eBay trying to remove sniping

[OhioLawyerF5]

They've got to give the shill bids from their biggest sellers plenty of time to find the max bids of legitimate buyers.

[Fred]

Don't you wonder why they didn't institute this type of bidding long ago?

It works for AHs.

I don't care either way because I typically know what I'll spend on something and if it goes way past what I'm bidding, then it just wasn't meant to be.

[dariushou]

I too think this will lower prices. I don't have time to bid auction format for every item I snipe on ebay. I already spend enough time on regular big name auctionhouses. I will do buy it now/ offer or snipe under current format or simply won't bid. So they'll lose me and i'm sure many others.

[Ray Van]

My initial reaction was very negative towards eBay for making such a move. I use a snipe service for >80% of my bids so initially I thought it would really impact my chances of success. But the reality is, by using a snipe service you are setting your max bid and you are still taking your chances based on whoever else is bidding against you regardless of when they place their bids.

It doesn't really matter if the auction ends at 10:00 or 10:02 or 10:30, if my max (snipe) bid goes in 5 seconds before the initial auction deadline, then I win if nobody outbids my max and I lose if someone outbids my max - just that simple. Sure, it allows someone to continue to bid the item up and maybe eventually win it from me, but then again they are winning the item for more than I was willing to pay.

I might revise my strategy and up my snipe bid amounts to give me a little more buffer, and I don't like that I won't be able to win so many auctions on the cheap, but c'est la vie.

[Exhibitman]

I think the idea stinks in no small part because eBay has not concerned itself in the slightest with shill bidding. I snipe everything because of the potential for shill bidding given eBay's total lack of enforcement and safeguards.

[OhioLawyerF5]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I think the idea stinks in no small part because eBay has not concerned itself in the slightest with shill bidding. I snipe everything because of the potential for shill bidding given eBay's total lack of enforcement and safeguards.

100%

All the other discussions are noise. Buyers should be concerned about shill bidding, and ebay is doing this to facilitate it. They have proven over and over again, unless they want you gone because you are a competitor, they have no problem with shill bidding.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by OhioLawyerF5

100%

All the other discussions are noise. Buyers should be concerned about shill bidding, and ebay is doing this to facilitate it. They have proven over and over again, unless they want you gone because you are a competitor, they have no problem with shill bidding.

+1
In my view it is a wildly stupid idea and will definitely decrease final selling prices. Unless it's a BIN, I snipe almost 100% of the time. What a totally ignorant move on their part. (again, just my opinion). There is a 100% chance I spend less on ebay if this comes to fruition. I am sure I am not alone. I am not dictating my life around eBay auctions.

[RayBShotz]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I think the idea stinks in no small part because eBay has not concerned itself in the slightest with shill bidding. I snipe everything because of the potential for shill bidding given eBay's total lack of enforcement and safeguards.

Adam is spot on here.
RayB

[dariushou]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I think the idea stinks in no small part because eBay has not concerned itself in the slightest with shill bidding. I snipe everything because of the potential for shill bidding given eBay's total lack of enforcement and safeguards.

I couldn't agree more

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Any type of auction (eBay, auction houses) can drive you mad if you give too much thought to shill bidding. Sniping certainly does aid in giving it less thought. Without the assistance of sniping, I can't imagine how often we'd all have to pay our max bids. If we can't trust all auction listings to be run honestly, then why shouldn't we have software which helps us keep things as fair as possible?

With any auction, I simply don't think of them as actual, legitimate auctions. I just imagine them as a sale, with my max bid being the highest I'd be willing to pay if I saw something for sale at a show or elsewhere. If I have to pay the max, that's just fine. Should I miraculously get something for less than that, all the better. Thank you, sniping software! Perhaps this is easier for me because I'm strictly purchasing for resale. I'm not interested in setting any new record sale prices, nor do I keep bidding due to an insatiable collector craving to fill a hole in my collection. If there's no room for the profit margin I'm looking for, someone else can have it. It doesn't matter.

All of this "15 minute rule", "two minute rule" stuff has always been BS from a buyer's standpoint. I can't stand it. No, I'm not staying up until 2:00 a.m. for the sake of your auction. It's ridiculous. Here is what amounts to my maximum offer, tendered a few minutes before your rule starts. Take it or leave it. I'm going to bed.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

I think the idea stinks in no small part because eBay has not concerned itself in the slightest with shill bidding. I snipe everything because of the potential for shill bidding given eBay's total lack of enforcement and safeguards.

On the contrary, I would say they are doing this, in part, to increase shill bidding.

[mannequin1]

Originally Posted by Tabe

On the contrary, I would say they are doing this, in part, to increase shill bidding.

For at least the last 2 years ebay has already had extended bidding for a period of 2-3 minutes, so they already have extended bidding. Doing away with sniping is inconvenient to to mist bidders as not only do you have to remember when the auction ends but you physically have to be there, when you could be doing other things.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by mannequin1

For at least the last 2 years ebay has already had extended bidding for a period of 2-3 minutes, so they already have extended bidding. Doing away with sniping is inconvenient to to mist bidders as not only do you have to remember when the auction ends but you physically have to be there, when you could be doing other things.

I have never seen extended bidding on eBay for sports cards. Have they had it for other categories in the past 2 years?