posted on October 16, 2002 06:11:05 AM new
Are there legally acceptable ways to avoid sniping?
I get tremendously irritated when I have an auction where everyone waits until the last few seconds to place a bid using the snipe services. At the last few seconds, only a few bids can be processed.
I've heard of some people saying in their auctions that you must register to be permitted to bid. I've also seen where people will say they reserve the right to not accept any bid in the last 5 minutes where the individual has not logged a previous bid to discourage people from only using a snipe service.
First, is that acceptable with ebay, and do you have other ingenious ways of addressing this issue?
posted on October 16, 2002 08:05:12 AM new
The first thing I would like to ask you is why would you not like sniping? I have had items just over $50.00 with sniping. I guess that is the chance you take.
There is one way to stop that. If you item has no bids and it is 12 hours before the auction ends you can cancel you auction and then relist it. I don't know of any other way. Maybe someone else does.
posted on October 16, 2002 08:10:50 AM new
Sure, sell your item's at a fixed price and tell us how you did. I personally thank the Lord for these last second bid's.
=5.2 Binding Bids. Except for items listed in a category under the Non-binding Bid Policy, if you receive at least one bid at or above your stated minimum price (or in the case of reserve auctions, at or above the reserve price), you are obligated as the seller to complete the transaction with the highest bidder upon the auction's completion, unless there is an exceptional circumstance, such as: (a) the buyer fails to meet the terms of your listing (such as payment method), or (b) you cannot authenticate the buyer's identity.]5.2 Binding Bids. Except for items listed in a category under the Non-binding Bid Policy, if you receive at least one bid at or above your stated minimum price (or in the case of reserve auctions, at or above the reserve price), you are obligated as the seller to complete the transaction with the highest bidder upon the auction's completion, unless there is an exceptional circumstance, such as: (a) the buyer fails to meet the terms of your listing (such as payment method), or (b) you cannot authenticate the buyer's identity.
Many people wait until the last few minutes or seconds to bid. You can end your auction early and you can also state in your terms that you will do just that if you haven't had any bids.
But everytime I read that in a seller's auction I have to smile. It's like they don't have enough confidence in their goods or it seems that they are "threatening" me.
Sniping is part of the auction. Either accept it or list at a fixed price and be happy with that. I only snipe when I bid and I love snipers when I sell. That last snipe bid obviously raised the price for me.
posted on October 16, 2002 08:54:30 AM new
Sniping is just evolution in technique, as is bidders waiting until the last few hours of an auction to begin bid activity. As a seller Id like whatever brings me higher prices and as a bidder I want to pay the lowest possible price in an auction. Id Use Any tool or technique available that will acheive what Im trying to do -Most Everyone believes this was too. If The market place becomes rigged either in favor of buyers or sellers it will not be around long.
Ok4
As a note ebay has experimented with a onscreen log-in key that prevents autologin from 3rd party sites not subscribing to the ebay API . This might be an attempt top eliminate several things- one of them being sniping. I guess ebay would like to have bids go higher too, but what did i say about controlling the market ......
all in good humor
posted on October 16, 2002 09:11:30 AM new
I Love Snipers they are all welcome on my auctions. I will never understand why a seller would not like them unless you want your item to go for less money.
posted on October 16, 2002 10:21:59 AM new
Well I am a sniper!! I buy certain items for my collection & wait until the last hour to decide whether to bid or not. I won an auction on Sunday that I had watched all week, didn't bid until the last 5 minutes & put in a bid with a big proxy. It worked. I love snipers on my auctions. They are always welcome. I don't see what is wrong with it. Does it really make any difference when the bid comes in?
posted on October 16, 2002 11:03:07 AM new
"Are there legally acceptable ways to avoid sniping? "
Yes, you can do all your auctioning on Yahoo where you have the option of extending the auction after the last bid.
"ebay has experimented with a onscreen log-in key that prevents autologin from 3rd party sites not subscribing to the ebay API . This might be an attempt top eliminate several things- one of them being sniping. "
That would be a stupid move on their part since it would result in lower final sales prices.
When I buy, I always snipe. If I can't snipe, I won't bother bidding.
posted on October 16, 2002 11:11:50 AM new
I also love snipers, I want them to snipe. When I bid in an auction, I will NOT bid if I can't snipe, I strongly dislike automatic extensions. I don't think ebay will get rid of sniping anytime soon, and as far as I know there is no way to avoid it on the site.
posted on October 16, 2002 11:16:56 AM new
Capotasto: I dont believe ebay should prevent sniping or any other evolutionary development in Online Auction technology or technique except outright shiel bidding and fraud and non paying bidders. I dont know what they are trying to accomplish with the log in code. I do know that they have made Massive mistakes in strategy before (ie Checkout).
posted on October 16, 2002 11:23:47 AM new
ahc3: It is fairly easy to lockout non API user snipe sites if they decide to do it. Im sure the affected site would write code to counter the lockout but it would be messy for awhile.
posted on October 16, 2002 08:33:58 PM new
Hey there, susanhaywood: I'm wondering if you don't or haven't bid much on ebay? Are you primarily a seller?
When friends tell me they want to begin selling on ebay, I tell them to get at least 10 feedbacks as a buyer and then come to me. That's the only way to learn how it feels to be on the buying end.
I would challenge you to find two things you really really really want. Bid your regular way, no sniping allowed!, and then bid on the second one in the last few minutes. See how you do.
I will and do snipe when it's something I'm desperate for. No harm, no foul.
posted on October 16, 2002 08:53:28 PM new
Sniping only does one thing for a sellers auction. It puts more money in his pocket!! In the case of sniping software, you have no idea when that bid was placed. The sniper could have been the first bidder on the first day of the auction. The only thing is that bid is kept secret from you until the last 15 seconds of the auction. What difference does the bid time make anyway? As long as they DO bid before the auction ends is all I care about.
Edited to add: If you are determined to discourage snipers, list the auction as a ten day auction, and state in the description that this auction will NOT run for 10 days, but will be ended early at a time and day of your choosing.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
[ edited by sparkz on Oct 16, 2002 08:57 PM ]
posted on October 16, 2002 09:18:40 PM new
Hi all ... Yeah, I've sniped. But I've noticed that if an item has no bids, and 50 people are out there watching it, hoping to jump in at the last minute .... how many of those bid transactions can hit at one time and actually give you more than a couple of bids before the price is actually recorded and the auction ends?
ie, bid one comes in at 5 seconds, to be out bid at 4 seconds, and that one is out bid at 3 seconds ... and 50 people are jamming in at the same time ... maybe you get 3 or 4 out of the 50.
And the seller's item goes at the 3rd bid ... for less than what it would have if automated sniping was not so prevalent.
When I've had an auction with snipe activity at the very end, and no other bids ... you can see the count down of seconds. Because I've had very nice items go for much less than I thought they should have, when I bid on an auction with the intent of sniping it ... I make a normal bid first, just at the minimum increment.
I dunno, I'm a sap I guess, but I like the seller to see that I was in there early on ... and then prevailed at the end.
Sellers respond with higher starting bid prices (which takes the fun out of it) ... and a lot of them use reserves ... both tactics involve higher listing fees to ebay, which makes up for the lower final value fee.
I've done a fair amount of buying and bidding ... I guess what I don't have a grip on is the technology that receives multiple bids at the very last second.
The other thing that I find unfair about it, is the bidders that are in throughout the run of the auction ... that have reasonable bids and have a bargain ... to be sniped out by someone. I'd rather loose the last 50 cent bid increment and give it to the person who was with me all along through the bidding process.
Would it be legal to say in the terms of the auction that I reserve the right to not accept a bid in the last 10 seconds if that bidder has had no bid activity prior to that snipe bid?
I certainly don't want to end an auction early as I'd have to be sitting right there to do it ... I'm not that devoted to my crusade. lol
If multiple bids can be handled by the technology at the last second, then I guess it's a moot point. I'd sure like to know how many get shut out because there's just not enough time to register them all.
posted on October 16, 2002 09:36:38 PM new
"I'd rather loose the last 50 cent bid increment and give it to the person who was with me all along through the bidding process. "
Ok, Pollyanna. LOL
Maybe you are a little too emotionally tied to your auctions? Do you do this as a business or are you parting with keepsakes?
posted on October 16, 2002 09:49:48 PM new
If the bid hits Ebay's servers before the end of the auction, it WILL be recorded. The final result you see on your screen may be delayed a few milliseconds beyond the close while their hardware processes it, but all bids received before the end of the auction will be counted.Your biggest worry is the sniper who has a slow connection, or an incorrect clock and tries to place a bid 1 or 2 seconds after the auction ends. If you've sniped before, you know that to go to all that trouble you have to want that item pretty much. It's only logical to assume that a sniper will throw out a higher proxy at the end to insure his win, than an early bidder, because he won't have another chance. It only takes 2 people with the same goal to change a $50.00 auction into a $200.00 auction in the last 5 seconds. Another way you can keep snipers away from your auctions would be to send them to my auctions. I'll have the red carpet and champagne ready for them
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
[ edited by sparkz on Oct 16, 2002 10:00 PM ]
posted on October 16, 2002 10:11:46 PM new
At first I wasn't sure if you were a buyer or seller. I can see your frustration as a buyer getting sniped at the last minute. Personally as a seller, I like snipers. That means I get more sales and often for higher than I might otherwise receive. Now as far as those other sellers stating they will not honor bids placed in the last five minutes. Frankly I think that is stupid let alone against ebay TOS. The seller is obligated to sell an item to however the high bidder is no matter how they became the high bidder. It also don't make business sense. All businesses want to sell their product or services for as much money as people are willing to pay. The higher the price, the higher the profits. Personally, what I would do to change the ebay for bidders like you is to have all auctions auto extend for 5 minutes for any bid placed within the last five minutes of an auction. That way, the snipers really wouldn't get the edge by blocking non-snipers and sellers would realize a true value for their items.
posted on October 16, 2002 10:51:34 PM newAre there legally acceptable ways to avoid sniping?
Yes, there are. What some don't realize is by stopping sniping on your auctions you'll pay less in eBay fees. I've found that my eBay FVF's dropped 24.7% since I instituted a sniping ban on my auctions.
Here's what you need to do:
Remove shoes and socks to reduce the damage to personal apparel. Place your foot on a secure rest, a tree trunk, or earth mound works well. Hold the muzzle of the pistol at least 6" from your foot to avoid powder burns. Squeeze the trigger slowly and make sure not to close your eyes and spoil your aim when the pistol discharges. Cover the wound with a compress and ice immediatedly to reduce bleeding and swelling, and seek medical attention.
(edited to add)
My apologies, that was instructions on how to shoot yourself in the foot. I cut and pasted the wrong instructions.
Here's what you need to do to avoid sniping:
An hour or more before the auction is scheduled to end log on to eBay's Ending My Auction Early. After login enter the auction number you wish to end. Confirm that you want to end the auction and it's done. The high bidder at the time you end the auciton is the winner.
It works great, it eliminates sniping, totally legal, and thus reduces your eBay FVFs.
posted on October 16, 2002 11:13:14 PM new
As a buyer and a seller I like the ability to snipe. We are gone a few days at a time fairly regularly and the sniping tool lets me place bids on items that end when I'm not at the computer. I wish they would add a feature that would let you leave a note to the seller that you will contact them in a couple days if you are the high bidder. As a seller I really love the last minute activity on my auctions!!
posted on October 16, 2002 11:49:14 PM new
Much ado about nothing.
If you were to look at the 70 or so auctions I have running right now, you would see about three of them with bids on them.........three auctions that are ending tommorrow.......
.........if you were to look again tommorrow, you would see a few more bids on new items......take a look around the time the auctions close and you'd see a few more bids on some new items and more bids on the items that already have bids.
After Thursday's auctions closed -- you'd see the same thing as you would if you looked now, 2-3 auctions with bids (ending Friday) and the same pattern would repeat.
Sometimes I carry bids for auctions that are ending 2-3 days out, but for the most part, the majority of my succcessful auctions are bid on or sniped within the last 12 hours of the auction.
But I'm not going to worry about it, I'm getting bids and that's the point. IMHO, one should concern themselves with issues like: "am I getting profitable bids" not when the bids come.
posted on October 17, 2002 12:23:56 AM new
I have sniped when I really want something bad and didn't want to pay a fortune because of wealthy newbies wanting the same thing.
There can be a bit of a loss to sniping because there is such an incredible number of newbies on ebay these days. Many times with newbies when the auction that they thought they were certain to win ends and they see that they were outbid by a sniper in the last 20 seconds they may say to themselves something like " I would have bid another $50 if someone had bid against me before the final seconds ". It does teach a newbie to bid by proxy the maximum they are will to pay.
Many times the sniping takes the emotion out of a bidding war. Can you imagine a real world live auction where the auctioneer is saying "$75 -- going once to the man in the front row, $75 -- going twice to the man in the front row, sold to the lady with purple hair for $80! "?
posted on October 17, 2002 06:16:05 AM new
"The sniper could have been the first bidder on the first day of the auction. The only thing is that bid is kept secret from you until the last 15 seconds of the auction. "
This is the definition of a sealed bid sale, where all bids are opened at the end of the auction.
Ebay is slowly loosing its identity as an auction site, and becoming a sealed bid sale site.
Nothing wrong with that - I like to snipe, and I like snipers - but it's an interesting view of ebay.
posted on October 20, 2002 02:24:07 PM new
Sniping can work out well for both buyer and seller.
Just bought item that stood at $521.00 many hours before auction end, I sniped in the last 10 seconds and got the item for $598.00.
No other bidders put in a bid above $521.00.
Reserve was met, so without my snipe, the seller would have only gotten $521.00 instead of $598.00.
And I'm pleased, too, because even with this seller's hefty shipping/handling price, I got what I wanted for less than my budgeted amount. As a buyer, I am absolutely convinced that putting in multiple bids drives up the price - why? I think people get caught up in the bidding and end up paying more than they really wanted to, just to win, or for other reasons.
Sniping - I'll do it as a seller, and take it as a buyer.
posted on October 21, 2002 08:47:49 PM new
uaru,
I hope you were joking. To end an auction early to have your FVF's lower? But that also means your overall profit is much lower. FVF's go up as bidding goes up and profits go up. Unless I read it incorrectly and you were joking, I must call you nuts.
posted on October 23, 2002 05:54:39 AM new
too funny UARU!
I actually ran a test about a year ago and added a free snipe button on my auctions.
I had been getting a kazillion e-mails from repeat bidders who were getting frustrated at being outbid at the last second.
The majority of my customers do NOT sit at their computer waiting for the last minute to bid but has never thought of sniper software. vrane offers free public snipe that can be power added to current auctions.
vrane info:
this web site does NOT require registration or ask silly questions before anyone is allowed to use this public snipe service. Therefore any potential bidders of yours on eBay can snipe your auctions, not just registered users of this site
Pretty cool *free* tool if you're interested!
BTW, I couldn't accurately figure out the results of my 'test' ~
no way of knowing if I had pizzed off any prospective bidders by having the free link there!
