Ebay sniping

[AtW]

FFS - auctions should auto-extend if someone bids at the last moment

[Purple Dalek]

FFS - auctions should auto-extend if someone bids at the last moment

ha ha

You should bid what you're willing up front then. Plank.

[voodooflux]

FFS - auctions should auto-extend if someone bids at the last moment

Lose out on that keyboard?

[AtW]

Lose out on that keyboard?

I just bid again on another same keyboard (could be same guy) - cost me £5 to win it, £9 delivery - the other one the sniping idiot won it for £26 + £9 delivery, I bid max £20

Bidding at the last minute should auto extend auction at least by an hour - this should be, at the very least, option for sellers to specify for their auction.

[Moscow Mule]

I just bid again on another same keyboard (could be same guy) - cost me £5 to win it, £9 delivery - the other one the sniping idiot won it for £26 + £9 delivery, I bid max £20

Bidding at the last minute should auto extend auction at least by an hour - this should be, at the very least, option for sellers to specify for their auction.

If the sniper got it for £26, there must have been others willing to pay more than £20, so you would have lost out either way wouldn't you?

[Fred Bloggs]

Can't understand the problem. An auction must have an end point where someone wins? On Ebay I just enter the maximum I'm willing to pay then forget about it unless I get an email telling me I'd won.

(Problem is, I did that a while ago and bought a motorbike in America. I'm in the UK............... Try explaining that to the missus)

[AtW]

If the sniper got it for £26, there must have been others willing to pay more than £20, so you would have lost out either way wouldn't you?

No, I would have considered their bid and likely to have revised my up. The consequence of sniping is that the seller got less than he would have achieved if there was proper bidding process - you can't "snipe" at real auction by shouting new price one second before its over, the existing bidders will be given opportunity to outbid that sudden bidder - I was not given this opportunity now, so it's a sham really, not auction - ebay lost out too, can't believe they tolerate this tulip.

[chef]

if you can't beat 'em, join 'em

http://www.esnipe.com/

[Moscow Mule]

No, I would have considered their bid and likely to have revised my up. The consequence of sniping is that the seller got less than he would have achieved if there was proper bidding process - you can't "snipe" at real auction by shouting new price one second before its over, the existing bidders will be given opportunity to outbid that sudden bidder - I was not given this opportunity now, so it's a sham really, not auction - ebay lost out too, can't believe they tolerate this tulip.

Yes, but real-world auctions aren't run by computers are they. In your ideal scenario the bidding could go on for days after the nominal auction end time.

[AtW]

Yes, but real-world auctions aren't run by computers are they. In your ideal scenario the bidding could go on for days after the nominal auction end time.

It should be up to the seller to decide if they want to auto extend auction by X hours if suddenly new bidder comes in the end - it is in their (and Ebay) interest to do so as it would give chance to increase sell price. What's wrong in extending auction by a few hours a few times max? The fact that it is run by computer makes it obvious and cheap to implement.

Auctions were in existance way before ebay and those rules of extension are the for a reason - it is crazy ebay tolerates snipers. Anyway in this case I am better off actually - I paid £5 for exactly same keyboard, sniper for another for £26 that I was prepared to pay £20 for (or more if I had chance to outbid him).