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Why didn't the other person's autobid show until after the auction closed?
Forgive me if this is obvious, I've not using the bidding before vs just offers and buying straight; I was listed as winning up until the end when somebody else's bid of +25¢ more auto appeared as the winner. But it was listed as having appeared a few hours earlier even though neither the bid history nor my phone alerts showed their bid at that time. I was keeping an eye on it for sniping, so I would have outbid if I had seen the actual bid status. Are autobids supposed to kick in invisibly?
Bid in question.
3 comments
eburtonlab
Mentor6 months ago@guiseppe87
The winning bid appears to have reached eBay in the last four seconds of the auction:
https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/267591280253?item=267591280253&rt=nc&_trksid=p4429486.m145235.l2565
Bidding ends a set number of days after the auction started down to the exact second. Bids are accepted so long as a bid for a valid amount is received by eBay's server before the auction ends, even if those bids are not displayed on individual bidders' pages around the world until a few seconds later.
For some unknown reason eBay no longer displays the ending time to the second at the top of the bid history page, but if there are any bids you should be able to calculate the actual ending time by examining the starting time of the auction at the bottom of the page. Auctions always begin and end at the same time down to the exact second, unless the auction is ended early by the seller. All bidders have the same time to place valid bids, and no one gets any extra time. eBay time stamps every bid as it is received by eBay, and the times are displayed to the second in the bid history if you use a desktop browser.
Being told you are the current "high bidder" while the auction is still ongoing is not the same as being declared the winner after the auction is over, even if the countdown on your computer reaches zero. If you are the winner, you should see a link to check out.
If you bid the maximum amount you are willing to pay (taking into account any shipping or taxes) then the only way you can lose is if someone is willing to bid more than you were and actually does so, or if someone bid the same exact amount, earlier.
No one can count on having the last bid, and bidders should assume that other bids will be placed at the end of the auction too late to be reacted to, and set their bids accordingly.
If your auction countdown is not behaving correctly, check to make sure your computer's time and time zone are set correctly, and the date and time are synchronized with an internet time server such as time.windows.com or time.gov.
Check your computer's time here:
https://time.is/
Any difference between your device's clock and eBay's clock can cause problems for you if you intend to bid in the last few seconds of an auction. If your clock is fast or slow by thirty seconds, either way, this can prevent you from bidding. Either your computer will think the auction has ended when it has not, preventing your from bidding, or else you will think you have more time when the auction actually ends. Neither helps you.
Synchronize your device's clock to minimize errors, and don't wait until the last second to place your bid.
guiseppe87
OP6 months agoI was in error about the time stamp being hours off I guess because the record is listed in PST and I am in CST. I supposed it makes sense that it was within the last four seconds because I was watching in real time and refreshed the page in under 8-10 seconds. Which suggests that this was not an autobid and was manual?
I am not so foolish that I think being in the lead is the same as winning, but it seems to me there is no incentive to do anything other than autobid or do what the other person did, which is to not be the frontrunner and then snipe in under 10 sec.
eburtonlab
Mentor6 months agoThere are certainly tactical reasons to snipe at the end of an auction rather than to bid early and leave the bid exposed.
In the end, though, the highest bidder wins. In the case of a tie bid, the earlier bidder is considered the winner, so sniping may have some disadvantages if ties are likely. That is one reason that many snipers choose to add a few odd cents to a snipe bid rather than bidding in round numbers.
It is entirely possible for a bid to arrive at eBay's servers at the end of an auction and not leave enough time for that bid to be reflected on each potential bidder's own bid history page, so if your bidding strategy relies on being able to react to such a late bid and then bid again, it is time to rethink your strategy. Luckily, there is no need to wait until you are outbid to bid your maximum bid amount; that can be done at any time before the auction ends.