Tried sniping lately? You are in for a big surprise.

[bambopbam]

Ebay has once again been messing with the end time which is now not the real end time.  Twice today I sniped with my usual 4 seconds left on the second countdown timer only to witness the counter reset to 15 seconds left.  Lost both items after it appeared I had won both.  

[mtgraves7984]

I haven't tried it lately, but if I remember correctly, I was pretty good at it. If what you say is true, I would be mighty surprised.

[gkn29]

"Tried sniping lately?" No.  I usually do BIN and when I do bid, I just bid the maximum amount I'm willing to pay at the time I bid it (which is usually well before the ending time).

[bambopbam]

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@gkn29 wrote:

"Tried sniping lately?" No.  I usually do BIN and when I do bid, I just bid the maximum amount I'm willing to pay at the time I bid it (which is usually well before the ending time).

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Obviously BIN does not apply.  Sniping otoh is attempting to buy at the lowest price possible and it usually applies to collectible items, many times for resale.  Sniping is a tactic used by thousands and thousands of collectors on ebay.  

[bambopbam]

Here is proof that ebay is messing with the end time.  Notice the Time Ended says 11:39AM PDT.  That time stamp used to include the seconds.  Notice also the two bids in the screen shot have the seconds.  Mine bid  was at 11:39:35 with 4 seconds left.  However, eBay extended the end time and I was outbid at 11:39:50.  

[kathiec]

The end time is still in seconds. The end time is always the same as the start time, to the second, however many days later the listing was set to run. What eBay did change was the bid history page that made the exact end time easier to find.

What you may have to do is make sniping less of a sport. It's just as hard for someone to react to a 30-second snipe as to a 4-second.

[dryophelia]

@bambopbam 

eBay shows the hour and minute the item ends.  11:39

The actual end time is between 

11:39:00 and 11:39:59

When setting your snipe bid, you must determine the second the listing ends, not the minute the listing ends. 

[kathiec]

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@bambopbam wrote:

Here is proof that ebay is messing with the end time.  Notice the Time Ended says 11:39AM PDT.  That time stamp used to include the seconds.  Notice also the two bids in the screen shot have the seconds.  Mine bid  was at 11:39:35 with 4 seconds left.  However, eBay extended the end time and I was outbid at 11:39:50.  

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It's also pertinent to point out that even if you'd placed your bid at 11:39:50, you still would have been outbid. High bid wins, not last bid, and someone was willing to pay more than you were.

[buyselljack2016]

When we snipe we must somehow determine the real "to the second" end time,and not believe what the screen shows.

eBay did not extend the auction.They just displayed the wrong data to you.

[bambopbam]

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@kathiec wrote:

The end time is still in seconds. The end time is always the same as the start time, to the second, however many days later the listing was set to run. What eBay did change was the bid history page that made the exact end time easier to find.

What you may have to do is make sniping less of a sport. It's just as hard for someone to react to a 30-second snipe as to a 4-second.

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Sorry but you are incorrect.  The Time Ended is now showing only hours and minutes, they have removed the seconds (which has been there forever).  Also, it is much harder to submit a bid with only 4 seconds left than 30.  Watch the second hand on your clock.  If you are not a sniper you clearly do not understand the reason why sniping is so lethal.  No offense intended.

[terrycece62]

I just checked my item search 'ending soonest' i am getting all three hour/min/sec times so unsure why you are not seeing the second time displayed.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@bambopbam wrote: ....  The Time Ended is now showing only hours and minutes, they have removed the seconds (which has been there forever).  ....

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But you can look at the bottom of the bid history to see the exact starting time including seconds, which will match the end time seconds.

[kathiec]

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@bambopbam wrote:

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@kathiec wrote:

The end time is still in seconds. The end time is always the same as the start time, to the second, however many days later the listing was set to run. What eBay did change was the bid history page that made the exact end time easier to find.

What you may have to do is make sniping less of a sport. It's just as hard for someone to react to a 30-second snipe as to a 4-second.

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Sorry but you are incorrect.  The Time Ended is now showing only hours and minutes, they have removed the seconds (which has been there forever).  Also, it is much harder to submit a bid with only 4 seconds left than 30.  Watch the second hand on your clock.  If you are not a sniper you clearly do not understand the reason why sniping is so lethal.  No offense intended.

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My point is that what the ending time shows is irrelevant to what the ending time is. As to your pointed barb about my not being a sniper I would merely point out that I've been sniping since well before you were even a member. I know intimately how it works. I also know that anyone obsessed with sniping in the last 10 seconds is also viewing it as sport. No offense intended. 🙄

[bambopbam]

I've been a member of ebay since October 1997.  You?

[bambopbam]

The 15 second increase happens when you are actively in the process of a live snipe.  You won't notice it until then.  Do you have any items in your watch list that you are planning to snipe hoping to definitely acquire?  When you go after it you'll see what I'm talking about.