Auctions ending early to the chagrin of bidders

[Archive]

Posted By: davidcycleback

Actually, Joe, I think you points are fair.

Late bidding is often justified, but a side effect is that auctions will be
ended early as a response. Sellers get nervous when there is little bidding
on an item, and may not want their success to have to depend on sniper bids that
may or may not materialize. Anyone who's had an expensive item go for cheap
when the sniper bids didn't materialize understand the seller's nervousness.

This all came about because I noticed that a well know eBay seller clearly stated
he does not end auctions early, and I thought that that statement might garner
loyalty from collectors who don't like auctions to be ended early. Personally,
I feel people who end auctions early, and make bidders mad at them, are exchanging
short term gain for bidder loyalty. I don't see how alienating bidders is
good for longterm business. I bookmark my favorite sellers. A seller
who did things I didn't like-- ala auctions I was looking at regularly went
Poof or I strongly suspected the seller shilled or the seller used dishonest
descriptions-- I would remove from the bookmarks. As my bookmarked sellers
are a source of much to most of my bids, and removed sellers are sellers I
will no longer follow, the removal is not an insignificant act. Granted I'm
not a big eBay spender, but I wonder if other sellers are doing similarly.
Presumably, when a collector lists his favorite eBay sellers for the benefit of
a fellow collector who asked, he doesn't pick sellers who who do things
that infuriate him.