Ebay sniper hell

[MargeB]

Is ebay going to turn into an automated sniper hell?

[mattie]

I win a lot of ebay auctions by waiting until the auction has nearly finished e.g 40 seconds to go and bidding, if I win, good, if I don't its tough.

I am constantly amazed that the previous high bidder is easily outbid, if you want something enough, then you should put in a serious bid, not �1 over the initial starting bid.

I don't, however, use an automated bidsniper, but if you put in a serious bid because you want something enough then you shouldn't need to worry, but always decide on your maximum bid and stick to it.

[dodgyshirt]

We've had discussions along this line before Marge.

I agree with Mattie, decide the maximum you are prepared to pay for an item and put in a proxy bid for that amount within the last few seconds.

That way you win it within your budget or lose it because someone is prepared to pay more than you think its worth.

Also as said before, featured items are a waste of the sellers fees, most people skip them, and listings in excess of 3days are a waste of time, all the serious bidding takes place in the last few hours.

[MargeB]

I bid on 14 items today, won one. All jumped about 200-300 percent in the last 10 seconds...which suggests lots of people are using sniping software.. Thanks for the hints on proxy bids. I was just wondering what kind of arms race will develop with everyone moving over to software and whether Ebay will take action.

[stevie21]

Ebay should be able to detect who is using software as it is capable of placing many more bids in the last 30 seconds than you or I can do manually.
If I owned ebay then I'd be mostly concerned that the site was making money so I'm not sure if such software is forbidden. Maybe if it pi***d off enough users then I'd ban it but otherwise, just keep the money rolling in!

And bidding on 14 items in one day? Sounds a bit excessive - I've not bid for 14 items in the time I've been registered! LOL

[MargeB]

Yeah but stevie you don't know the joy that is collecting gourds :-)))))

I think ebay needs to keep the seller side and the buyer side of their business afloat. I think sniping really p***es off some buyers. I do think it kills off a lot of the psychology involved too...people pay very healthy premiums for stuff because other people seem to be interested.

What is of major interest to me is whether some other company could come in (or could be forced under monopoly laws to come in) to kick Ebay's as* a bit. They just do what they want, they **** sellers stupid (actually calculate how much it costs to sell, from placement, final value, and 'payment services': it's a lot).

Anyway, back to the issue at hand: so you want to buy my 1960's bow and arrow set or what?

[dodgyshirt]

I'm not sure that its all down to sniping software though Marge. With the advent of broadband it is now possible to submit proxy bids within 5secs of the end of an auction, in fact my own personal record is 2secs with a winning bid.

As Stevie said, Ebay are not going to ban something which works in their favour, and, after all said and done, a sniping bid will still be limited to the amount that the bidder is prepared to pay which equates to a proxy bid anyway.

[MargeB]

These were definitely all automated, about 5 bids each in the last 2 seconds. Mine was automated, in the last 2 also, which went down a T1 pipe. It was all computing equipment, which probably attracts bidders with sniping software more than china teapots do.

I would suspect Ebay would ban it because it definitely does not work in their favour. Firstly, it damages the buyer experience. Secondly, it lowers Ebay revenues, largely based on a percentage of final selling price, which is reduced when sniping software is used*. Thirdly, it deters sellers, who see a reduced selling price.

Sniping software reduces final selling price. The idea that people go into an auction situation with a final bidding price in mind and fixed is quite attractive, but sadly untrue. All buyers are purchasing perceived value, a fuzzy variable, which increases the more that others are seen to be prepared to pay for something. This is also why lower initial selling prices attract higher final prices...because more buyers are attracted and exposed to informational influence from other bidders.

SImilarly, you need a wide net to scoop these buyers up. Featured listings and 7 day listings do this much more than any other. I think even though some scan past 'Featured', for many many things it is an easy decision. Sure, it's a tenner, but the exposure, I would say you would at least treble that. For many items on Ebay, low exposure, or blocking by huge 'Featured' sections lead to the worst case scenario: no sale.

I would say that there is huge money to be made on Ebay, because the competition is so weak. Have a look at a few listings: they are dreadful. Most people have NO IDEA that a potential buyer is purchasing value, not a product or service, and needs all of their fears assuaged, not emphasized.

[MargeB]

One could (and plenty do) make money by buying and selling on Ebay. I mean by that buying from people on Ebay, and then selling those same goods on Ebay, properly marketed.