Ebay bidding problems

[Jerrygroah]

Has anyone else had problems bidding on items listed on ebay recently?

I bid in the fashion call snipping. It is not illegal, but discouraged.

Last night I tried to submitt a a bid on an item with 48 seconds left in the bidding time. I had bid on this item previously. I was down to where you are permitted a one touch bid. The instant I touched the bid now button my screen went dark and I was frozen from bidding further. The next screen that appeared told me I had been outbid and the item was sold for much lower than my attempted bid.

Then in a few hours I get a second chance to buy the item for a price $1.00 below what the final auction price was.

This is the second time this same thing has happened to me in very recent times. Do any of you experience this same type of problem? I have begun to believe that the ebay bidding is rigged. Typical of most auctions.

Jerry

 

[Luca1369]

Jerry,

  I snipe myself, in fact, that's how I bought my RV and several other items, and I have not encountered any problems. 

  I cannot see the resasoning behind eBay rigging the bidding.  For one thing, eBay is committed to helping the seller achieve the highest bid, not only for the seller, but for their own profit.

Steve

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I've never experienced that problem and I enter last second bids from time to time.  Sniping has the risk that your internet conection may be a mite slow at the critical instant, or several people may attempt to enter a bid at the same final instant and only one gets through.

The second chance bid is unrelated to the process - it merely indicates the original winner reneged. The seller has no motivation  to avoid/reject a last second bid that is higher than the current one and neither does Ebay - they both want to maximize the price for their own profit.

 

[seilerbird]

The way I bid on eBay is to decide the maximum amount I am willing to pay and bid that amount long before the auction closes. eBay only uses enough of your bid to outbid the highest bidder. This way I am guaranteed that a last second bid won't be screwed up by a bad Internet connection and it prevents me from getting caught up in bidding fever during the last few seconds of the auction and paying too much. It also means I don't have to be sitting at my computer whenever the auction ends.

 

[John From Detroit]

There is some lag between the clock on E-bay and the display on your screen.. I don't know how much it is but I do know that the timer lags the end of bid by some seconds.. I also suspect the number of seconds is variable.. That is one conection it might be 10 seconds, another it might be sixty depending on your connection and the path it's taking

 

[Luca1369]

There is some lag between the clock on E-bay and the display on your screen.. I don't know how much it is but I do know that the timer lags the end of bid by some seconds.. I also suspect the number of seconds is variable.. That is one conection it might be 10 seconds, another it might be sixty depending on your connection and the path it's taking

When I was searching eBay for an RV, I lost out on my first choice, a Golden Eagle Bus Conversion, by one second due to a slow dial-up connection that I had miscalculated.  The next time I gave myself a few extra seconds and won.  Timing can be everything.

Steve

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There  may be some small psychological bid advantage in sniping, but I wouldn't take a chance on losing something I really wanted by using that technique.  There really is no downside to putting your max bid in early. And if you change your mind, you can still "snipe" at the last second and go higher than your earlier decision.

 

[John From Detroit]

I have, from time to time, put in a bid on E-bay only to have some sniper beat me by a dollar with a last second bid.

If I really want it I put in a max bid about 1/2 what I'm willing to pay.. And snipe.

 

[papahog]

As was stated earlier I put in the Max I am willing to pay and forget about it.  So what if goes at the last second for a dollar more than my Max bid.  That is more than I was willing to pay anyway.

 

[Luca1369]

As was stated earlier I put in the Max I am willing to pay and forget about it.  So what if goes at the last second for a dollar more than my Max bid.  That is more than I was willing to pay anyway.

I understand what you are saying, however, I've always found I have one more dollar and don't want to lose some special item because I was a dollar short.

Steve

 

[seilerbird]

I understand what you are saying, however, I've always found I have one more dollar and don't want to lose some special item because I was a dollar short.

Steve

If the item is that special don't be so cheap with your original bid.

 

[scottydl]

www.esnipe.com, the only way to snipe.  Does the bidding for me automatically in the last few seconds (or whatever time frame I choose), and for low dollar items costs me almost nothing.  I've been using it for several years with excellent results.

There really is no downside to putting your max bid in early.

The downside is that other bidder(s) can figure out how high you will go.  If they beat your proxy bid put in earlier, then you're out of the game (unless you're sitting there watching the end and have time to stick another bid in).  With sniping only, nobody knows how much I'll spend until it's too late.  If it's enough, I win.  If someone else has a previous proxy bid higher than my snipe, then I try again next time. 

 

[Luca1369]

If the item is that special don't be so cheap with your original bid.

It has nothing at all to do with being "cheap".  It has everything to do with someone wanting the item as much or more than you and willing to go the extra little bit.  If I need or want the item I will give what I feel I need to spend to get it (provided I can't get it for less than on eBay). 

Cheap to me is entering what one may consider their maximum bid and not being flexible enough to go an extra buck or three.  If you really didn't want the item then don't bid on it (but if it's out of your budget that's understandable).  If you feel you can get a gold ring for $20, you'll bid $20 even though the ring is worth more...and so often someone will be willing to pay that "more." 

And Sctottydl is right, nobody knows till it's too late how much you're willing to spend, and that's how you win at sniping...now snipe hunting is a completely different critter.

Steve

 

[Buttermilk]

As for the second chance offers. I sell knives on ebay and when the bids are high enough that I make a good profit, I will usually offer the second and sometimes third highest bidders an identical item at their bids. When you get a second chance offer, always check your messages on your "my ebay" page to make sure it's a legitimate offer from the actual seller. If the email isn't in your messages, then it didn't come from the seller and someone is trying to scam you.

 

[cuts_up]

I always snipe.  Sometimes I use justsnipe.com.  I've had my internet connection freeze up on me, but in my part of the world where DSL and cable internet are unavailable, that's pretty common.  But I've never had ebay delay my bid.