Auction sniping software not effective anymore?

[monobath]

It works *exactly* the same way it would if you were sitting there with your hand hovering over the Submit button until the last moment.

Wrong. First, its electronic and will always perform more efficiently at placing a last second bid than someone "manually" monitoring an auction attempting to place their bid "at the last second."

Second, it eliminates the demand for actual live participation in the auction. If someone uses it for simple reasons of convenience while others are forced to sit an monitor the auction live, they have recieved an unfair advantage.

This isn't a crazy notion folks. Other auction sites have prohibited the use of software-based sniping on ethical grounds and its about time eBay got on board.

Tim

There is nothing unethical about sniping, Tim. Ebay has allowed proxy bidding since its inception, or close to it. It works the same way no matter when a bid is placed. There is no special advantage to be had over other bidders by bidding at the last moment, except perhaps a psychological one. The highest bidder always wins, no matter what. That is fair.

There is an advantage for all buyers in deferring bidding until the very end of the auction. It reduces the overall price of items that you want to purchase. Frequent bidding during an auction just serves to drive the price up unnecessarily. If you take a look at auctions carefully, you'll see that in most cases, the auctions with large numbers of bids and rediculous prices typically have one or more newbies with zero or very low feedback ratings doing it. Experienced ebayers know that it is counterproductive to bid early and often, as sellers often encourage people to do.

I use a sniping tool that gives me a limited number of free snipes per week. Since I'm not a paying customer, I don't get the premium option of bidding in the last 3 to 5 seconds. My free snipes are placed 5 to 10 seconds from the end of the auction. I win many bids anyway. Neither a person nor a program will beat me unless they are willing to pay more than I am.

When I am able to, I prefer to bid manually. I set a kitchen timer to countdown to zero at 2 or 3 seconds before the end of the auction. I enter my bid except for final confirmation about 20 seconds before the end of the auction, and I press enter on my bid confirmation when my timer goes off. I easily beat the sniping software when I place my bids myself.

And it still doesn't matter. Automatic ebay proxy bidding is in effect regardless, and the highest bid wins.

Was anyone cheated? How is this unfair?

[Patrick]

I admit that I use the free services with the website that places the automatic bid. Supposedly, if I pay money, then the amount of time between the placing of the bid and the end of the auction will be reduced. Perhaps the people who outbid me are actually paying customers to their service.

I don't think there is anything unfair about sniping bids because as I have just demonstrated, I was outbid myself and I am a user of such technology. Additionally, with sniping software, there is also the chance that if internet traffic is slow, then the bid can be placed after the end of the auction. So snipers do not always win, even if their bid is high enough at the time.

However, one of the great things I like about sniping is that I only pay the amount of money that I am willing to pay before the auction. In other words, I am not engaged in some all out bidding war where each person tries to out do each other, pushing the bidding up higher each time and ending up paying more money as a result if you win.

[monobath]

The highest bid wins, so ultimately nothing really changes by sniping...

...sniping helps to keep prices from getting out of hand. People who waste the better part of a week bidding items into the stratosphere don't do themselves any favors.

Good points, of course.

Sorry, just had a bad day--I've just been watching this fuck-up "president" of ours for days now trying to explain away his lame administration's failure on Katrina and it just got to me tonight.

I shouldn't have vented on the board. And about ebay, of all things. :oops:

Humble apologies all around. I'll take it elsewhere.

Tim

Oh, sorry. I didn't see this response or I wouldn't have bothered posting.

I'm with you on the Katrina thing. I'm boiling mad about that too.

[BigBeaner]

Software sniping is annoying. Is it really morally wrong or cheating? Yes in a way, but in others not. But we all hate losing, don't we? That is, after all, one of the reasons why one would use such a program, to win, the other is to score items cheaply. Software does take out the fun though, the thrill of the hunt and the kill I guess of wondering, but I guess this is proof no one is safe.

Just don't beat me using one of those programs, please

[monobath]

However, one of the great things I like about sniping is that I only pay the amount of money that I am willing to pay before the auction. In other words, I am not engaged in some all out bidding war where each person tries to out do each other, pushing the bidding up higher each time and ending up paying more money as a result if you win.

Right, last minute sniper bidding helps to prevent emotional and impulsive last minute manual over-bidding, which reduces buyer's remorse, which reduces stress, no need to shout above the din of our rice krispies, which prevents the shadow on the door of a cottage on the shore of a dark Scottish lake, many miles away... (Synchronicity II - The Police) 8)

[monobath]

Software sniping is annoying. Is it really morally wrong or cheating? Yes in a way, but in others not. But we all hate losing, don't we? That is, after all, one of the reasons why one would use such a program, to win, the other is to score items cheaply. Software does take out the fun though, the thrill of the hunt and the kill I guess of wondering, but I guess this is proof no one is safe.

Just don't beat me using one of those programs, please

Here - http://www.auctionstealer.com/

Three free snipes per week. Now you can play, too!

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

Perhaps using software from "external" providers is not the safest way to do it (if you want to win). Ebay has the "maximum amount" bid function, use it.

Whenever I want to buy something I just enter a silly high amount in the maximum amount box, whenever it suits me. If I don´t win the item because it gets too expensive, fine (it got REALLY expensive and I don´t want to pay that much so it won´t break my heart).

Most probably though I will win the item at whatever price the auction ends at, with a lower price than my "silly max".

I´m guessing Ebay fixed things so their own maximum bid service is the last one checked before they close the auction (that is how I would have done it) giving an advantage against other snipers using other websites.

This makes everyone happy, I get the item and the seller gets more money for the item, making them happy. I´m guessing everyone has seen the maximum amount service on Ebay, so it doesen´t make it unfair or "bad" either.

And it is totally free, however many auctions you use it with. ;)

[Juno]

Auction sniping software?!

Kind of unfair, don't you think?

No, not just unfair. Dishonest and a cheat. Bad form, dude.

Tim

Were you not the same person that said that schilling was just something that we would have to accept as a part of the game? That is what is really dishonest not sniping. I don't get your point of view. Sniping is playing by the rules, schilling is not. Anybody has a right to enter a bid anytime before the auction's end. That includes up to one second before the end of an auction. You can press the button with your finger or you can have it done automatically. If you are at work and won't be around to place a bid, then you can have sniping software to do it for you. The problem with placing bids too early is that you get a bunch of inexperienced e bayers that compete by placing bids just to outdo eachother and then they forget what they were competing for in the first place. It turns into a " who can place the highest bid" rather than who can win this item for what it is worth or possibly less. Some of these people will only place a bid once they see that someone else has bid on it. So why place one early? They will just keep bidding until they top yours. Why give them that chance?

[Juno]

Wrong. First, its electronic and will always perform more efficiently at placing a last second bid than someone "manually" monitoring an auction attempting to place their bid "at the last second."

Second, it eliminates the demand for actual live participation in the auction. If someone uses it for simple reasons of convenience while others are forced to sit an monitor the auction live, they have recieved an unfair advantage.

It is available to everybody except the ignorant that just want to hyperbid for the fun of "outdoing" somebody!

This isn't a crazy notion folks. Other auction sites have prohibited the use of software-based sniping on ethical grounds and its about time eBay got on board.

Don't be fooled. It is prohibited because the sellers benefit from the stupid!

[Juno]

Also,
If you are against sniping, then how about they change it to where every person gets just one bid with no option for retraction? Or if retracted a re-bid is not allowed. That is the same concept as sniping. With sniping, the other guy does not get the chance to "out do" you just because you "outdid" him.

[ccortez]

Its simply a violation of the "spirit" of the auction process.

As defined by whom?

I'm glad you like watching auctions and clicking "submit" and hoping your browser and network respond as quickly as you would like. As for myself, I have a life to live. I always use sniping software, every time, and it saves me time and money.

[mattias]

sniping keeps prices down. the only one who benefits from the classic bid and overbid relay is the seller. or those who have an infinite supply of money and really want an item i guess, but then again they're free to use sniping tactics too.

/matt

[super8man]

The bigger issue is that people are inately (sp?) unable to define the exact price they are willing to pay for a good. And when another agent becomes interested in the item, their internal evaluation just goes higher! No, simply bid at any time the FINAL price you are willing to pay. I have a theory that often times placing a bid early actually scares folks away from an item...so there is a lot of psychology going on. Case in point - a Bauer 209XL just sold for $30 last night. Very low price considering the fabulous optics. Now, had we posted that same item here on the filmshooting auction site that does not exist, I am sure it would have fetched about $50-$150 due to nothing more than I want to prove to someone else that I got that camera...

And the last time I checked, that Porsche911SC parked outside is not mine...now that's something that should be socialized so that I can have one...how unfair is that! Jebus...

[MovieStuff]

Sniping is practically a necessity these days due to widespread schilling. I see it all the time where I'll watch and item sit for days with no bids and then, the instant someone else puts a proxy bid in place, a mysterious bidder with "0" feedback suddenly takes interest and pumps in a dozen incremental bids to drive the price up to a certain point and then they stop. How do I know it's a schill? Because -every time- when I finally put in my last minute bid, the schill is no where to be found. If they were really interested, they would come back to put in a last minute bid like everyone else. Instead, they just drive the price up and dissappear. I am really surprised ebay does not have an algorithm that would track the frequency a seller has repeated visits by a "mystery bidder" right after the first proxy bid is posted. I never see buyers with a history of transactions put in a dozen incremental bids after the first proxy bid. It seems to always be by someone with "0" feedback and I am quite positive it is the seller.

On a related note, I was bidding on a video camera recently and someone put in a bid for $4000.00 and then retracted it immediately and posted a reduced bid of only $400.00, claiming that the first bid was a mistake. Of course, they're "mistake" let them see what the reserve was on the item. ;)

Roger

[etimh]

Its "shill," not "schill."

Schilling is a seasoning brand.

Tim