PWCC – Announcing Formal Policy Concerning eBay Bidder & Buyer Integrity

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by Stonepony

Great effort! Thank you . Question... If bid retractions are NOT something the software can filter for...how are you going to monitor it yourselves?

Read the last paragraph. They are hoping/expecting us to do it for them.

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Read the last paragraph. They are hoping/expecting us to do it for them.

I know, the one thing that most people care about most ( bid retractions) they have set parameters for with plans to modify... yet have no way to monitor for infractions.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Wow, awesome leadership in the field. It's nice to know someone out there is listening. For those who think there are flaws with the proposal; of course there are, but who else is doing even this much??? It's so obvious that their intentions are spot on that I'm sure they'll iron out implementation. The fact that we have a powerful advocate with ebay's ear and they are using it to help the hobby is simply fantastic.

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by Brent Huigens

We get an email each time a bid is retracted on one of our auctions. Overall number of bid retractions is something we have to check for each for each user ID, so here is where we are soliciting help from the collecting community.

Thank you

[yankeeno7]

Great job! Maybe at some point ebay will see the importance of transparency of bidders. But for now, this is a great move and great that you could negotiate this with ebay.

[divecchia]

It's most definitely a step in the right direction to help lessen shill bidding and most importantly bid retractions.

Donato

[Beastmode]

This is far more than any of the other AH's are doing, (queue the cricket chirp). Much appreciated.

[sushihotwings]

I applaud the efforts made by Brent and Betsy. The one change I am somewhat concerned about in regards to discouraging legitimate bidders would be the "string bidder policy". I often use smaller bid increments for various reasons. As long as the bidder has no bid retractions (which I don't), I am not sure why I should be told how many times or how often I can bid and in what increment. I would rather not have my maximum bid amount hanging out there regardless of how confidential it is. Bidding smaller increments allows me to get a sense of what the winning bid might need to be in making a strategy for my top bid or a last second snipe. Most of the time so called "string bidding" doesn't result in matching the top bid, but actually puts you as top bidder at the smallest possible increment. As long as you pay for all your auctions without retractions, it seems unnecessary to regulate this part of the process and could result in discouraging legitimate bidders like myself resulting in lower auction prices and fewer participants.

[Tabe]

These are nice steps but the bid retraction policy should be changed. 25 bid retractions in 6 months? That's an INSANE number. No legit bidder would have 25 retractions lifetime let alone in 6 months. I think a number more like 3, or even 5, is more appropriate.

[Snapolit1]

Ive had three retractions in my life. Not patting myself on the back . . . I'm sure it's similar to most of you. 25 in 6 months? Serious game playing. If someone retracts bids on 2 or 3 PWCC items in the same auction -- that were consigned by the same person - they should be barred permanently.

[MULLINS5]

Originally Posted by sushihotwings

I applaud the efforts made by Brent and Betsy. The one change I am somewhat concerned about in regards to discouraging legitimate bidders would be the "string bidder policy". I often use smaller bid increments for various reasons. As long as the bidder has no bid retractions (which I don't), I am not sure why I should be told how many times or how often I can bid and in what increment. I would rather not have my maximum bid amount hanging out there regardless of how confidential it is. Bidding smaller increments allows me to get a sense of what the winning bid might need to be in making a strategy for my top bid or a last second snipe. Most of the time so called "string bidding" doesn't result in matching the top bid, but actually puts you as top bidder at the smallest possible increment. As long as you pay for all your auctions without retractions, it seems unnecessary to regulate this part of the process and could result in discouraging legitimate bidders like myself resulting in lower auction prices and fewer participants.

Agree 100%.

[ajjohnsonsoxfan]

I also don't understand the problem with "string bidding". If I bid $1 a 100 times and become high bidder and pay for the item is that bad?

[smallpaul2002]

It would be nice if Ebay (or PWCC for that matter) would block sniper software so auction items would be won in a fair bidding process, as compared to losing an item you have been winning for 6 days and losing it with one second to go in the auction. That is my biggest issue, who has not lost an item with seconds to go and felt "ripped off "by some high-tech computer sniper software that is nothing short "illegal". Only solution..if you can't beat em..join em.
One solution to this problem ......, you should be "blocked" from bidding, if you have never bid on the item in the last 10 minutes before the auction ends.
This solution at the very least,would allow the seller get higher prices for items for sale, as opposed to a prospective bidder getting "blocked out" by the bidding ending with 1 second left in the auction due to sniper software.

[irv]

Originally Posted by smallpaul2002

It would be nice if Ebay (or PWCC for that matter) would block sniper software so auction items would be won in a fair bidding process, as compared to losing an item you have been winning for 6 days and losing it with one second to go in the auction. That is my biggest issue, who has not lost an item with seconds to go and felt "ripped off "by some high-tech computer sniper software that is nothing short "illegal". Only solution..if you can't beat em..join em.
One solution to this problem ......, you should be "blocked" from bidding, if you have never bid on the item in the last 10 minutes before the auction ends.
This solution at the very least,would allow the seller get higher prices for items for sale, as opposed to a prospective bidder getting "blocked out" by the bidding ending with 1 second left in the auction.

I have never felt ripped off, only disappointed. I don't use a Snipe service but have won a couple cards with just seconds left (lost many too) but I understand the beauty of them especially when the auction ends late.

Sniping services are available to everyone, as far as I know?

[Leon]

Solution = Snipe higher.

Originally Posted by smallpaul2002

It would be nice if Ebay (or PWCC for that matter) would block sniper software so auction items would be won in a fair bidding process, as compared to losing an item you have been winning for 6 days and losing it with one second to go in the auction. That is my biggest issue, who has not lost an item with seconds to go and felt "ripped off "by some high-tech computer sniper software that is nothing short "illegal". Only solution..if you can't beat em..join em.
One solution to this problem ......, you should be "blocked" from bidding, if you have never bid on the item in the last 10 minutes before the auction ends.
This solution at the very least,would allow the seller get higher prices for items for sale, as opposed to a prospective bidder getting "blocked out" by the bidding ending with 1 second left in the auction due to sniper software.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by smallpaul2002

It would be nice if Ebay (or PWCC for that matter) would block sniper software so auction items would be won in a fair bidding process, as compared to losing an item you have been winning for 6 days and losing it with one second to go in the auction. That is my biggest issue, who has not lost an item with seconds to go and felt "ripped off "by some high-tech computer sniper software that is nothing short "illegal". Only solution..if you can't beat em..join em.
One solution to this problem ......, you should be "blocked" from bidding, if you have never bid on the item in the last 10 minutes before the auction ends.
This solution at the very least,would allow the seller get higher prices for items for sale, as opposed to a prospective bidder getting "blocked out" by the bidding ending with 1 second left in the auction due to sniper software.

Nope, gotta call BS on this one. Blocking late bidders doesn't raise prices; at most it makes people bid earlier. If you snipe you put in a max bid that is executed in the last several seconds of the auction. That max bid is your choice, and that doesn't change regardless of the closing time.

Sniping software is popular because it prevents shilling: if I don't bid until the last few seconds, no one can shill me because there is nothing to run up. Also, I bid on stuff from all over the world, with closing times in various zones. And I have a business to run. I don't have the opportunity to sit on an auction close, especially if it is on the East Coast or overseas, so a snipe program frees me from having to pay attention to specific closes. I lodge my snipe with the service and forget about it until the auction ends.

[jmb]

The only bid retraction I remember making was due to different computer screens. I bid on an item at work one day thinking nice card but when I got home the flaws on the card were much more visible on my home screen and it wasn't so nice after all.

[Mikehealer]

25 bid retractions is a ridiculous number. Any amount over 2 or 3 every 10-15 years is too many much less 25 in a six month span. I can't imagine someone being stupid enough to make the same mistake that many times in such a short time. They are obviously dishonest so ban/block them and be done with it.