My main problem with ebay

No, because if I bid in the last few minutes it would then extend the auction to allow other bidders a chance to rethink what they are bidding...the concept is that NOBODY can snipe...any bid placed in the last 5-10 minutes of an auction extends the auction...so no...I wouldnt be sniping...nobody would.

Troodon, I am not sure where you are confused...of course I want to buy a coin as cheap as possible...everyone does in both real auctions and ebay hyper 5 second auctions. So I choose what my max is early on like anyone else. But sometimes things change and if there are other people wanting the coin who bid after me, I might be willing to pay more for it at that time (if pushed). In a real auction, I would have that chance to change my mind after another person bid...and other people would also have the chance to counter my bid...the way ebay is set up allowing sniping...this process often doesnt happen because you are expected to know how high you want to go in advance because sniper bidders will only enter the auction in the very last seconds giving no chance to rethink you max bid...

Just like in a real auction I start as low as I can sometimes and then raise my offers as I am outbid...I never said I dont want to get a good deal and NOT buy the coin as cheap as possible and if no one bids against me (or snipes) then that is great, I get it cheap...

The scenario is often like this...I see a notgeld coin for sale with 6 days left so I put my max bid in (which is often strict book price), my bid is the ONLY bid for 6 days until the last 2 seconds when one person comes in and snipes it away for a few cents more. He did this because he knows if he bids HIS max up front...I might rebid if I reconsider my max bid before the close of auction, so the person is getting it cheap...which is fine....but I think I should have had a chance to reconsider and rebid as I might now be willing to pay a few bucks more than I previous thought.

Now I know how ebay works and if I lose the coin to a snipe, then I lose it...it would just be nice to have that chance to reconsider as much of what I buy there does not have a strict book price (like say..ancients) and value is more set by how much one wants the coin. I might be willing to pay a few more much in the end.

I want it as cheap as I cant get it of course, but I also what the chance to counter other bids if I choose...its that simple. I still may lose the coin and under this system, I might be paying MORE than it is strictly worth...I almost always expect NOT to get a coin on my first bid...like in a live auction I expect someone else might want it as well.

I see people here pretty much telling me to put my max in and be done with it...thats fine and good but they are not just doing this...they are sniping MY max bid that I put in well before the end of the auction so the answer seems to be, snipe or dont complain if you get snipe.

Anyway...not very important and I realize I dont HAVE to use ebay if I dont like snipes, just thinking about how it could be improved. Obviously not all agree...but I have heard seller complain that they think snipers often cause the coin to sell for cheaper (and people here on the whole seem to agree its a way to get a coin for cheap sometimes as there is no bidding and counter bidding) and I have been frustrated as a buyer by the practice as well...thing is I see people who use sniping to get a coin cheap but then complain when it is used on them as a seller...saying they dont like ebay because they arent getting good prices...

Aslanmia...you say as a seller you enjoy seeing the last 5 second price rise...but if you are in the business of selling coins and you want the best price...wouldnt it be better if, after that rise...there is a chance of it going even higher when other bidders get a chance to put a few more bucks in because they dont want to lose a 300 dollar item for the difference of a few bucks? oh well...just a thought

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

i personnaly hate sniping. if i have something listed and it goes 6 days with no bids. but i have a lot of hits and watchers. i will cancel and relist it. it is cheaper to do that than take a loss because someone thinks they can get it at last second for nothing. lets face it we put stuff on there to get the most money we can. not give it away to some guy with a fast finger that is just going to resell at a higher price. i seen another auction site that had the 30 second rule if it was in the last 30 seconds and someone bid it would get another 5 minutes. however i dont remember which one. thanks for listening to my rant.
Jon

 

Well, I know it keeps a lot of sellers from listing at no set minimum. I like the real nice coins put up for a starting bid of 99 cents or something, but for the seller not to get burned on coins that arent in a swamped field of collecting like American coins, you are taking a real chance with snipers and no set minimum.

 

Although I do like the idea, as mentioned, I will say that as a seller, its kinda fun.
Your item sits at 1$ for 4 days,
then on the fifth day it goes up, and up and up, and then within the time span of 20 minutes it went from 5$ to 35$ lol.
quite entertaining

 

I always say if you dont like something. Dont do it.

 

I see what you mean,yahoo auctions were like that-extend another 5 min if there was a bid with less than 5. would you be willing to give up proxy bid to get the extended time?

 

You beat me to mentioning Yahoo. If elimination of sniping is such a wonderful idea, why has Yahoo departed the auction scene?

Bottom line - if you don't bid proxy bid the absolute maximum you are willing to pay, don't come whining to me when someone else outbids you at less than you would have been willing to pay.

 

I think it should remain roughly as it is...If someone wants another to bid for them...no problem but it wont be a snipe. People can still put a max bid in, its just that in this case if your first bid doesnt cut it, you can still up the bidding if you like...

I wonder if the people who are here stating the obvious such as 'it is the way it is dont whine to me' (and of course they are the one reading, I am not forcing them) or 'if you dont like it, dont use it' say the same when all these people here come and start yet another thread whining about something on big bad ebay...I mean how many times do I see someone running to this forum posting some gripe about ebay, how many people do I see whining and *****ing about ebay here on a daily basis, more often than not with a chorus of 'AMEN!' from the bandwagon? I almost always say I LIKE ebay...this is just the one thing I DONT like about it....so I voiced it...

All these sellers complaining about the feedback policy, post after post about it, even a boycott!! Dont these people know they shouldnt express any concerns? I mean they dont have to use ebay right?

I am sure they are all aware if they dont like it they can remove themselves from it...thats a given so to post such a thing is like posting nothing, better off just not commenting.

I assume the hundred or so 'ebay is evil because of...' posts I see here everyday are from people who want to continue using ebay but have some problem to voice about the company, how it does things, or the people they are dealing with there...they are voicing the opinions because they think ebay could be improved...which is why I posted this and sent the idea into ebay (who will promptly erase it )....I am more than aware I dont have to use ebay...

 

If sellers don't want to lose money on their auctions, there are ways for them to make money and not take a huge loss. First, set your starting price higher. Yes its true more people will be likely to view and bid on an auction starting at .99, but thats a risk you have to take. There is also a reserve price that can be set to where the seller doesnt have to sell the item unless the reserve price is met. Now as for the sniping....you said if pushed, you may be willing to go $5 higher. Here is where your rant loses credibility. Ebay is a timed auction, not a live auction. Knowing this, you know the rules and how it works going into it. So you need to decide when you place your bid, if it comes down to it, how much do I really want this item? If I was out bid last minute, would I pay an extra 5 or 10 bucks? If so, make your starting maximum 5 or 10 bucks over your starting bid. You can't sit here and complain if you know the rules and how the game is played. If it bothers you that much, then you need to either find a new auction site that fits your needs, or change your ebay strategy.

 

stop complaining about sniping. bidders have a legit right to place bids when they want to place their bids.

 

ebay is the way it is and everybody is entitled to their opinions about it.
Personally, I try to snipe most of the time. If the auction ends late or at some other inconvenient time, I will bid before hand. When I snipe or not I put in my maximum bid. My maximum is according to my book, not the "BOOK". Sure I lose most of them. This month alone I won 15 and lost 24. And 13 of the wins were 'buy it now'. It really doesn't matter that much. There are more coins out there that I'm watching and will bid on, if it doesn't go over my max before the last 5-10 seconds. If it goes over the max 3 days before the auction ends, I delete it my watching list and note it in my book. Why do I snipe. Because it's fun and very entertaining for me. The sellers know what they are getting into and know they will make money on some and not much on others. They can always put a reserve price on their coins if they want.
Ebay is like a game. Searching is the best part of it. Winning a coin at or below my max is the icing.

 

Except, if you set a reasonable reserve, for the price you want to get for it, then they aren't really getting it for nothing IMHO. My thought is just pay the buck or two it costs to put a reserve on an item, that way the worst you could lose is the fees. But still you can still offer it to them for the price you were wanting for it IMO.

Me, I see no problem honestly with sniping. It could get pretty annoying IMO if a bid is made, the auction goes on another 5 minutes. If you think about it, it could go on forever really. Just my thoughts.

Phoenix

 

You think it's bad here? Go to the ebay forums. Ebay seller after seller complaining about making tax-free money and all the evil buyers. And as far as making up for fee increases.. have you noticed the shipping/handling charges lately? I was charged $5 to ship a FDC that was simply stuffed in a bigger envelope and mailed for 41 cents. Must have been the extra "handling".

 

Steve - Ebay says some where on it that a seller can sharge higher shipping to cover listing fees. Although that 5 bucks seems a little high. The seller should have charged you $3.00.

As for the ranting about ebay snipers. Man get over it. Its how ebay is if you dont like it go some where else. Its been that way from day one. Why are there so many whinners about snipers. I snipe a lot and i will keep on keepen on.

Here something I dont like about Ebay . To many cry babys getting mad after you powen then in a auction. I had one guy wrote me after I beat him in a auction telling me I got ripped off, when infact i know I didnt. Then the guy had was stupid enough to tell me he was going to watch for my name in auction and "QUOTE' make my life hell. Needless to say his account was closed a few days latter.

Back to snipers. If you dont wantto get sniped dont stick you head out.

 

I agree ebay is fine the way it is. If you do not like sniping bid your max one time and forget about the auction. Usually I do not snipe - but I tried Arizona Jacks roll of wheaties and won. And my maximum was a lot higher than I won it at - I was almost disappointed because it did not go higher. Second I bid on some of his other auctions the same way I usually bid. I put in my maximum and then just watch to see if I win. I think sellers should not list coins at .99 cents if they are not willing to accept .99 cents as the winning bid. What I see on ebay is sellers putting in unreasonable first bids - if they would make it reasonable to start with they would probably get more bids. Now I have at times found a coin I want - placed the minimum bid. Then go out and figure out how much I will bid. Go back either and either up my maximum or have to make a second bid, because my first one was out bid. I lose more auctions than I win, but I usually figure somebody is over paying for the coin. Life goes on.

 

You can extend it for 30 more seconds or 30 more days. but no matter how you slice it; someone will win and someone will lose the auction. I'm sure every seller on Ebay wanted more for thier item than what it sold for. And I bet everyone who lost a bid wishes they had one more chance. Unless you are some obscenely fat person with nothing to do but sit in front of your computer hour after hour after hour in your greasy ''The south will rise again'' T-shirt with barely enough time to type between donuts, then Ebay gives you enough time to bid on an item. IMHO.

 

Not sure what 'powen then' means but I agree. I see people here whining every day, running here to post about some part of e-bay they have a problem with...most people either agree or disagree, maybe take the obvious route of 'you dont have to use it' or some such thing. Or you have a chorus of people all saying 'Ebay BAD!!!', or you have people who understand that the person likes ebay but might feel it could be improved and expresses how he would like to see it improved...interesting how it happens...

Of course someone has to win and someone must lose and I dont believe I ever said I should get every coin I bid on...if I lose a coin I want rather badly, oh well. I just think it would be a good idea...maybe even make it an option to the seller to allow the extension.

I was merely expressing an opinion, and suggesting what I thought would be better. You know what opinions are like right? and there are a lot around here. You can take them or leave them as usual. Guess I'll just go back to reading all the threads complaining about the elimination of retaliation feedback... Thanks for the opinions!


Oh...and while I do like donuts and the south might very well rise again...I have internet in my office and dont have a thousand bids going at the same time so extending and auction 30 minutes would be good for people like me who can check our auctions at work!

 

Dru. I did not mean you. It was intended to be funny. (BTW Texas is not the south. It only thinks it is.).... I am sure Ebay could use lots of improvements. And I like donuts too. Just not Elvis Presley portions. My apology to you if you took my ..greasy t-shirt wearing fattie... comment personally.

 

Oh I didnt, I figured it was a joke My family moved to Texas from Georgia, is that south enough? I dont eat donuts because they are bad for me...who knew?!?!

 

Haha. Ok, Georgia is south enough. I always have a great time when I am there. Talk to you later.