bid that didn't go through

[skipbif_72]

I tried to bid on an item recently with 4 seconds remaining and it did not go through at all. The loading symbol just spun around for a few seconds and then ebay pulled me off the page right as it ended (annoying script they have to send you to another current item )

I've never had this problem at all in nearly 20 years of bidding. I try to aim for the last 5 seconds or so always. I've done this many times to avoid a bidding war with others. I figure if I get it for the most I want to spend I get it, if I don't I don't and just leave it at that.

I did some tests afterward to check to see how long it takes to load after hitting "confirm bid" and I noticed sometimes it's 1, 2 or 3 seconds for it to load. It seemed to just load at different times for no rhyme or reason. This made me realize you should be at least leaving 5 seconds.  

I also wonder if the ebay countdown clock is totally accurate. I've seen it skip ahead suddenly by a second before. I'm just looking for opinions from those who have experience with this. 

[woodland_gnome]

it is not an accurate measure of how much time you have left to confirm your bid so it is received at eBay servers in time to get a timestamp before the end of the last second (which is what determines timeliness).

Use a snipe service at least as a backup.  There are reliable and secure free ones (I use the one that rhymes with 2 of Santa's reindeer).  I used to synch a local clock in a way that took into account lag time between me and eBay, but eBay replaced the last static display that you could bid from (was on the Bid History Page) with the countdown dynamic page so my method (which I used to hit a 1 second target with dial-up back in the day) isn't doable anymore.

[mudshark61369]

@skipbif_72,

I do not think it is ebay's problem so much as it is issues with operating systems, Internet Server Providers, and the quantum growth of internet use for everything clogging communications. A few years ago when I was forced to stop using XP, I noticed I could no longer place bids at the last second. The average was about a 12-15 second lapse, before a techy friend got rid of a bunch of apps I didn't need or want. Now there is still a delay of up to 8 seconds some days, if there is a bunch of streaming going on at my house. 

  "I've done this many times to avoid a bidding war with others. I figure if I get it for the most I want to spend I get it, if I don't I don't and just leave it at that".

Sniping never prevented "bidding wars". If you've been bidding on auctions fro 20 years you should know there have been times when auctions take several seconds after they end to decalare a winner if several people placed last second bids either manually or by using a service.

Placing that one bid late cuts down on the number of nibblers you have to deal with but not the number of snipers. If you place your max bid with 10 seconds left and it is the highest bid received, you win. If others bid more they probably did not see your bid with enough time to change their snipe, they just did the same thing you did but got their bid in just a little later. It isn't the last bid that wins but the highest one received. Sometimes the highest bid was placed days earlier.

[juststuffisell]

I believe I remember reading something somewhere about server clock times being off. Combine that with lag time...not sure why you would wait until 4 seconds on your end though....lol.... that is truly "Last Second"...lol

If you feel the need to be present, IMHO, you will want to bid with at least 8 seconds left as anything after that could be late, which is what happened to you.

As noted by another poster, there is no such thing as a bidding war on ebay - not so in a live auction where bidders go back and forth with the auctioneer providing delays for bidders to think about whether they want to spend another 100 bucks on the next bid. As a seller, I personally would prefer ebay add time on the clock for last second bidding. Many sellers on active items would actually end up getting more money for their item

On ebay it is basically he who pays the most when the clock runs out, gets the item. Either bid you max at the start of the auction or use a sniper service such as ezsniper.com to place your max bid at the last seconds of the auction. I prefer the last second, as you clearly know, you end up losing to someone who is only willing to bump the bid, one bid at a time until they are high bidder.

At the last second, you are either high bidder or you aren't - and I prefer to set it and forget it using a sniper service.

Cheers

[castlemagicmemories]

Sometimes you can just cut it too close.

[femmefan1946]

Bid once.

Bid your maximum.

You can't be forced to pay more than you are willing.

If someone bids higher than you- he's a sucker who paid too much.

And you never know the winner's maximum bid.

It might be exactly what you see, or hundreds of dollars more.

[etacarina11]

The biding service I use I program to bid with 7 seconds left anything less than that you risk your bid not going thru do to servers not always being on time. the same problem when done manually with just a few seconds remaining.