OT - Ebay Bidding Tactics

If people just put in their maximum bid in the first place,
sniping would die away and sellers would get
their fair price.

Like most things, this is only true if everybody does it. The thing
about putting in your maximum bid at the outset, is that you are bid up
to the present maximum right away - i.e. if the other guy's maximum is
50, and your max is 75, you are bid right up to 51, alerting the other
guy that his guess that he could get it lower was wrong. So, by putting
in your "less than your max", you can outwit the other guy who put in
"less than his max".

Jose
--
"There are 3 secrets to the perfect landing. Unfortunately, nobody knows
what they are." - (mike).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

That notion is a bit naive given the fact that it encourages
shill bidding.

How so?
--
"There are 3 secrets to the perfect landing. Unfortunately, nobody knows
what they are." - (mike).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

On Thu, 30 Nov 2006 02:01:44 -0500, "Morgans"
wrote:


wrote

Reportedly, some less popular auction sites simply extend the auction
for another five minutes after a bid is made. That seems to be a
perfect solution to me...

Indeed. That is the way a real auction works, only it is not 5 minutes, but a
few seconds, but everyone gets a chance to raise their bid, until nobody wants
to go over the standing bid.

The 5 minutes is necessary because people have lives to lead, and can not stand
at their computer, full time. The result is the same; that a chance is given
for anyone to raise the bid, until nobody wants to outbid the winner.

The result for the seller should be the maximum price. The result for the buyer
is the ability to get an item that you want, and are willing to pay enough to
win the item, fair and squarely, outbidding all come-ers.

Sniping (to me) seems like timing is the winner; instead of desire, and
money-on-the-stump, winning the auction.

What is this other auction site, with the 5 minute extensions? I might be
interested in using it. I wish everyone would go their, instead of Ebay.

Timing is only a factor because uninformed bidders put in single bids at
just above the current bid price. Using Ebay's automatic bidding feature
makes sniping irrelevant, if everyobe would bid the maximum that they are
willing to pay. And don't forget that in the case of a tie, the
earlier-entered bid get the win. Here is where sniping actually loses out!

for another five minutes after a bid is made. That seems to be a
perfect solution to me...
That sounds like a good solution to prevent sniping but is not necessary to
ensure fair auctions.

There would be nothing unfair about it - simply another set of rules.

but a few seconds, but everyone gets a chance to raise their bid, until
nobody wants to go over the standing bid.
eBay does that by bidding for you up to your maximum.

eBay won't change your mind for you - that's the difference. Real
auction is a game of emotions.

bid until it is too late to counter. The only reason this is successful is
because, given time to respond, people give in to competition and raise
their bid.

Precisely, and as long as the current system is used, I will take
advantage of it.

Bartek

What is this other auction site, with the 5 minute extensions? I might be
interested in using it. I wish everyone would go their, instead of Ebay.

I am afraid I can't remember the address. It was a small, local Irish
site.

By the way - I see nothing wrong with the current eBay system, the
rules are clear and fair. I also like it as a buyer, as it tends to
lower prices. As a seller I'd prefer a system where auctions are
extended - let them fight! ;-)

Bartek

On Thu, 30 Nov 2006 16:27:44 GMT, Jose
wrote in :

That notion is a bit naive given the fact that it encourages
shill bidding.

How so?

If your bid is considerably in advance of the auction close, and it is
for an amount considerably above the current bid amount, what is to
prevent the seller from using a 'spare' eBay account to nibble away at
your bid well in advance of the auction close, thus providing a higher
target for subsequent bidders?

On Thu, 30 Nov 2006 21:28:52 GMT, Larry Dighera
wrote:
If your bid is considerably in advance of the auction close, and it is
for an amount considerably above the current bid amount, what is to
prevent the seller from using a 'spare' eBay account to nibble away at
your bid well in advance of the auction close, thus providing a higher
target for subsequent bidders?

I suspect that this does happen and as such I have chosen to utilize
manual sniping to minimize the chance that this will affect the price
that I pay for something on eBay...

If your bid is considerably in advance of the auction close, and it is
for an amount considerably above the current bid amount, what is to
prevent the seller from using a 'spare' eBay account to nibble away at
your bid well in advance of the auction close, thus providing a higher
target for subsequent bidders?

Nothing, just like the seller from using a "spare" eBay account to post
a high bid in the first place, thus causing anybody less to lose. Not
only is this in essence permitted, it is officially sanctioned in the
reserve price, should a seller choose to use it.

Jose
--
"There are 3 secrets to the perfect landing. Unfortunately, nobody knows
what they are." - (mike).
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

If people put in their maximum, the result is the same. The problem is
that
many put in something less than their maximum until compelled to move up
because of the spirit of competition. Sniping takes advantage of these
initially conservative bidders by eliminating that sense of competition.
It also cheats the seller out of the maximum bid. If people just put in
their maximum bid in the first place, sniping would die away and sellers
would get their fair price.

I'm not terribly active on eBay as a bidder, but I do watch at least 5-10
auctions a week. It has been my observation that the majority of the
auctions I watch are won by bids posted in the last 15-20 seconds of the
auction. When I bid, entering the max bid has been successful only when I
enter this max no sooner than the last minute (or less) of the auction. Any
sooner, and I don't win. If that makes me a sniper, then so be it. Like
Jay, I was frustrated by bidding and constantly being beat out in the last
few minutes.

And comment and questions from quoted text...

#1 Putting in your maximum bid, especially more than a few minutes before
the end of the auction allows 'nibblers' to conveniently sit and run up the
bidding until they reach your max. These nibblers MAY be legit bidders, or
shills for the seller. No way to tell.

#2 How does sniping "cheat the seller out of the maximum bid"? Isn't the
winning bid at the end of the auction the MAXIMUM bid?

#3 "If people just put in their maximum bid in the first place, sniping
would die away and sellers would get their fair price." Please illustrate
just how this eliminates sniping. Seems to me that the earlier you enter
you max bid, the MORE it encourages nibbling AND sniping. Fair price? See
#2 aboove/

Thanks,
Gary K.

Not to beat a dead horse, but!
As a seller on Ebay I love when snipers bring up the bid
at the last moment, it gives me hope that the product I'm
selling will go for more than it has shown for the previous
days prior to the close of the bid.
I have had products that have sold for half of what they
were worth and I have had them jump up twice the amount
in the last few seconds. Remember that snipers still have
to out snipe each other while using the automated systems.

If Ebay felt that it was an unfair system then they would
change it to one bid per bidder and you would bid your
highest and Ebay would raise your bid for you with no
changes permitted on your behalf. Or you could enter
your bid and no one would know what the highest bid was
until the close of the bid.

MTCW

David