posted on December 10, 2000 04:59:52 AM
I'm finding that fewer and fewer of my auctions are getting sniped at auction end. Still reasonable prices but bids are coming anytime in the last day. Not sure why this is.
Are others finding this? Any idea why?
Miss those snipers driving the bid up as the hammer comes down.
posted on December 10, 2000 06:59:53 AM
One reason might be the tremendous problems experienced by Esnipe. I was using them for all of my bids for a while.
After their system basically fell apart, I went back to regular bidding.
Esnipe may be rock solid now, for all I know. They lost my business long ago.
posted on December 10, 2000 10:09:23 AM
Well, I've hung in there with esnipe and the site does seem to be working better now. I suspect that their recent unreliability has resulted in many abandoning the service, resulting in better efficiency for a smaller pool of users. I've been using it as more of a late proxy service nowadays, setting 2 and three minute buffer times.
BTW. it really didn't sell for much on eBay. I hope the new owner will improve the site.
posted on December 10, 2000 10:21:30 AM
Bill .... Could be that alot of those last second snipers, have become first second BIN snipers?
I know a few Power Buyers that are spending most of their time looking for BIN auctions now. Sometimes they knock the BIN over by placing an early bid [hoping they can snipe it in the end for less than the BIN], or they are finding very sweet BIN deals & ending the auction then & there.
posted on December 10, 2000 10:31:00 AM
Well My auctions are still getting sniped pretty well many times im sitting here and will get notice from a winner on an Item I didnt know was a bidder seconds after an auction ends but the last two weeks I have noticed a trend of very earily bids as well.
I had two Item listed in a 10 day auction that got a bid in the frist hour and a few 7 day listings that got bids with over 4 days left.
posted on December 10, 2000 11:34:11 AM
BIN certainly adds another dimension, the actual long-term results of which we'll only be able to see - well, long term (duh). I have only anecdotal experience as a seller - listed a handful of items at my regular opening bid, with the BIN at the average closing price of those items. They were ALL snapped up within less than 24 hours by a regular customer who was DELIGHTED. So was I. Now, could these items have ended at higher than average, had I waited for later bids or snipes? Possibly. Won't be able to tell until I list some with BIN, some without.
As a bidder, I find myself looking at BIN items first. It seems to provide all the rewards of sniping with none of the risks, and I don't have to worry about forgetting a "watched" item. Have I used BIN yet as a bidder? Nope. Nothing I wanted has offered it.
Could any of these factors play into why we're seeing fewer snipe bids? Who knows. Maybe the novelty of sniping has simply worn off. Maybe folks don't want to risk NOT getting an item they'd like to give as a Christmas gift, and don't have the luxury of waiting to see if another such widget is listed in a week or two. Maybe it's BIN. My guess is it's some of each.
