on ebay.

ricko · January 28, 2014 10:10PM

When I did frequent ebay - long time ago - I loved sniping... getting the winning bid in with one second to spare (my personal best) was quite a rush....

Cheers, RickO

lostincoins · January 28, 2014 10:15PM

Some of the auction sites I use for other things than coins add 5 min to the clock for final bids. When they changed to that format revenue went up. With a very fast internet connection you can take advantage of slower systems with the one click bid.

pocketpiececommems · January 28, 2014 10:44PM

I don't understand the adding 10 sec for every bid at the end of a auction. If you put a proxy bid in you bid what you thought would win. If I put in a snipe and win how did you get robbed? If my snipe was lower than your proxy would that add 10 sec to the auction?

Alltheabove76 · January 28, 2014 10:53PM

<< I would like to see them add an additional 10 seconds to the clock when a bid id made to make it like a real auction so the buyer has a chance to win and a seller has a chance to make a little bit of money.

I am tired of getting robbed on ebay. >>

I agree so much.

Alltheabove76 · January 28, 2014 10:56PM

<< I don't understand the adding 10 sec for every bid at the end of a auction. If you put a proxy bid in you bid what you thought would win. If I put in a snipe and win how did you get robbed? If my snipe was lower than your proxy would that add 10 sec to the auction? >>

Because of the competitive nature of people. You would get more bids if there are two people who want an item and are duking it out in the final seconds.

brg5658 · January 28, 2014 11:04PM

<< 

<< I don't understand the adding 10 sec for every bid at the end of a auction. If you put a proxy bid in you bid what you thought would win. If I put in a snipe and win how did you get robbed? If my snipe was lower than your proxy would that add 10 sec to the auction? >>

Because of the competitive nature of people. You would get more bids if there are two people who want an item and are duking it out in the final seconds. >>

Regardless of the time when it is submitted, if my bid is > than your bid, then I win. Simple enough. If you don't want to lose then bid more. Given that bids auto-increment to the next level, even if you put in a bid a week ago, if it is higher than my snipe you still win. It isn't rocket science.

BillJones · January 28, 2014 11:20PM

It is very aggravating to lose a lot by $1 when you have bid thousands. Life is too short to spend it aggravated. Sniping is one of many reasons why I have nothing to do with eBay. You fellows can enjoy it.

DeepCoin · January 29, 2014 12:38AM

I think eBay should add 5 minutes to any auction that has a bid in the last minute. That would make it more like a "real" auction and BTW increase revenue for them.

brg5658 · January 29, 2014 12:46AM

<< It is very aggravating to lose a lot by $1 when you have bid thousands. Life is too short to spend it aggravated. Sniping is one of many reasons why I have nothing to do with eBay. You fellows can enjoy it. >>

You may lose by only a few dollars, but you have no idea what the TOP bid was of the person to whom you lost. If you bid the maximum you are willing to spend, then I don't see the problem.

pitboss · January 29, 2014 12:47AM

Auctions are supossed to be a fun thing, it is not supposed to be for screwing the seller out of a few bucks. If someone wants to bid high for something then go ahead and do it but give the other guy a chance to win it also. Maybe he is willing to pay a little more and enjoy himself. What fun is it to just go through a whole list of items and just put a bid on them to see what you can steal from a seller.

This is why I will not list auction style because I get screwed all the time. I use a starting price and it takes all the fun out of it.
ADD TIME AFTER A BID!

ctf_error_coins · January 29, 2014 12:55AM

I have already sniped Seven auctions today and it's not even 8 am

ebaybuyer · January 29, 2014 1:04AM

cant have a "true" auction setting when there is 1000 miles of buyer safety net

mrpotatoheadd · January 29, 2014 1:07AM

The only people helped by adding time after a bid is made are people who are already online, looking at a particular auction when the listing is ending. If you're at your computer, nothing's stopping you from bidding before the listed ending time. So what's the problem?

pitboss · January 29, 2014 1:14AM

Just about everybody today carries a computer with them everywhere they go so there is no excuse for not being able to bid on what you really want to win.

People today want the easy way out of everything is the problem.

They need to slow down and enjoy some things in life as it is too short.

Coin Finder · January 29, 2014 1:34AM

I think sellers benefit from sniping because of higher prices and buyers benefit because they get something they really want and will sometimes pay a premium for it. Ebay benefits because they make more money with higher bids. The folks that do like sniping are the ones looking to get something for nothing or cannot be online to bid at the end of the auction. Just my opinion.

Coinsponge · January 29, 2014 1:51AM

<< I think eBay should add 5 minutes to any auction that has a bid in the last minute. That would make it more like a "real" auction and BTW increase revenue for them. >>

I like that but I think 1 minute would be enough. Sniping does seem to be a cardiovascular workout.

rec78 · January 29, 2014 2:02AM

<< The folks that do like sniping are the ones looking to get something for nothing or cannot be online to bid at the end of the auction. Just my opinion. >>

I like sniping and in no way am I trying to get something for nothing. And yes a lot of times I cannot be online at the end of the auction, a lot of times I forget about the auction until it is over. I do not see how a seller is being cheated by sniping. If anything he is getting more by last second bidders. I just missed an auction yesterday that I was planning to snipe manually. The bid was $12.50 and that is where it ended up $12.50. If I would have put my bid in of $25, I do not know if I would have bought the coin for that but the seller would have gotten more than $12.50 for it.

mrpotatoheadd · January 29, 2014 2:04AM

<< I think eBay should add 5 minutes to any auction that has a bid in the last minute. That would make it more like a "real" auction and BTW increase revenue for them. >>

Are you sure it would increase revenue for eBay?

If eBay added time at the end of auctions, a sniper would no longer have to enter his maximum bid. He could just enter the next bid increment and wait to see what happens. If someone else outbids him (by bidding the next bid increment, of course) and they go back and forth for a number of bids, the first sniper might decide he didn't want the item that bad after all and drop out. That could very well result in less revenue for eBay and the seller than if both bidders had entered their maximum bids and the auction ended on schedule.

Coins101 · January 29, 2014 2:16AM

The only people who are getting hurt by sniping or sniping programs are those people who can sit at their computers all day looking to "steal" an item as a very low cost. If you want a particular item, put in your highest bid to start with and let the auction run it's course. That is all a sniper or snipe program does. You put in the most you will pay and it gets posted when you want it to.

3keepSECRETif2rDEAD · January 29, 2014 2:20AM

<< Auctions are supossed to be a fun thing, it is not supposed to be for screwing the seller out of a few bucks. If someone wants to bid high for something then go ahead and do it but give the other guy a chance to win it also. Maybe he is willing to pay a little more and enjoy himself. What fun is it to just go through a whole list of items and just put a bid on them to see what you can steal from a seller.

This is why I will not list auction style because I get screwed all the time. I use a starting price and it takes all the fun out of it.
ADD TIME AFTER A BID! >>

...there is absolutely nothing funny about spending/making money...it's a zero-sum game so kill or be killed

Erik

pitboss · January 29, 2014 2:40AM

That is your opinion, I like the thrill of it. Money isn't everything in life.

lostincoins · January 29, 2014 3:16AM

Having ebay run like a true auction is what is being asked for. What is happening now is akin to being at an auction, the auctioneer is at the final hammer on your bid and when he yells out sold, slams the hammer down and then gives the lot to someone else who was not there to bid for $0.01 more. If an auction house ran this way it would close very quickly. Have you ever watched a live auction or been part of on and seen snipping allowed?

rec78 · January 29, 2014 4:01AM

<< Just about everybody today carries a computer with them everywhere they go so there is no excuse for not being able to bid on what you really want to win.

People today want the easy way out of everything is the problem.

They need to slow down and enjoy some things in life as it is too short. >>

I would venture to say that you are totally wrong in this aspect. I am not one of them. I have but one computer, a desktop which I cannot spend 24 hours a day on and I am retired. A lot of people like you may have a carry around computer, but I am sure that you cannot spend all your time watching ebay auctions. Most people have to work and any old hours of any old day and simply do not have the time to be there as the auction goes off. Believe it or not computers are not everywhere and most workplaces do not allow personal use of their computer when you are supposed to be working. My internet went offline one time just when I was ready to bid with less then one minute left on a auction - of course I missed out again because I did not set my sniper bid and the seller lost out on more money.

That is your opinion, I like the thrill of it. Money isn't everything in life.

Then why are you complaining about snipers costing you money? They are not costing you anything, maybe you just overvalue your coins.

brg5658 · January 29, 2014 4:16AM

I think mrpotatohead basically already said this, but in my opinion sniping is actually better for eBay and the seller than if they had an "incremental time increase" method.

Some of the highest prices seen for items sold on eBay are because two bidders put in last minute "nuclear" snipe bids, and butt up against one another. If eBay auctions didn't have a drop-dead end time, there would be no motivation for people to put in such high bids. They would weasel up the bid one increment at a time until they surpassed the highest bid.

I much prefer the snipe "set it and forget it" mentality. I enter my bids into a sniping website well in advance, then I don't have to babysit auctions on my computer. IT fires with 4-5 seconds left, and if I win the lot, so be it. If I don't win the lot, then I didn't pay more than I wanted to.

I don't see the problem with this. It is no different than a mail-in old-fashioned "auction" when your bids had to be postmarked by a certain date. It's also no different than the way that Heritage weekly auctions, Stacks, and many other online auctions function. Seems like a lot of whiners about something that isn't really a big deal.

pitboss · January 29, 2014 4:19AM

No I just like to have fun and snipe bids take all the fun out of auctions.

I do not need any more coins as I have plenty to last me the rest of my life.

In fact I give them away to people that don't have or cant afford to buy them.

Coins101 · January 29, 2014 4:21AM

<< Then why are you complaining about snipers costing you money? They are not costing you anything, maybe you just overvalue your coins. >>

I agree. If anything, they are making you more money that if they didn't bid at all. Now, if they are costing you money because you get beat out of a steal of a deal that you planned on flipping for twice what you were stealing it for, I say, "Tough."

As for a true auction experience, go to UBID and bid on their coins!

mrpotatoheadd · January 29, 2014 4:27AM

<< Have you ever watched a live auction or been part of on and seen snipping allowed? >>

Sniping? Yes, I have. Have you ever heard of a "bid board"?

bronco2078 · January 29, 2014 4:37AM

If ebay added time every time there was a bid , I think certain sellers would put their shill bidders in overdrive.

ctf_error_coins · January 29, 2014 4:41AM

Eight

MGLICKER · January 29, 2014 4:45AM

Anyone interested in a particular Ebay item knows when it ends and can bid in any fashion that they think is best.

Having said that, I find myself listing most items at a fixed price, to avoid the stomach pain.

pitboss · January 29, 2014 4:52AM

Thats exactly what I do.

ScarsdaleCoin · January 29, 2014 4:58AM

Years ago when we sold a lot on ebay we used a program we developed called "anti snipe"

What it did was to warn buyers that the auction might end 1 hour to 1 minute before the office time..... ie we pulled the plug early!

Worked very well since real buyers had to put their best bids in early....only one who complained were the buyers using snipe programs which it defeated....

and yes we probably could have made a dollar or two more but we enjoyed evening the playing field for buyers....

Coins101 · January 29, 2014 5:01AM

<< Years ago when we sold a lot on ebay we used a program we developed called "anti snipe"

What it did was to warn buyers that the auction might end 1 hour to 1 minute before the office time..... ie we pulled the plug early!

Worked very well since real buyers had to put their best bids in early....only one who complained were the buyers using snipe programs which it defeated....

and yes we probably could have made a dollar or two more but we enjoyed evening the playing field for buyers.... >>

Hum, I though eBay prevented you from "pulling the plug" if it was within 12 hours of the auction closing.

Coins101 · January 29, 2014 5:02AM

<< Thats exactly what I do. >>

Anymore, I kind of do a reverse auction. BIN or best offer.

MGLICKER · January 29, 2014 5:04AM

<< Hum, I though eBay prevented you from "pulling the plug" if it was within 12 hours of the auction closing. >>

In the earlier days you could end the auction at any time, even with seconds left. Sellers occasionally would dump all the bids and the whole thing would go poof.

brg5658 · January 29, 2014 5:09AM

<< Years ago when we sold a lot on ebay we used a program we developed called "anti snipe"

What it did was to warn buyers that the auction might end 1 hour to 1 minute before the office time..... ie we pulled the plug early!

Worked very well since real buyers had to put their best bids in early....only one who complained were the buyers using snipe programs which it defeated....

and yes we probably could have made a dollar or two more but we enjoyed evening the playing field for buyers.... >>

This seems like a completely illogical thing for a seller to do. A huge number of the highest bids come in literally in the last 10 seconds.

originalisbest · January 29, 2014 5:11AM

<< 

<< Hum, I though eBay prevented you from "pulling the plug" if it was within 12 hours of the auction closing. >>

In the earlier days you could end the auction at any time, even with seconds left. Sellers occasionally would dump all the bids and the whole thing would go poof. >>

Only thing that would accomplish is encouraging would-be bidders to have nothing to do with your auctions in the future.

"Sniping costs me $$$"

-- utter nonsense. For example, there was a particular comic book I wanted recently -- didn't get it. Someone who put in their top bid earlier, evidently wanted it more than I did, and got it -- but it cost them a bit extra to do so, and in so doing, more $ went into the seller's pocket.

Look at the results below. How is it exactly that sniping costs a seller $? Silly argument on the face of it.

If not for my bid of 143.53 that was topped, the eventual winner would've only paid $92 or so. Probably put in a snipe themselves of $200-ish, in my estimation.

US $146.03 Jan-09-14 19:25:02 PST
US $143.53 Jan-09-14 19:25:00 PST
US $89.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:47 PST
US $82.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:55 PST
US $80.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:44 PST

MGLICKER · January 29, 2014 5:14AM

<< This seems like a completely illogical thing for a seller to do. A huge number of the highest bids come in literally in the last 10 seconds. >>

Jon Lerner is a sharp guy. I considered doing the same. When the feature option was available, higher dollar coins got a lot more exposure. If properly explained, the idea would have made a lot of sense. Would have po'd a lot of people as well which of course would be a drawback.

mrpotatoheadd · January 29, 2014 5:37AM

<< Look at the results below. How is it exactly that sniping costs a seller $? Silly argument on the face of it.

If not for my bid of 143.53 that was topped, the eventual winner would've only paid $92 or so. Probably put in a snipe themselves of $200-ish, in my estimation.

US $146.03 Jan-09-14 19:25:02 PST
US $143.53 Jan-09-14 19:25:00 PST
US $89.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:47 PST
US $82.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:55 PST
US $80.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:44 PST >>

I would suggest that bidding histories like that would no longer occur if the auction end extended with last second bids. They would look more like this:

US $84.00 Jan-09-14 19:25:02 PST
US $83.00 Jan-09-14 19:25:00 PST
US $82.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:47 PST
US $81.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:55 PST
US $80.00 Jan-09-14 19:24:44 PST

and the auction could very well end up at $95 when one of the bidders decided they didn't want the item any longer. Having the option to reconsider one's max bid doesn't always mean the number is going to increase.

Ebay Fixing Sniping Problem?

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