Automatic bidding

[3rd-floor-comics]

It seems a buyer can bid an outrageous top dollar they’d pay as auto bid.  By doing so. No one will reach their bid and they win every time. But don’t have to pay the outrageous amount they offered. Only beat the other highest bid. 

This seems unfair to the active bidders. Is it possible to not allow auto bids on my items? 

[campanaelia]

Obviously the highest bidder wins, if you want the item bad enough bid higher. I see nothing unfair about this. It is best to bid within the last 10 seconds or less.

[oneblindcat]

Unless you have two bidders using the same strategy.

In which the winning bid will be outrageously high.

More money for you!

No guarantee that they'd actually pay it, of course.

[eburtonlab]

If only one person knows how to do that, the strategy can allow a bidder to win, but at what cost? The winner still has to pay one increment more than the second highest bidder's maximum amount. Which may be more than the item is really worth to the winner.

And what if two bidders employ the same "nuclear" strategy? Someone will win and be obligated to pay "an outrageous top dollar amount". Oops.

The best strategy is still to bid the maximum amount you are actually willing to pay for the item. That way if you are outbid, the winner pays more than you were willing to pay. But there is no chance of being obligated to pay more than the item is actually worth to you.

You can bid $100 for a $20 item. But why would you? That would be foolish.

[kathiec]

You have no idea of what anyone's highest bid is. So how would you have any idea if someone is bidding "outrageous top dollar"? But if you don't like the way eBay's proxy bidding system works your only solution is to list only Buy it Now format.

[woodland_gnome]

There is absolutely no advantage in bidding more than the most you are willing and able to pay.  

Besides the possibility of someone else having the same cunning plan, someone else could also typo, have a special reason to pay more for that particular item, misunderstand the nature of the item, etc. etc. etc.

Being obligated to pay more than the most you are willing to pay is not a "win" in my opinion.

[dryophelia]

@3rd-floor-comics 

Here is the link to eBay’s help page about managing unpaid items.  

Be sure to set your buyer requirements to block bidders with 2 unpaid item strikes in a year. 

You can set your listings to be Fixed Price (Buy It Now) and there would be no bidding. Be sure to enable immediate payment required. With immediate payment your item isn’t sold until it’s paid for.

Also, do not entertain offers. At this time, immediate payment on offers is only for a select group of buyers.

[femmefan1946]

Are you the buyer or the seller?
 If you are the buyer and other bidders consistently beat you, bid more.

The highest bid wins.

This includes automatic bids places days before the end of the auction, manual bids nibbled slowly up,and bids placed with sniping services to be placed in the last nano-second of the auction.

The highest bid wins.

Bid once, bid your maximum, and if someone outbids you, he was a sucker who paid too much.

Are you the seller?

The thrill of the auction is that the bidder knows he could and would pay more, but he got it for less although other bidders were suckers who did not realize the value of the thing.

Whether he bids his maximum early or late, once or multiple times, or uses a sniping service to swoop in at the last nano-second, he has his thrill of beating out both other buyer and possibly the seller.

If this makes you, as a seller, uncomfortable, don't use auctions.

Over 85% of transactions on eBay are Fixed Price.

The seller decides what she will accept and the buyer either pays or passes it by.

Note that the Seller can opt to use Fixed Price/Immediate Payment Required, in which case the Thing remains available until someone actually pays for it.

Another option is Best Offer, which allows a small amount of dickering on price-- a little like an auction.

[3rd-floor-comics]

They’re bidding more than willing to pay. 

Let’s say they turn on auto bid. With a higher than reasonable limit. They only pay as high as the other active and engaged bidders are willing to go. The bidders don’t stand a chance. 

One that set the limit at $500 for a $200 item. Pays. $200. 

[3rd-floor-comics]

The advantage is the other bidders don’t stand a chance and the one who set their limit too high only pays the highest bid amount. 

let’s say. $500. Bid after bid never reaches $500. Because it’s not worth $500. The one that set the limit at $500. Wins at $5 over highest bid. $200. 

other bidders never had a chance. 

this last time around. Winner canceled the sale. Because he ‘only wanted to go $250’. 

[3rd-floor-comics]

I know his limit on auto bidding was outrageous Because he won. With an outrageous top dollar. Someone played his game. Then he canceled the sale. 

second chance offer is inflated. 

[3rd-floor-comics]

Correct. 

the limit was outrageous. But he only pays one increment above last bid. Never having to pay that top bid. Except. Ooops. Someone caught on and doubled their bid. Still losing. 

winner canceled order. Second chance offer is inflated. 

[3rd-floor-comics]

Auto bidding is the issue. Bid one increment above with a limit of 10 grand. Walk away. Guarantee win. Price paid one increment above top bid. $200. 

other bidders never had a chance. 

[3rd-floor-comics]

I guess the answer is No. i cannot turn off auto bidding for my items. ✌️

[soh.maryl]

It seems like that bidder really wanted your item.

And how do you, the seller, know the amount of that buyer's proxy bid? To the best of my knowledge, that information is hidden.  If you are listing an item for $20 and I enter a bid of $200, only $25 (or whatever the increment is at that level) will be showing to anyone, including the seller.

And why would a seller object to a buyer winning an auction for the most money?

All buyers in an auction have the same opportunity to bid.  If the bidding process seems wrong to you, use FP, IPR.