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Ebay auctions are nuts
I tried to enter an auction last night.
Every time I tried to place a bid, the amount was deleted.
When I finally got one in, I got a "2 seconds" pop-up.
My bid was higher than the winning bid - but what the heck was that warning?
Very dodgy, deleting someone's bid before he can enter it.
Yes, there was a new bid - but the one I was trying to enter was *higher.*
What the heck?
7 comments
eburtonlab
Mentor3 years agoInstead of entering a bid amount on the item page, try hitting the bid button without entering a number.
Then, on the bid window that pops up you should be able to enter a number without it being erased when another bid appears and the item page is updated.
eBay has had a bug that caused bid amounts to be cleared under certain conditions for years now; previously the bug only occurred on the bid history page, but recently eBay updated something and now the bid bug appears on the item page as well.
pieterzwar0
OP3 years agoThanks for the reply, eburtonlab.
So this is a standing problem that ebay has not corrected?
I followed the instructions for automated bidding [correct term?] -
and now you tell me they are wrong?
Shouldn't ebay change their instructions?
Anyway, I'm certain I got my higher bid in before they could delete it.
All the more reason to think ebay auctions are dodgy.
eburtonlab
Mentor3 years agoSo this is a standing problem that ebay has not corrected?
It does not always happen, but it happens often enough that it has come up on the community boards before and folks have discovered workarounds.
eBay should fix the issue, but unless lots of folks complain about it, it will not be a priority.
Use the "Give us feedback" link on the bid entry popup to let eBay know about your bidding experience.
pieterzwar0
OP3 years agoWhatever the pop-up I saw was, it was up for less than 2 seconds.
It's far too late to do anything with it.
How do we get more users to let ebay know, if they don't know
how to do that?
It's frustrating to hear that there were things I could have done -
but no way to know in time to do them.
eburtonlab
Mentor3 years agoHow do we get more users to let ebay know, if they don't know
how to do that?
Find those users by reading the community pages and other public fora, and when users post about problems bidding, respond and describe the workaround, and encourage those users to let eBay know about those and other similar problems. At least that is what I have been doing. If you have other ideas, I am open to suggestions.
pieterzwar0
OP3 years agoSo I have to bid again in another auction and hope
that I get an invitation to give feedback? [There are
no auctions for any of the few things I would want to
buy. This was my second auction in years. The first
one was several years ago, and I had no problem.]
I appreciate your time. If I find another item I want
being auctioned off, and I have the time to enter
and follow it, I'll follow your instructions. But normally
I don't have that kind of time. (The only reason I have
time now is because I am recovering from an injury
gotten on a neighboring farm. When recovered a bit
more I'll be back to farming, protesting, and my
part-time job.)
Thanks for your time and your advice.
eburtonlab
Mentor3 years agoSo I have to bid again in another auction and hope
that I get an invitation to give feedback?
You do not need to actually place a bid to use the feedback link:
Keep in mind that bids can be placed at any time in an auction; there may be tactical reasons to bid at the end, but it is not strictly necessary to do so. Also, there are bid sniping services that will place bids for you if you doubt you can place a bid yourself.