OT: Tool for sniping over at ebay

[Fyron]

Real auctions don't tend to have arbitrary time stamps cutting off each item, do they? As long as people are still bidding, it continues. And you are all there when the auction is taking place, over a short, concise time period. This is unlike Ebay, where the auction is on-going for many hours or days until some point in time, which often ends up in the middle of the night or some other period where you can't be there to have a final "bidding war" with the other bidders. This is where the whole sniping thing comes in... Sure you can set up an auto-bid value, but its just not the same as being able to decide whether you want to continue bidding past that point or not. Scarcity of said item makes a big difference, naturally. Treating online auction sites like a live auction is inherently flawed.

Automatic sniping agents are not really analogous to hiring someone to go to the auction for you. A better analogy would be a null-sound field that prevents everyone else from being able to talk.

[Randallw]

I think Ebay has a mechanism whereby you make a bid of what you want to pay but you also make a bid of the maximum you are willing to pay, that way if someone outbids you near the end it will automatically up your bid for you.

[Baron Munchausen]

Randallw said:
I think Ebay has a mechanism whereby you make a bid of what you want to pay but you also make a bid of the maximum you are willing to pay, that way if someone outbids you near the end it will automatically up your bid for you.

Yes, and that is the key reason for sniping. If you enter a price and are automatically outbid, you have time to 'think' or maybe simply 'adjust' would be more accurate - it's an emotional process more than intellectual. You consider whether the item is worth more to you, or maybe just consider whether you will stand for being outbid, and often go back to bid again. In order to prevent others having time to decide they want something badly enough to outbid you, many will wait until the last possible moment and only then place their bid. It seems quite likely to me that sniping really does result in lower prices due to the way it reduces competition. Since this works against the seller's interest in getting the highest possible price for the item, I can also see why sellers try to find ways to penalize or completely prevent sniping.

[Atrocities]

I prefer Craig's List.

[Mindi]

Although my analogy isn't exact, if you give an agency a maximum bid you are willing to pay and someone bids over that, if the agent doesn't have you on the phone while they are bidding for you and can ask you if you want to up your bid, you will lose the item as the agency isn't going to risk eating the price of the item if you didn't want to go higher. If an item is that important to you then you place your high bid accordingly. It's as simple as that and that's the way ebay wants it to work.

Now if you think someone is bidding just to drive up the price at then end of an auction to make you reach your high bid amount, that IS against ebay rules (see Shill Bidding).

The problem is with ebay that you used to be able to get a lot of great deals because people weren't always camped out for the end of the auction, so if you were there you might get a great bargain. But ebay has become so popular and with the use of proxy bidding that the true bargains to be had are getting few and far between. Especially once you add in the S&H that some ebayers are charging.

[Atrocities]

I recently posted some items on Cragslist.com for sale in my area. Since then I have sold the items but the scam emails keep rolling in.

Most are form messages used to asway concern while expressing "sincere and abundant interest" in the item I am selling. They comment on how they will issue me a check on "any United States Bank" and that craigslist "will garantees the sale."

Any who I got sick of these obviously low brow attempts to con me, so I opted to play their game back.

I opted to open my own yahoo.com account, being as how 99% of the scam mail comes from their. (chriswalker 1@yahoo.com chriswalker 2@yahoo.com etc.)

This is the message I sent them.

Due to excessive fraud complaint reports to our office we have placed you under investigation and has tracked you through through your internet protocols through yahoo.com. You are being advised of this action in accordance to Federal and International Law. At this time an international, federal, and local arrest warrant has been issued for your immediate arrest and extradition to Washington DC for Federal prosecution for internet fraud, wire service fraud, mail fraud, and violation of Revised International Commerce Statutes (RICS). Do Not attempt to run, you will only be captured tired.

Trooper Bill Conrad
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)
District of Malaboo
Washington DC

Since this is a bogus agency, I have committed no violation of any law.