Auction sniping software not effective anymore?

[Juno]

If a bidder does not place a bid at least 12 to 24 hours before the end of an auction, then that bidder will not be allowed to bid in that auction. As simple as that!

But you have just defined and end of the auction! The time frame is a definition of "official play time". The snipe would put your bid in seconds before the 12-24 hours prior period ends.

[Juno]

The "No Reserve" statement is just a sales gimmick to trick people who are ignorant into bidding on an item with a low starting price because they are surprised that it is so cheap. Then they get caught up in the "emotional trap" of " I must have it ". Sellers that have this know that their item will get a lot of bids because it is a highly sought after item like a Nikon R10 which starts at 99 cents. If the seller wants a reasonable price for the item then they should start the bidding at the "lowest possible price they are willing to accept" for the item. Otherwise, if the idiots don't bite, they are the victims of their own sales gimmicks!

[monobath]

Isn´t the whole idea about an auction to let the one willing to bid the highest price win the item?

Seller's want the highest price possible. Buyers want the lowest price possible. The format that Ebay uses for auctions requires that buyers and sellers adopt certain strategies to achieve their respective goals.

Everyone has the same options open to them, and the same range of buying and selling strategies at their fingertips. The same rules apply to all. The person who places the highest bid during the course of the auction is, in fact, the one who wins.

I think I'm done with this subject. The strategy I most often employ when bidding on Ebay auctions is to place a bid equal to the maximum I'm willing to pay in the closing seconds of an auction. I choose not to pay for sniping services since I don't really bid on enough auctions to make their monthly prices worthwhile. I use a sniping service that offers three free uses per week, so I use it only for auctions that I'm not able to bid on myself. If you want to try it, go to http://www.auctionstealer.com/ I'm sure there are many other fine sniping services out there to choose from.

[ccortez]

Then why don´t you use Ebays maximum bid service? No need to plan your life around an auction, no need to watch the auction.

a valid question. i suppose i also use sniping software so that i can place my bid late w/o drawing undue attention to the item early and attracting more bidders.

but that's not unfair. everybody has access to the same search functions on ebay that i do. ;)

i think what you really object to is that proxy bidding and sniping take the fun out of the back and forth one experiences at a live auction. and you may have something there, if you're into that sort of thing.

but i think people glamorize that part of live auctions -- that's what happens at charity auctions for sure, where the point is to drive the bidding up and pay maybe too much but for a good cause. but have you ever been to an auction for overstock computers and office furniture, for example? believe me, sniping software is just as fun. ;)

[MovieStuff]

Ever been to a real auction?

But ebay isn't a real auction. It is more like a game show where there is a time element involved. Contrary to the basis of your argument, ebay isn't about who is willing to spend the most money on an item but, rather, who can get away with paying the least. In fact, the ebay proxy function virtually dictates that the game is about who is willing to spend the least amount of money they can relative to the secret reserve price that only the seller knows about.

Also, and this is very important, sellers now KNOW when you are "watching" an item, even if you do not bid at all. That is a function that did not originally exist and it almost makes sniping required because the seller can look up what you paid for a similar item and then use a schill to drive up your proxy bid artificially, unless you wait until the last minute to bid.

And finally, proxy bidding also does not always reflect your maximum bid, either. Anyone that is willing to commit, say, $100 to an auction would not mind paying $101, if it meant that they can win and want the item bad enough. Unlike "real" auctions, ebay isn't won by who pays the most money but by who has the most patience and a dollar more than anyone else. With sniper software, you still spend the extra dollar but it is easier on your patience because you can live your life in real time and not ebay time. Whether you press the mouse yourself or let the software do it for you, a decision still has to be made as to the maximum you are willing to spend on that auction and the seller still doesn't have to reveal their secret reserve price. It all balances out, in my opinion.

Roger

[monobath]

As is now, the eBay system is childish and has this 'sntach' aura about it that makes people with some serious items think twice before placing them on eBay.

There are other avenues for selling or auctioning items. No one is compelled to use Ebay, and the terms are clear.

Sniping kills the spirit of the auction and prevents the real value from being realized as it is implemented now.

Ebay defined the spirit of the auction as they envisioned it by the format they chose to implement. There are many types of auctions. You must be thinking of a different type.

Value is subjective; it is assessed differently from person to person. One man's trash is another man's treasure, they say. The price an item fetches is determined by the interested market and the conditions of the auction. The real price of an item (an objective measure) is always realized.

All should remember that this is not about 'savvy' buyers who are more of brutes, but this is about sellers who are getting screwed in the process.

It is impossible for a seller to get screwed on Ebay because of the format of the auction or the manner of bidding. Completely impossible. (Of course, a buyer might back out, but that is a different matter.) It is the seller who sets the starting bid amount. He can cancel the auction if he made a mistake when specifying the minimum. Again, I feel that you must be talking about some auction format other than the one that Ebay implemented.

Many buyers will not succeed a certain limit, hoping to buy an item at the minimum that they could get, while preserving NOT a cheap price BUT a FAIR price. Sniping, ironically, as is implemented now on eBay, DESTROYS that principle.

I'm not sure what you mean by "succeed a certain limit", but it sounds like overweening egalitarian rubbish to suggest that sales on ebay meet your definition of "fair". Who decides what is a FAIR price? Who cares? Is that even Ebay's intent? Everyone knows the terms of conducting or participating in an Ebay auction, and the rules are what they are. Play or don't play.

Those who are defending sniping in its present form are missing this point. They are going for a cheap price that does NOT reflect the value of an item. Thus in its present form, the seller is getting screwed when a seller starts an auction at a low price trying to create enthusiam.

So you perceive that setting a low price that is lower than you really want in order to create enthusiasm for an item entails risk, and you know the terms of the auction format implemented by Ebay, but you think that you are being screwed if your gamble fails. Congratulations. You are qualified to sell insurance. Do you want a taxpayer-funded government bailout too?

I suggested that:

If a bidder does not place a bid at least 12 to 24 hours before the end of an auction, then that bidder will not be allowed to bid in that auction. As simple as that!

Uppsala mentions that is is OK to extend the auction 2-3 minutes after it ends so that those who bid can actually re-bid.

Both suggestions are about creating a pool of buyers who are serious enough about getting the item at a fair price.

That is a fine suggestion. It's not at all how Ebay works, though, nor do I think providing a mechanism for achieving fair prices is one of Ebay's primary objectives.

So go open your own competing auction site that operates under those rules and with those principles in mind. You are free to do so. The marketplace will decide which format it favors. That is the spirit of competition. Or, make that request to Ebay and see if you and others who agree with you can persuade them to change their rules. That's fair too. They might agree to it if they believe it will improve their profits and attract more business.

[MovieStuff]

Those who are defending sniping in its present form are missing this point. They are going for a cheap price that does NOT reflect the value of an item.

Says who? If the seller really thinks that an item is worth $100, then that should be the reserve price or starting bid he should use. How can any form of bidding, be it proxy or sniping, cheat the seller out of that? The seller has a choice in how he lists his item and only he knows how much it is worth to him.

Thus in its present form, the seller is getting screwed when a seller starts an auction at a low price trying to create enthusiam.

Even if he set the reserve low to "create enthusiasm", potential buyers are not required to get share his enthusiasm. More to the point, the seller does not have to start his auction with a lower price, does he? If the seller starts with a low price, he knowingly takes a risk that people might not pay more than that.

Regarding such, what I do not understand is the distinction you are making. It seems to me that if a seller puts no reserve and the item undersells to someone that used a proxy, then it is okay. But if it undersells at the very same price to someone that sniped it, then the seller is somehow being cheated? In either case, it is the seller's fault for not realistically setting a high enough reserve to govern his auction. It is not the responsibility of the buyer to "mind-read" the seller's true intent regarding the minimum selling price.

I mean, if you came upon a camera at a garage sale that was marked at $5.00 and you new it was really worth $100, are you going to voluntarily cough up another $95? I seriously doubt it. And if you paid only $5.00, how would you feel if the seller chased you out to the curve and called you a cheat because you only paid him the $5.00 asking price and not more? Likewise, are we really suppose to bid $100 on a item that has a reserve or starting bid of only $5.00? If the item has a reserve or starting bid of only $5.00, then anything above $5.00 is frosting on the cake he is selling. If the seller needed more frosting, then he should have auctioned a bigger cake.

Roger

[Uppsala BildTeknik]

I just want to add that a reserve price is also totally weird and in my opinion wrong. Every bid on an item should have the possibility to be a winning bid.

Instead of setting a hidden reserve price the seller should just make the starting price higher, so everyone can see what they possibly could buy the item for.

Reserves are rubbish!

[MovieStuff]

I just want to add that a reserve price is also totally weird and in my opinion wrong. Every bid on an item should have the possibility to be a winning bid.

Instead of setting a hidden reserve price the seller should just make the starting price higher, so everyone can see what they possibly could buy the item for.

Reserves are rubbish!

Well, I sort of agree. On the one hand, if I were selling an item I would like to get a minimum amount of money for it but setting an appropriate starting bid should be sufficient for that. On the other hand, if the starting bid reflects what I feel the intrinsic value is, others may not agree and no one would bid at all. In that sense, the reserve price does serve a function, I guess. It allows me to see what other people really think the value of my item is without being committed to selling it at the lower price. If I can not sell it at my preferred price, then I can always lower the reserve and try again or I can choose to keep it and not sell it at all; a choice you would not have if you have no reserve set.

But, from a buyer's standpoint, secret reserves are a drag because they waste my time.

Roger