Any Weed Killer ? Getting beat by the snipe

[Archive]

Posted By: Joseph Shirley

Steve, I agree. Back in the early days when I sold on Yahoo, they had an option that would extend the auction until no bids were placed for several minutes. As a seller I loved it, and buyers who hated snipers loved it too, since snipe programs will not work in that format.

However, I had many buyers email me yelling and screaming that I somehow manipulated the system, by allowing the auction to extend beyond the scheduled closing time. I got tired of explaining that not all auctions systems are set up like ebay, and that I had nothing to do with it. It was the format Yahoo had. I finally clicked off the option and ran my yahoo listings the same way ebay does.

By the way, what is so bad about sniping anyway. I love it both as a seller and buyer. As a buyer, bids can be placed ahead of time, without having to hang around waiting for the auction to close, and it illiminates the temptation to overbid in an emotional frenzy at the end, or to have your final bid exposed by early raises. Not to mention, if you have second thoughts about the item, you can always cancel a snipe, without angering a seller with a bid cancellation.

As a seller, I like it because I know there will be more bids available at the end. And if I made some stupid mistake, like having an auction end on an important holiday, I will be saved because many buyers will have their bids locked in early.

Sorry some of you don't like it, but that is your problem. I love sniping, and always will.