Ebay Cheats Or, The Absoluteness Of Time

[wastelanded]

Ok folks, I get it...thanks.

[Koyote]

Yep. Just bid the most you are willing to pay and don't worry about sniping and snipers.

[flat_tire]

Yep. Just bid the most you are willing to pay and don't worry about sniping and snipers.

 

Not to go off on a different tangent, but in my opinion this is not always clear cut. I agree that as a bidder, I will set my max price and if I win, great, if I lose so be it. However, humans are not always rational and there are two reasons I will bid at the end of an auction.

 

1. This gives less time for other bidders to raise their bids. Just because I set my max, does not mean they set theirs or will stick to theirs. The longer time they have to think about it, the more likely it is they will increase their bid. Either they will convince themselves it is worth more, or they just don't like the idea of losing an auction (i.e. take it personally).

 

2. This gives me less time to increase my bid if somebody else outbids me. Even though I like to think I will set my max and stick to it, as I mentioned before humans are irrational beings, myself included. Due to the way e-bay works, if I am out bid, the new amount is only a small amount higher than my max (the real max bid is a mystery). Because this amount is so marginal, it is easy to increase my bid by a dollar or so until I have the highest bid again. Each bid is only a dollar more and a dollar more is easy to justify. Before you know it have gone well above your intended max bid. By waiting until the very end to bid, my max bid is either enough or it isn't.

 

To each their own.

[Chrissy]

 

Don't insult her. ... the lady is Welsh.

 

D.ick

Well that's where i was born.

[RMN]

Well that's where i was born.

Love Wales.... have several friends there but been a while since I visited. Well actually love all of the British Isles..... Never a year I do not visit at least once.

 

D.ick

[Sasha Royale]

 

Don't insult her. ... the lady is Welsh.

 

D.ick

 

" Excuse me, ladies, You have such a lovely accent. May I by you a drink ? I have never before

met ladies from Ireland. "

 

" It's Wales, you idiot ! "

 

" Excuse me, ladies, You have such a lovely accent. May I by you a drink ? I have never before

met whales from Ireland. "

 

( So, this is what a concussion feels like .)

[Koyote]

Yep. Just bid the most you are willing to pay and don't worry about sniping and snipers.

 

 

 

Not to go off on a different tangent, but in my opinion this is not always clear cut. I agree that as a bidder, I will set my max price and if I win, great, if I lose so be it. However, humans are not always rational and there are two reasons I will bid at the end of an auction.

 

1. This gives less time for other bidders to raise their bids. Just because I set my max, does not mean they set theirs or will stick to theirs. The longer time they have to think about it, the more likely it is they will increase their bid. Either they will convince themselves it is worth more, or they just don't like the idea of losing an auction (i.e. take it personally).

 

2. This gives me less time to increase my bid if somebody else outbids me. Even though I like to think I will set my max and stick to it, as I mentioned before humans are irrational beings, myself included. Due to the way e-bay works, if I am out bid, the new amount is only a small amount higher than my max (the real max bid is a mystery). Because this amount is so marginal, it is easy to increase my bid by a dollar or so until I have the highest bid again. Each bid is only a dollar more and a dollar more is easy to justify. Before you know it have gone well above your intended max bid. By waiting until the very end to bid, my max bid is either enough or it isn't.

 

To each their own.

 

Since you are trying to rationalize behavior that is (by your own admission) irrational, you have lost me.

[Charles Rice]

 

 

 

Since you are trying to rationalize behavior that is (by your own admission) irrational, you have lost me.

Nailed it.

[flat_tire]

 

 

 

Since you are trying to rationalize behavior that is (by your own admission) irrational, you have lost me.

 

 

Sorry, I'll try to keep it simpler for you.

 

By bidding as late as possible, I am able to win more items at prices I am happy with.

 

 

 

Better? If not, how about:

 

Win more items at lower prices by bidding later.

 

 

 

Still lost? One last try:

 

Bid late, pay less.

[KBeezie]

Sorry, I'll try to keep it simpler for you.

 

By bidding as late as possible, I am able to win more items at prices I am happy with.

 

 

 

Better? If not, how about:

 

Win more items at lower prices by bidding later.

 

 

 

Still lost? One last try:

 

Bid late, pay less.

That only works if you're not up against someone using a bid sniper program.

 

If the auctions you're concentrating on are not as common or desired (ie: a niche per se), then bidding at 1 minute left or 10 seconds left usually won't make any difference.

[kirchh]

That only works if you're not up against someone using a bid sniper program.

Therefore, sniping doesn't work, because sniping works.

 

--Daniel

[KBeezie]

Therefore, manual sniping doesn't work, because automatic sniping works.

 

--Daniel

Makes more sense like that.

[kirchh]

Therefore, manual sniping doesn't work, because automatic sniping works.

Makes more sense like that.

 

How does a lower automatic snipe beat a higher manual snipe?

 

--Daniel

[KBeezie]

How does a lower automatic snipe beat a higher manual snipe?

 

--Daniel

It doesn't unless the automatic snipe was higher a few seconds later than your manual snipe, thus not giving you enough time to enter in a new higher manual bid.

[kirchh]

How does a lower automatic snipe beat a higher manual snipe?

It doesn't unless the automatic snipe was higher a few seconds later than your manual snipe, thus not giving you enough time to enter in a new higher manual bid.

Oh, so only a higher automatic snipe beats a lower manual snipe.

 

And, of course, a higher manual snipe beats a lower automatic snipe.

 

So an automatic snipe doesn't have an advantage over a manual snipe; whichever is higher wins.

 

--Daniel

[KBeezie]

Oh, so only a higher automatic snipe beats a lower manual snipe.

 

And, of course, a higher manual snipe beats a lower automatic snipe.

 

So an automatic snipe doesn't have an advantage over a manual snipe; whichever is higher wins.

 

--Daniel

Whichever one is highest last wins And a program tends to be faster than a human on a browser relying on javascript updates to show the remaining time left.

 

Essentially if you put in the max you're willing to pay to begin with, doesn't matter what others bid, you either get it at the most you'd pay for it or you don't.

[kirchh]

Whichever one is highest last wins

No. Whichever one is highest wins, regardless of when the bid is entered.

 

So an automatic snipe doesn't have an advantage over a manual snipe, because whichever is highest wins, correct?

 

--Daniel

Edited December 23, 2014 by kirchh

[KBeezie]

No. Whichever one is highest wins, regardless of when the bid is entered.

 

So an automatic snipe doesn't have an advantage over a manual snipe, because whichever is highest wins, correct?

 

--Daniel

The last bid is always the highest.

[Charles Rice]

Full House beats a Flush

[kirchh]

The last bid is always the highest.

Not true. The last bid amount entered by a bidder (manually or through a snipe program) may be higher or lower than an earlier bid. This might be the source of your confusion about a perceived advantage of automatic sniping.

 

--Daniel

Edited December 23, 2014 by kirchh