Nanobidbots?

[linras-72]

OK, so I've read about the different software programs out there and how they can "snipe" and outbid you in the last nanoseconds of an auction and that it's not technically cheating (though I beg to differ- if I cant see their last nanosecond bid why do they get to see mine?!), but what I'm finding is happening lately is that these mysterious last nanosecond bids are consistently happening 50 cents over my last nanosecond bid. Yes, I "snipe" bid though I think what I do is a bit different... based on losing LOTS of ebay auctions that I thought I had in the bag, I now assume some sniper is waiting out there and going to place a last minute bid that is a logical amount higher than what any last nanosecond bid would be and what I do is get into the top position (or just a couple bucks below) and wait for the count down and place my last bid at $20-$30 more than the top bid at the moment (even if the top bid is my own) literally at the 1 second mark.  This has worked well for me to get above those last nanosecond bidders that are waiting for my last bid, and I've won many more items I really wanted doing it this way. IMO this is entirely different than using artificial intelligence because I'm manually doing it and it requires witt, focus and cat like reflexes to successfully  implement the tactic lol (though not really lol, I'm dead serious, it takes devote focus). (Lol). I'm not off somewhere having dinner while my robot wins me items (though now that I see my thoughts in writing I'm wondering if they're actually working smarter not harder and I'm being dumb and doing it the other way around hmmmm). What I don't understand is those people that somehow win with a final bid that's 50 cents above the totally random price I put in, which remember is $20-30 above the top price at the nanomoment (yes, I'm aware I made up that word). It's happened often enough that I wonder- is their software really THAT much faster that it can see my last nanosecond bid (even though I somehow can't see THEIR last nanosecond bids), and respond 50 cents higher THAT quickly all in a nanosecond of a nanosecond?!? Or can they somehow see the number I have sitting in my que waiting for me to hit "bid" in the last nanosecond?!? Hopefully ya'all understand what I'm trying to ask and see the distinction between my 2 scenarios. If the answer is the first scenario as opposed to the later, maybe I need to invest in one of these programs... Anyway, to reiterate,  it's happened so many times seemingly WHILE my last bid is being placed, that it cannot be coincidence. It's happened often enough and consistently enough that it made me wonder if they can somehow see INTO the ebay system, infiltrate it in a way, and see the number I have sitting in my que? To me thats a scary thought. Or are these programs really so powerful and fast that they can see my final bid even though it cant be seen publicly, and respond THAT quickly and instantly, and somehow win by 50 cents? If so, how is that fair?! I won't even pre type my final number anymore until at the 3 second mark because I feel like they can "see" my screen. Creepy. Any thoughts? Any similar experiences? And please, I'm SO not techy (bbb here- Basic Bidding B*tch lmao) and really have no interest in, or understanding of, artificial intelligence or computer programming  so please don't talk down to me about my unintelligence when it comes to this stuff if my questions seem very basic and simple and, well, stupid. I figure someone else out there's got to feel what I'm feeling, be just as frustrated that their win highjacking tactic is being foiled like mine is, and wondering the same things I am. I mean how many nanoseconds of a nanosecond are "people" winning these bids in? It's outrageous in my humble (yet often right) opinion. Just between you and me, when I can tell I'm bidding against one of these infuriating nanobidbots (yes, another new word for you), I'll just jack up the price and continue bidding, knowing I won't win, but I'll have the satisfaction of forcing these jerkoffs to pay thru the nose for cheating me out of my wins and that one item I really REALLY wanted. Bwhahahahaha. Jerks.

To my silent kindered spirits out there staying awake late at night pondering my same thoughts but too shy to publicly embarass themselves like I have..... You're welcome.

Thanks in advance for being kind. Now please tell me, how are these people winning?!?!?

Happy bidding! 😉 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Sniping is a common practice on Ebay auctions and has been for many years.

Place a bid for the maximum amount you are willing to pay and allow it be raised to that level as competition requires.

If you lose you lose.

[woodland_gnome]

Sniping is a defensive tactic that is the best single defense against shilling sellers. You have no need and no right to know anything about my bid to be able to bid effectively. If you can't decide your true maximum to bid in 7 days why do you believe you will do a better job in 5 minutes while in an emotional state over being outbid? On the other hand 5 minutes is plenty of time (particularly if it is extended by another 5 minutes as most auction extension proponents want) for a shiller to drive the price up to your supposedly hidden maximum and then retract the last bid if s/he goes over.

They do not see and respond to your bid.   They simply bid what the item is worth to the bidder as expressed in instructions given to the bots minutes, hours, or days in advance.   If you insist on bidding less than you are willing to pay expecting to be able to rebid if outbid you are doing it wrong and nobody else is required to dumb down their bidding to accommodate your deficiencies.

eBay's auction format is what makes it fair to those in up to 24 timezones with different work/sleep/computer schedules. Anyone can bid what the item is worth to them at any time and anyone can set up with a third party (there are reliable and secure ones which offer free limited use) to submit that bid in the last few seconds to get the defensive benefits of not having one's hidden maximum out there for others (again, including shilling sellers) to probe or otherwise base their bids on. Making it so those who are able to be there to react at the end have the advantage is unfair.

[kathiec]

Full disclosure, I didn't make it through that huge unbroken block of text. Paragraphs are your friend. But what shines through is that you really aren't clear on how eBay bidding works. Proxy bids are made at one bid increment above the next highest bid. So if you're outbid by a sniper you have no idea how much their actual high bid was, because only one bid increment was used to outbid you. In the example you use the bid increment was 50 cents. The actual high bid could have been $0.50 or $10 or $100 higher than your bid. Nor do they have any idea of your actual high bid.

You might want to read up on how eBay's proxy bidding system works:

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/bidding/bidding?id=4003

[mudshark61369]

@linras-72,

You were being out bid because you were only bidding one increment at a time, before you realized other people were bidding the most they were willing to pay for the item. However much more they bid, they only needed one more increment than your high bid to win.   There is no AI involved, the wining bidders decided how much they thought the item was worth to them, and place a bid for that amount in the last seconds of the auction, or they used a bid service to bid for them, if they could not be available to bid when an auction ended. Using a service only give them and advantage of being able to bid in the last second of an auction, it does not select a price to bid the bidder did that, and that may have placed that bid with the service the day the auction started.

"What I don't understand is those people that somehow win with a final bid that's 50 cents above the totally random price I put in, which remember is $20-30 above the top price at the nanomoment".

If someone outbid you by only 50 cents when your bid was $20-$30 more than the bid increment showing when you bid, they might win by as little as a penny more, than your high bid price, but if they bid even numbers their bid would likely at least a dollar more than your highest bid. But again, no one can see what your highest bid is.  FYI if you look at an auction's bid history with "See automatic bids enabled" and look at the time stamp on the bids, you might find the winning bid was placed days before the auction's end.

At the bidding levels you are talking about $.50 cents the price of an item is under $25. Any bid over $24.99 the minimum bid increment goes to $1 more than the current bid price showing up to $99.99

Not only should you read the link about bidding provided by kathiec, but click on all of he buttons in it, especially the one about Tips for winning auctions. Then open the link below which shows the bid increment prices.

Bidding a very high amount over an item's value can cause you to win an auction for a much lower price. (We call that nuclear bidding)  However, another person may have the same idea, and in that case you could end up paying much more than an item is worth.  Only bid the most you are willing to pay for an item, and add a few odd cents to the bid, in case someone else feels the item is worth the same amount. At the end the few odd cents can make the difference.  There is a bid increment chart in that link.

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/bidding/automatic-bidding?id=4014

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@linras-72 wrote: ... I wonder- is their software really THAT much faster that it can see my last nanosecond bid (even though I somehow can't see THEIR last nanosecond bids), and respond 50 cents higher THAT quickly .... Or are these programs really so powerful and fast that they can see my final bid even though it cant be seen publicly, and respond THAT quickly and instantly, and somehow win by 50 cents? .... how many nanoseconds of a nanosecond are "people" winning these bids in? .... Now please tell me, how are these people winning?!?!?

Happy bidding! 😉 

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Your fears and elaborate theories are based on a couple of fundamental misunderstandings about the process.

1.  The snipe bidding services do not have any special insights into other bids.  They merely place  a bid for the bidder.  The bidder still has to specify the exact amount of the bid, just as they would for regular manual bidding. The default lead time for a snipe bid is 6 seconds, not nanoseconds. Some services allow bidders to adjust that lead time, but they advise against cutting it too close.

2.  The winning bid in an auction is always shown as just one bid increment above the second-highest bid, regardless of the amount of the winner's full proxy bid. (There are a couple of rare exceptions: if the listing had a Reserve which the final bid meets or exceeds, or if there is less than a full bid increment between the two highest bids.)  The bid increment is set by eBay and depends on the high bid; it's 50 cents if the high bid is $5.00 - $24.99. So if you bid $17.23 and the other bidder bids $50.00, he will win the auction for $17.73.

3.  The winning bid is the highest bid regardless of when it is placed.  A snipe bid can be outbid by a bid that was placed at any time earlier in the auction.

[simba6]

It's the highest bid that wins.   You can bid more than the minimum amount. eBay will only use enough of the bid to keep you on top. You won't pay the full amount you bid unless it's needed.  Those bidders are winning because they bid more than you did.

[doc-holmes]

You didn't lose because they bid after you. You lost because they bed more than you.