Chancer Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I have bought a few things in the past and always bid at the last minute using a bid up to figure, in the past I have either been overbid automatically by someone who has entered a higher figure or got the item at an incremental price just above that of the other bidder(s).I usually also bid an uneven figure of £1 more than I want in case someone else has chosen the same figure.The item that I have just won had only one opening bid of 4.99, I put in a bid of £16 in the last 30 seconds and was surprised to see that I had won it and that the system had jacked up the other bid (there were no other bidders) to £15.67.Now I know that it is theretically possible that the other bidder had chosen £15.67 to be their maximum but I am rather suspicious that I have fallen to the virtual equivalent of blind bidding. Has anyone else had this experience or have reason to suspect that it is yet one more way to squeeze more money from the buyers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Report it to flea-bay. They can then track the movement of the other bids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 There was only the original opening bid which was (supposedly) increased up to its maximum, which by "coincidence" just happened to be just under mine.It all happened in the last few seconds so definitely not a case of the seller getting someone to jack it up.For me there are only 2 scenarios, firstly that it is a genuine coincidence that the other bid a maximum of £15.67 and me £16.Secondly the E-bay system jacked it up knowing that I had committed to pay up to £16What I would really like to know is has this happened to others? If the system is working normally on other transactions then it is just a coincidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I think perhaps you are being overly suspicious - I use a snipe program and always put in a uneven random figure such as the one 50p or £1 below the one you quote - then I forget it, the program bids in the last 5 seconds without me sweating over the computer It is quite ebay legal and frankly I find it a good way of doing things and not being drawn into a bidding war Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Seen similar things and caused similar things myself. This corresponds to my tactics for bidding which have been published on the internet so are widely available. I am not usually around the scan the last few seconds of the bidding ready to pounce in and counter bid. So I place a bid that is pretty much the maximum I am prepared to pay - and then add a few cents or so. The advantage of this is that if I say have bid 5€02 as my maximum over someone elses bid, if I get the message back that my bid is not successful I can look to see where the bidding is now. If the bid is 5€50 I know that is his current maximum bid, and if I really want the object then maybe it will be worth upping my offer. If the new bid level is 5€52 thenthe other bidder has a higher bid level and the bids have gone up by the incremental amount to satisfy the rules. So maybe to explain that better:openning bid is 1€ with a max of 5,50 - my bid of 5,02 will send the bidding to 5,50 and maybe it might be worth another punt.openning bid of 1€ with a max of (say) 15 euros - my bid of 5,02 will send the bidding to 5,52 - so since I have already pitched my bid at around the maximum is not worth chasing. Incidentally if you have to pay 15 pounds 67 then the other bidder must have bid below that (can't remember the steps, but probably 15 pounds 17 - minimum 50p steps at this level of bidding) - which incidentally is very close to 20€ - so it may have been a continental bidder.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 Yes Andy and Russethouse, I understand the above and have done it myself.I would not be suspicious if my winning bid was £15.67 and would concur with you but I won it at my "maximum" bid of £16.00, the only other bidders original bid of 4.99 was jacked up to the £15.67 to make me the winner at £16.00.There was no mention of the original bid being under a reserve price.It's probably coincidence and of course I was willing to pay £16 so should not feel unhappy but there are lots of unpopular changes being made at the moment by E-bay.Of course the only way to be sure is to know what the other bidder actually put as his maximum bid.I should also point out that it is common practice in UK auction houses to take bids "off the wall" (bidders that dont exist to jack up the price) and surprisingly is not illegal. I fell foul of it when the car I was selling went under the hammer to an off the wall bid.EdittedThe continental buyer could indeed explain it as it was on E-bay UK, the goods were being sent from Germany and the other bidder probably lived in France; it would equate to an exchange rate of 1.276 would that be about roght with Paypal?Russethouse.Can you let me now what programme you use that could liberate me to carry on working when an auction ends? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catalpa Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 [quote user="J.R."]I should also point out that it is common practice in UK auction houses to take bids "off the wall" (bidders that dont exist to jack up the price) and surprisingly is not illegal. I fell foul of it when the car I was selling went under the hammer to an off the wall bid.[/quote]I'd always understood "off the wall" bids to be an effort by the auctioneer to get the price up to the vendor's reserve. Obviously not if you were the vendor. [8-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyh4 Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 .......or maybe 30US$ as maximum bid then. Ebay itself would have little to gain (in extra commission) and a lot to loose (in reputation) if it were found to be doing such things. I think there is a much more innocent explanation. I mean if they were doing a scam why would they pick 15,67 and draw attention to it whereas 15,50 would not draw a secod glance and would have the same effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 The program I use is www.Auctionsniper.com - the important thing is to really put in your maximum bid, one at which if someone else pays more you will not secretly be thinking - oh, I'd have paid that....... Place the snipe and then forget it........I think bidding against the wall is OK up to the reserve but frowned upon, if not illegal above that. It certainly doesn't do the reputation of any auction house much good...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chancer Posted February 28, 2008 Author Share Posted February 28, 2008 I was selling my car at an auction, it was many years ago as I was only 17, you were quite right he was trying to get up to my reserve price, in fact he even said it had reached reserve and was on sale; all to no avail as it was knocked down to the off the wall bid.Watching the bidding I was initially cross that it went on sale under reserve, then pleased when the bidding picked up and it sold, then crestfallen when I found out the truth.It was a long time ago but I have never forgotten or trusted auctions since, hence the posting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russethouse Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 Did you re enter the car with a lower reserve ?The one thing that maddens me about Antiques Road show is the lack of stress on those magic words : 'In the right auction'.For example I could sell some Quimper pottery, if it was the more ordinary items I would sell it in the UK - there are plenty of dealers who are sure that Quimper actually spells 'money', and I may be lucky but if I was seling more unusual or artist pieces then I would sell in one of the specialist auctions in France......horses for courses.The advantage of eBay is you get a cross section of buyers and sellers.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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