I just won an auction using Auction Sniper.com and when the seller received an e-mail automatically generated by Auction Sniper.com he replied,to me, with a very negative note. He said that he although he would honor this contract, he would ban me from any future auction if I used a snipe.
I was more than a little surprised and will Not bid on any more auctions by: but I am wondering about the automatic 'thank you message'. Can it be modified or disabled?
Has anyone else had this type of negative reaction by a SELLER?

Robert B. Chiarello

Go to your My Snipes, click Modify accounts at the top, unclick instamail. Most of us do that!



Mrs.M

"My Snipes" tab. Then "Modify Account". Scoll down to "InstaMail".

Mrs. M,

Your post snipe beat mine.

By the way,





to our forum!!



Mrs.M

Uhhhuh, they always called me "fast fingers"!



Mrs.M

It'd be a pretty dumb seller that didn't honour (English spelling! ) the sale ... your actions got him more money than he would have if you didn't bid/snipe!

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View My Photo Album - here

Hard to believe some sellers resent snipe bids...I don't see how they could! It makes them more money, so why do they complain? Besides which, it's not like there are any rules to bidding, that's why it's possible to bid on an auction at any time...the best thing to do is just uninstall the InstaMail, this will prevent future sellers of auctions you win from knowing you used AS.

*~samuraiblossom~*

Samaurai, it depends on one's perspective. From the standpoint of your snipe happening versus your never bidding on the auction at all, then naturally the snipe raised the seller's profits over the next highest bid and he should be happy.

OTOH, some sellers see it as a matter of your sniping their auction versus your bidding earlier in the auction. They feel that the latter would have resulted in counterbids and maybe a bidding war. We snipers cannot deny this, because avoiding that very scene is at least part of why we snipe in the first place.

Bottom line, as both a seller and a buyer, it is an AUCTION! In an auction, both parties take a chance. I say if the seller objects that strenuously, let him open a store and put price tags on his item!

Mrs. M

According to eBay policy, the seller and buyer are required to follow all terms listed in the auction. The seller is not allowed to add terms after the auction ends, nor to add terms (prior to an auction) that are not made public.

So in this case, first the seller almost didn't sell you the item you won. Had they carried out that threat, they would be in violation of eBay policy, and severely punished! Second, the seller has threatened to renege on future auctions if you win them using a snipe. Unless the seller specifically and publically mentions a no-snipe policy in their auction listing, that seller (if you won using a snipe and seller reneged) would also be in violation of eBay policy, and severely punished!

To put it very bluntly: if a seller lists "no sales to Jews, Arabs, or Indians", eBay policy allows a seller to renege if that term is violated. If the seller did not list that, the seller has broken the contract.

--Rob

AS, puhleeeze, set the default for instamail to NOT sending it!!!

I do not recall what the default setting was when I signed onto AS, but by the number of people who've complained about having sellers notified that they sniped the auction it seems that the default must be to have the emails sent.

Since most people come here not really knowing the best options to choose, it sure would be nice if AuctionSniper had the default set at NOT having an automatic email response.

Sure, I can appreciate that they are trying to advertise as much as possible...however, I wonder how many people have been turned off by this action of AS.

WarriorNun

"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning"

It's funny... I don't remember ever unchecking that box, but when I look at my settings, it's not checked.

Hmmm...

Do you mind telling us what the item in question was that you sniped? You see, I have this theory that different types of sellers respond differently to auction sniping. It probably has most to do with their personality type, but the line of sales they're in also has something to do with it.

BTW, hi, I'm new here, though I've been sniping for some months now. I may not be a regular but I'll drop by now and then.

Gordo

A feature idea could be to make the referral link optional in the insta message. The insta message concept is great it is the referal link that causes some issues.

The link is a benefit to us because we get free snipes if a person signs up however the seller might not be the idea target market

what do you think?

thanks

David

Gordo, I just wanted to stop by and say...



to our forum!!

Thanks Mrs. M

Well, nobody asked to hear my theory so of course I'll tell y'all anyway

This isn't to disparage any particular group of eBay sellers, just to point out that we all have our particular obsessions and occasional strange behaviors that result from them... the antique/collectible world is a good case in point. There is a general, unscientific belief among people at large that anything sufficiently old has gotta be "worth something"... which may or may not be true. Even antique dealers, who are in a position to know what's really worth something and what isn't, are not immune to this... you know what I mean if you've ever stepped inside an antique store and seen the "authentic Voyageur era axe handle, axe missing, slight porcupine damage, $50.00"...

The specific sellers I've seen reported here who got all shirty over someone using AS were sellers of antiques and collectibles. They were convinced their item was worth more, to somebody, and they resented the sniper for not giving someone else the chance to beat their bid. Somehow they have gotten the idea that they can make a killing on eBay selling their one-of-a-kind items, which may or may not really be one-of-a-kind...

To put it bluntly, if no one wants your item, its effective market value is ZERO. No doubt there are people in the world who will pay more for it, but they may not have computers, or be bidding on eBay that day.

I don't think any of us are here to rip anybody off. I know I'm willing to pay a fair price for the items I bid on. I just don't want to pay top dollar. I want a deal, not a steal!

First - Thanks to everyone that replied to my original message. I am overwhelmed by your respones and helpful suggestions.

Second the item in question was a collectable german pocket knife. I estimate it's maximum value at about $35.00 and with handling I ended up paying about $30.00. I did pay $1.00 more than the highest bidder just before closing. After the auction when I received the negative note I suggested to the seller that he post a note on future items: "Snipers are not welcome."
I also offered to let him cancel the sale with no hard feelings and I'd take my business elsewhere. (The item is not that hard to find!)He apologized and the transaction was copmleted.

I did not realize that the insta-mail would have a negative effect and I thought that AS deserves to get their message out, and I don't mind helping. Now I think I'll turn it off. Thanks again for pointing out the toggle to me.

Robert B. Chiarello

One positive to insta-mail is letting sellers know just how many of you snipers are out there winning their items. It lets them think of sniping in a positive light and thus helps reduce negative reactions in the future, giving a more positive view of sniping.

It also helps speed communication between yourself and the seller and helps you get your items faster.

Quote from Sara
"It also helps speed communication between yourself and the seller and helps you get your items faster."

I don't understand why this would be, Sara. I am a seller and it certainly would not make me want to do any of the above any faster or different than usual. When someone wins an auction, I am notified by ebay right away anyway. ..btw, I like snipers in my auctions.

I took the notice off of mine for that very reason.
However, it is because one seller had the tag on their item that I learned about AS. So...it depends upon the seller.