Sniping needs to stop, and I have a solution.

[hippolyta]

I lost an auction today that I have held the high bid for THREE STINKING DAYS.  Also I wasn't near my max bid.  With ONE MINUTE left this **bleep** with a 4 feedback rating comes in bids enough to hit my max. Then bids  ONE DOLLAR over my max to win and with no time for me to rebid.   I saw another auction site that combated sniping by add 5 minutes to the auction if someone bid with a minute or less left in the auction.  I don't remember how many times they would do it.  Here's my idea:  Add five minutes anytime there is a bid or bids in the last two minutes of the auction. Also add "Snip-bot" detection software as well as bans for serial snipers.  

What do y'all think of my idea?  Tell me.  Right I am seething over this, the seller isn't answering my message, and I reported it to Ebay who agreed it looked extremely suspicious and are going to investigate.  However the Ebay rep. said the sniper has already paid for the item.  GRRR. >.<

[mtgraves7984]

Don't sweat it over $1. Was it the natural next-highest bidding increment, out of curiosity?

I'm a big fan of sniping and don't want to bid on an open-ended Auction. But that's just me...

[titipeo]

You do realize that eBay does not really care about this, as long as they get their commission. So no, they are not that **bleep**. Good for you that the bots do not know spanish swear words.

[buyselljack2016]

you lost because you did not bid your max as late in the auction as possible.

The extend the auction idea comes up here on a regular basis.

Like mtgraves I do not want to bid on a open-ended auction, and on the rare occasion that I do an auction listing .........................   I want it to end when it is scheduled to end.

eBay will investigate nothing, as there is nothing to investigate. Told you that to placate you, and move on the the next complaint.

[alcoforever]

Your idea has come up on these forums many times.   It sucks.

You lost because you were too cheap to bid enough, not because of some sniper.  It is the highest bid that wins, not the last bid.   You had the same time to bid as every other bidder.

[eburtonlab]

I lost an auction today that I have held the high bid for THREE STINKING DAYS. Also I wasn't near my max bid. With ONE MINUTE left this pendejo with a 4 feedback rating comes in bids enough to hit my max. Then bids ONE DOLLAR over my max to win and with no time for me to rebid.

Sniping -- bidding at the end of an auction -- is explicitly allowed by eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/bidding/bid-sniping?id=4224

Auctions allow multiple users to place bids. At the end of the auction, the highest bid wins. In the case of a tie, the earlier bid is considered the winner.

As long as eBay receives a qualified bid and time stamps it before the end of the auction, it is considered a valid bid, even if you can not see the bid until the auction is over.

The amount the winner pays is determined by the second highest bidder in most cases. eBay only reveals enough of the highest bidder's amount to beat the second highest bidder by up to one bid increment.

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

Just because you were outbid by a dollar does not mean that that high bidder bid that amount -- that is the amount that was needed to beat your bid amount and take the lead. The actual bid placed may have been much higher.

Because of the way online auctions with fixed deadlines work, it is very easy to be the only bidder for the vast majority of an auction time, and then lose at the end by being outbid at the last second. Keep in mind that it is the high bid that wins, not the last bid.

Many veteran bidders recommend calculating the maximum amount you are willing to spend taking into consideration any shipping or taxes, and then bidding that amount once, as late in the auction as you are comfortable with. If the bid amount is a round number, consider adding a few odd cents to decrease the chances of a tie, which would go to the earlier bidder.

If you bid your maximum amount and you are outbid, that means that someone was willing to spend more money than you were on that item. If you bid less than your maximum, you can be outbid and lose for an amount that you were willing to spend. Which is why bidding less than your maximum is not a good idea.

If you think of the auction as a race, if you want to win, the goal should be to be in the lead at the end of the race and cross the finish line in first place. Just because you lead for 499 laps does not mean you cannot be passed in the last lap.

[funfinds122]

Next time try placing bids for an odd amount, like $10.67 instead of $10.  You might just outbid someone by a few pennies.  

[femmefan1946]

The last bid does not win.

The first bid does not win.

The HIGH bid wins.

You were outbid by someone who was willing to spend more than you.

If you want to win every time purchase from Fixed Price listings. You will never be outbid.

The winning bidder may have paid one dollar more than you, but it is quite possible he bid $10 more or $100 more.

I once was the only bidder on a book I won at 50c. But my bid was $50. No one bid any higher -actually no one bid at all.

I participate in a local online auction which adds bidding time.  The three lots I have bids on were supposed to close around 5pm. Bidding is still going on at 9:19 pm and no one has out bid me.  Nor have I raised my maximum bid.

Bid once. Bid your maximum.

[hippolyta]

Yeah Do you know what would happen in the REAL WORLD if you did that at a live auction?   Well I have been on the receiving end of it and it dang near end turned into a brouhaha at a charity auction. The same person would wait until just before Auctioneer said sold THEN BID.  Five times they did this. The fifth time we were out of cash. It was a cash only auction, people around  us started handing my sister money. One very kind man Gave my sister a FIFTY DOLLAR bill. She got the autographed item for $75.  Sister bid the last time he went goingoncegoingtwicesold BANG.  The couple that had been pulling the Shenanigan were friends of the SELLER that put the item in the auction and one was one the cellphone to seller and the other was bidding.  Once this was found out they were kicked out of the Sci-Fi convention and BLACKLIST (i.e. banned) from future conventions.  Generally when some acts in a NEFARIOUS fashion it is for NEFARIOUS reasons.  You sir are part of the problem and obvious have little to no ETHICS.

[hippolyta]

CHEAP!?!?! Excuse you! I bid 50 dollars on a 5 dollar toy.  Who  are you calling Cheap?  I have an Amex with no preset spending limit what I was suppose to bid $10,000 to insure I won?   After three day and it was only at 32 dollars right up till ONE MINUTE BEFORE THE AUCTION ENDED!  I though I had done very good. I'm sorry your last name must be Kardashian and you can spend obscene amounts of money on whatever  you want because you are richer than God!

[shepar58]

If your going to bid on an auction either enter your maximum bid tour willing to pay or be right there at the second that auction ends!  Auction have been sniped since Ebay opened for business. Sniping is one of the things that put the entertainment in the auction. You should not call the winner stupid just because they were 'smart' enough to win the auction. 

[alcoforever]

---

@hippolyta wrote:

CHEAP!?!?! Excuse you! I bid 50 dollars on a 5 dollar toy.  Who  are you calling Cheap?  I have an Amex with no preset spending limit what I was suppose to bid $10,000 to insure I won?   After three day and it was only at 32 dollars right up till ONE MINUTE BEFORE THE AUCTION ENDED!  I though I had done very good. I'm sorry your last name must be Kardashian and you can spend obscene amounts of money on whatever  you want because you are richer than God!

---

Obviously not a $5 toy then was it?   When I want something on auction, I bid the absolute most I am willing to pay.   If I lose, the other fool paid too much.   If I win, most times it is for less that my max bid.

You need more experience dealing with auctions.

[hippolyta]

I'm into horses as a rule the Nag at last usual finishes last.   The horse that maintains and turns on the gas near the end is the winner.  Except for last years Kentucky Derby winner, stripped of the win for using performance enhancing drugs.   Hey, why don't we all just use HACKS, CHEATS, and BOTS to win auctions at the Price we want.  Whatever it takes to win, right?   Yeah, right and how many of you cussed the New England Patriots over "Deflate - Gate"?    Why don't we ask EBay to make all kinds of Auction Cheating legal? Hey let's make Shill bidding legal so seller get the price they want?   Because its all WRONG and YOU KNOW IT!

[downunder-61]

Agreed, eBay is not for everyone, and especially those that have no understanding of how the auction process works, nor really wants any assistance or guidance and just responds rudely to volunteers trying to explain.

SMH

[hippolyta]

Excuse you?  Did you even read my profile?  I have a member of Ebay since 1998!   HELLO I think I have plenty of experience doing auctions. This was WRONG!   Hey fine I 'll go buy my own cheatware and Snip too!  Everything was done with ONE MINUTE LEFT IN THE AUCTION! I  had NO TIME TO REBID!