Auction style listings

[p7lane4dk6]

I would like to see eBay add 10 to 15 seconds after every bid on auction style listings in the last few minutes of the listing. With today's high speed internet connections people are 'camping' on items and waiting to the last second to place their bid, which essentially make the ads Buy-It-Now's. It's a gunslinger approach to bidding, if you have the fastest connection you win the auction. Because of this I'm very reluctant to offer items below market price in hopes

that it will stimulate bidding. Also, because of these last second bidders, most of my auction style listings do not receive bids until the last few minutes of

the ad. If eBay would do this, I might make a little more money and so would eBay (times millions of sellers?). thoughts anyone ?

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

This is the way auctions have worked since the beginning of Ebay. Many bidders find an item, put it on their watchlist and bid at the end.

The last second bidders are often the best bidders. They bid high and pay fast.

Setting a soft closing would send many snipers off Ebay. Fewer bidders means lower prices. I don't see how you think it would make higher prices. Ebay never leaves money on the table. If they thought a soft ending would raise prices, they would have implemented it years ago.

What if your auction is ending just after another one that gets extended? Yours wouldn't get any bids because your bidders would be busy bidding on the never ending auction.

BUT MOST IMPORTANT the highest bid wins, not the latest. Someone who bids on the first day can win against dozens of snipers if they bid high enough.

[luckythewinner]

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@p7lane4dk6 wrote:

 With today's high speed internet connections people are 'camping' on items and waiting to the last second to place their bid, which essentially make the ads Buy-It-Now's. It's a gunslinger approach to bidding, if you have the fastest connection you win the auction.

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OP,

The person who wins the auction is the person who bids the most.

If I bid more than everyone else, please explain to me how the person with the fastest internet connection will win the auction.

Unlucky

[gracieallen01]

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@unluckytheloser wrote:

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@p7lane4dk6 wrote:

 With today's high speed internet connections people are 'camping' on items and waiting to the last second to place their bid, which essentially make the ads Buy-It-Now's. It's a gunslinger approach to bidding, if you have the fastest connection you win the auction.

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OP,

The person who wins the auction is the person who bids the most.

If I bid more than everyone else, please explain to me how the person with the fastest internet connection will win the auction.

Unlucky

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I think the real problem/reason is because the people complaining about snipers never bid enough to win, or want to pay what something is really worth - if needs be.

[emerald40]

he last second bidders are often the best bidders. They bid high and pay fast.

_____________________________________

For me, I am finding the opposite is true.  Last minute bidders often get caught up in the hype of winning something.  It is only after they see the bill do they come back down to earth and realize they cannot afford it.

[doubledz-a2z]

That is known as a SOFT CLOSE.  Buyers do not like it.  It is commonplace on most online auctions (not ebay) and mainly it is the house bumping up bids.   

[soh.maryl]

There is really nothing wrong with the way eBay auctions work now.  You and I and everyone else have the exact same time amount of time from the opening to the closing of the auction to bid.  

So are you actually complaining about your auctions not receiving bids until the last few minutes? How is that a problem and how would adding 10-15 seconds to every auction resolve whatever problem you perceive with the current system? 

[pantlandia]

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@p7lane4dk6 wrote:

I would like to see eBay add 10 to 15 seconds after every bid on auction style listings in the last few minutes of the listing. With today's high speed internet connections people are 'camping' on items and waiting to the last second to place their bid, which essentially make the ads Buy-It-Now's. It's a gunslinger approach to bidding, if you have the fastest connection you win the auction. Because of this I'm very reluctant to offer items below market price in hopes

that it will stimulate bidding. Also, because of these last second bidders, most of my auction style listings do not receive bids until the last few minutes of

the ad. If eBay would do this, I might make a little more money and so would eBay (times millions of sellers?). thoughts anyone ?

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Your post made me giggle. 

[tellmemama]

With all due respect, this is a terrible idea.  Theoretically there could be auctions that NEVER end.  Especially if it has nibbler bidders who bid up to the next increment over and over again.  I haven't actually placed a bid on an auction in quite a few years.  I let my snipe program do the talking and eliminate those nibblers almost entirely.

Whether you snipe or do it manually, anyone who places more than one bid is a fool.  Bid once.  Bid your max.

[takikawa4]

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@p7lane4dk6 wrote:

I would like to see eBay add 10 to 15 seconds after every bid on auction style listings in the last few minutes of the listing. With today's high speed internet connections people are 'camping' on items and waiting to the last second to place their bid, which essentially make the ads Buy-It-Now's. It's a gunslinger approach to bidding, if you have the fastest connection you win the auction. Because of this I'm very reluctant to offer items below market price in hopes

that it will stimulate bidding. Also, because of these last second bidders, most of my auction style listings do not receive bids until the last few minutes of

the ad. If eBay would do this, I might make a little more money and so would eBay (times millions of sellers?). thoughts anyone ?

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@p7lane4dk6

Please explain: (1) how the auction turns into a BIN; (2) why a bidder with a high-speed internet connection matters; (3) why it's a "gunslinger" approach ot bidding. Thanks!

[emerald40]

I never bid on reserve auctions.  I figure what the point. of my chances of reaching the reserve, especially if it gets few other bidders.

And if ebay changed their auctions to the soft close, I would feel the same way.  It could become never ending with the time continually extending.  Plus the nibblers and sport bidders could really have a field day.

Auctions are all about who bids the highest within a certain amount of time.

[a_c_green]

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@takikawa4 wrote:

(2) why a bidder with a high-speed internet connection matters;

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10 years ago it might have made a difference (i.e. a slow dialup vs. a DSL or whatever was significantly faster at the time), but you're talking differences of a second here, not thousandths of a second, so today the playing field is pretty evenly matched as far as last-second, split-second sniping is concerned.

When you're within 3 seconds of the end of the auction, everyone is on their last possible bid, no second chances. If you don't bid enough, you don't win; it's that simple. The point of snipe bidding in the final seconds of the auction is not to be the last bid in the door, it's simply to get the lead when no other bidders with deeper pockets will have any time left to bid against you.

[takikawa4]

But, still, it's the HIGHEST bidder who wins, not the LAST. 🙂

[a_c_green]

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@takikawa4 wrote:

But, still, it's the HIGHEST bidder who wins, not the LAST. 🙂

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Right. The point of the snipe is to guard against those competitors who didn't really bid their maximum, and are going to get miffed when they discover that you've outbid them. You mustn't leave them enough time to rebid with a higher amount. Timing makes the difference between winning and losing with the same bid of your own, if you see what I mean.

[fuzzface50]

Why not sell on a site that has that feature?