Auctions to reset bidding timers when new bids come in last minute????
Summary: There is a heated discussion regarding eBay's introduction of extended bidding times for certain auction categories, including trading cards and auto auctions. johndp58 is frustrated with this new system, arguing it benefits sellers and complicates the process for bidders, particularly when managing multiple auctions ending in close succession. mudshark61369 and others explain that the auctions now extend by 60 seconds each time a new bid is placed in the final moments, leading to potential delays. Some participants, like powell-collectibles, express skepticism about the benefits of this change, suggesting it might deter buyers. Different participants express differing strategies, with some adopting a relaxed attitude and others expressing ongoing frustration with the new format.
What crap is this, I use auctionsniper often especially when not at the computer, why does this need to be changed from original format?????????? The only one to win will be the seller as bidders continue to fight with each other and some prices get even stupider. Current format is bid your highest bid at last minute to lessen bidders continued extended fighting, How do I bid on auctions ending minutes apart from same seller when 1st auction clock keeps resetting and I can't get to the 2nd or third or fourth auction. The current format has worked for me for over 15 years, highest bidder wins when end time hits, thats it!!!!! Simple, sure many are now bidding at last seconds, and they risk losing if server burps but highest bid that gets in when clock ends wins!!!!!!!!!!!. There are way too many auctions going on every day to be making it even harder....... John P.
bennotbill
·yesterday at 1:39 PMEbay has potentially turned auctions into a game.
I can see some bidders getting together to see who can extend an auction the most, and not pay.
roccotacodad54
·Oct 12, 2026 at 11:16 PMI just got an ad (or warning?) for extended auctions while doing a search.
I just put in my max bid late in the game.
I don't know what might happen with others using sniping software........................
shire123
·Oct 12, 2026 at 11:29 PM · EditedTheoretically, if someone is using snipe software their bid will go in at the time they wanted, but the auction will be extended 60 seconds beyond their snipe time. The highest snipe bid or highest conventional bid will be the highest potential winning bid, but anyone else who is not sniping and is following the auction will see what the highest snipe or conventional bid is and then can increase by at least one increment within the last 60 seconds.
Of course, if they do increase the highest snipe/conventional bid, the auction will extend another 60 seconds.
mudshark61369
·yesterday at 1:25 PM@roccotacodad54 ,
It would have been helpful if you had posted a screen shot of the ad/warning of the message, and told us what category of item did it pop up on. Was it on a search result page or a listing page?
I do not bid on or buy items in the categories that so far have extended time auctions, but I look at it this way.
My snipe/automatic bid price for an item I really want would probably be for more than its trending price, depending on the number of bids and the type of bids received so far.
There are still a good number of reasonably high feedback bidders who IMO misuse the automatic bid system, bidding only 2-3 increments higher than the previous high bid at a time. I'd bet you could find examples of that doing an Advanced search for Trading cards >
Sports mem, cards & fan shop > Auctions > Sold items. Look for some of the higher priced auctions $400+ with several bids, and look at the bid histories. The ones I found all ended on time, no 60 second more time stamps.
roccotacodad54
·5 hours agoI didn't think of a screen shot at the time. I was searching for something to do with bladed weapons/tools/implements. I do advanced searches every morning for bladed stuff. It was one of those bits like "your opinion counts" things I encounter while doing searches.
Trading cards of any kind or sports stuff I have no interest in so that wasn't it.
I was while doing a search and kind of surprised me.
Oh well, I'll just keep bidding the way I do and if others get "I have to win this" fever that's on them....................
mozartbach1971
·Oct 12, 2026 at 10:35 PMIs this system currently in place for all Ebay auctions? I only do auctions and I'm not sure if I noticed it.
thriftgirl_62
·Oct 12, 2026 at 5:08 PMEnter the most you will pay and set the sniper to 11-12 seconds and hope for the best.
powell-collectibles
·Oct 12, 2026 at 12:14 PMI don’t sell via auctions and I tend to stay away from them for most purchases. I’ve done plenty of purchases with online auctions – but on Invaluable, which is more of a proper auction format, IMO.
To those that think that extended bidding is such a great idea for sellers – I wouldn’t be so confident about it increasing your profits. Sure, you can squeeze out more money at the end of the auction, but that is only good if it doesn’t turn off a lot of buyers. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t – not likely that any of us on these boards have a firm grasp on the likelihood of either.
Think about it for a minute – if this is such a no-brainer idea, why didn’t eBay do it years and years ago? It’s not like it is amazingly hard to implement – this is pretty basic stuff on some other auction sites. And, sure, it does drive up pricing at the end of the auction, but perhaps at the cost of plenty of people not engaging in those auctions. Thus, that bump from the soft close might be getting you to under where you would have wound up with the hard close format. That’s why eBay hasn’t done it before and that’s why they are piloting in different categories.
As usual, be careful what you wish for 😊
roastedsaurus
·Oct 12, 2026 at 8:45 PMSellers may also find that a Buyer winning a run away soft close auction and the Seller getting paid are not the same thing.
restorevintagedolls4u
·Oct 12, 2026 at 11:48 AM · EditedI totally agree with you. It’s just one more way for eBay to make more money!! They’ve applied it now to ALL AUCTIONS, not just cars. How many times are they planning to reset the clock? Infinitely?!? I’ve never ever used a bidding app and always bid my highest amount in the last 5 seconds!! It is completely unfair, that just because I’m capable of placing a bid faster than someone else, my bid can then be canceled out because that person gets to add yet another bid against me!!! Do you know how many times the clock is reset? Does it go on forever if you keep bidding in that 10 second window?
roccotacodad54
·1 month agoI take a much more relaxed stance on auctions.
When they come up on my saved searches I take note and when the day comes I just put in my max bid and move on. I check "My Purchases" later to see if I won or not. Sometimes I win sometimes I lose but don't spend more than the item is worth to me.
Quite often I win these auctions if I resist the urge to bid too low.
johndp58
OP1 month agoI always bid my MAX in the last 7 seconds whether using auctionsniper or not, so there is no reason to extend the auctions, this sounds like dealdash crap......
restorevintagedolls4u
·Oct 12, 2026 at 11:48 AMI agree!! Just one more way for eBay to make more money off you!!
shire123
·1 month ago · EditedYou are absolutely right that if you are following multiple auctions that end around the same time implementing an extended bidding system will make it next to impossible to monitor all the auctions.
Your only solution is to bid your max on the auction and see where the results are. The fact that you wish to monitor auctions seems to imply that you really aren't bidding your max.
And you are right that sellers benefit from the potential change. They can get higher results. That also translates into higher income for ebay. So it's 2 against one and you are the one. Auctions exist primarily to get the most money for an item. Any method that increases the results is beneficial for those who run auctions.
Auctions were never meant for people to get things for the least amount.
grann-4629
·1 month agoWith extended time there is no 'going, going, gone' or 'or 'sold' notices provided by eBay, so they are not auctions ... every bid adds another 60 seconds to the so-called ending time and it could go on forever. Put in your highest bid and relax ... you may or may not win, just like a real auction. If you can't or won't do that, don't do eBay auctions as soon all categories will have extended time auctions.
restorevintagedolls4u
·Oct 12, 2026 at 11:50 AMThey all do!!
mudshark61369
·1 month ago@johndp58 ,
eBay is testing extended time auctions in two categories Trading cards and Auto auctions. You can still snipe and hope your highest bid holds up but it does take longer to find out. You are not the first to complain about the test and you will not be the last. All you can do is hope that ebay doesn't start doing this in more categories.
restorevintagedolls4u
·Oct 12, 2026 at 11:52 AMThey already do!! It’s in the vintage doll auctions as well. I just wanted to know if anyone knows how many times the clock is reset?
mudshark61369
·Oct 12, 2026 at 2:06 PM@restorevintagedolls4u ,
This topic was posted a month ago and at that time extended time auctions were only in 2 categories. After reading your last reply, I checked Announcements to see if there was one about expanding the categories, and there is not one. Is it possible that the vintage doll auction was a Live Auction?
In answer to your question, the 1 minute/60 second extension ends when no bids come in within 6o seconds after the last bid. They could go on for hours if a couple of nibble bidders start a bidding war.
janet9988
·Oct 12, 2026 at 11:39 PMSo eBay should warn all bidfers that the ending bis time is not automatic and to make sure their max bid has ended with a win or loss before bidding on another auction.