Auction Sniper did not bid on my item

Your bid was higher than the buy it now price. When we placed your snipe eBay rejected it and suggested you use the buy it now. Sorry. I'll ask the programmers to add a warning for this case . Your 2 options then would be to either buy the item, or bid below the buy it now price.

So Sala set up a snipe that was higher than the BIN price - that makes no sense.

Best strategy is to make a low bid (to clear the BIN unless there's a Reserve) and then snipe your max. Or buy it using BIN.

R2

You'll also get that same suggestion if your bid equals the buy it now price.

In the near future, it may become harder and harder to 'kill' a BIN option.

eBay is experimenting with a 'semi-persistent' Buy It Now, and currently being tested in several categories. It started with motors, spread to event tickets, and was recently switch on for clothing and cell phone categories.

The buy it now option remains until the price reaches (I think) 70% of the buy it now price.

eBay announcement about it:
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200710161010352.html

Will Sala ever return to this forum? Place your bets...

Did AS support email him/her to explain what went wrong, what they're doing to fix it and why AS isn't 'disappointing'?

R2

quote:

The buy it now option remains until the price reaches (I think) 70% of the buy it now price.

As a sniper I hate it, but as a seller, I think I like it!

quote:

Will Sala ever return to this forum? Place your bets...

Hi all,

I've used Auction Sniper happily for several years...until last night when the same thing that happened to Sala happened to me!

Although I do understand that it was illogical to have set my snipe higher than the Buy-It-Now price, part of my rationale was this: Since I wasn't able to monitor the auction in the two days leading up to its close, I thought maybe--near auction end--the bidding price would have already exceeded the BIN price, and still be climbing...in which case my above-BIN snipe would have been effective. Does that make sense?

At any rate, now I've learned my lesson about the new lingering BIN system--I should either set my snipe below the BIN price, or just Buy-It-Now if I'm really interested in something! I think this new system definitely favors the seller...which I occasionally am, so I see the benefits. But I'm sad to have learned the hard way about how AS interacts with it. I'm still bemoaning the "loss" of not winning the item!

And yes, a warning (when I set my snipe above BIN price) would have been nice...instead of seeing that reassuring green "Ready"!

quote:

Although I do understand that it was illogical to have set my snipe higher than the Buy-It-Now price, part of my rationale was this: Since I wasn't able to monitor the auction in the two days leading up to its close, I thought maybe--near auction end--the bidding price would have already exceeded the BIN price, and still be climbing...in which case my above-BIN snipe would have been effective. Does that make sense?

None whatsoever.

Okay, this is what I was imagining. Is the following scenario possible?

Let's say the auction opens at $9.99 and BIN price is $40. Bidding starts at the opening price, and various bidders continue bidding the price upward. No one takes the BIN option, and eventually that BIN option disappears (because 70% of BIN price is reached or however the "semi-persistent" BIN is knocked out). Eventually the bids--incrementally--push the price above $40. I've set a snipe for, say, $60 to bid a few seconds before the auction ends. I win the auction with that snipe.

So you're gambling - you're willing pay 20 over the odds on the chance of paying less than the BIN?!

To my simple mind (shut up Rick!), if you're willing to pay 60 then why not just pay 40 and 'save' 20 immediately?

R2

Auctioneer’s Wet Dream – two, or more self-doubting bidders; the more the more the higher the fluid volume.

The inability of a bidder to establish the value of something, WITHOUT being influenced by others, must generate billions for ebay, as well as other auctions, and all forms of merchandising. After all, isn’t nibbling and bidding wars a symptom of the AWD (no – not All Wheel Drive)? Additional evidence of AWD can be found in such phrases as “auction fever” and “buyer’s remorse”.

Whether the BIN drops after one bid, or the price reaches 70% of the BIN, the potential problems are, and has been:
1) What happens if the bids go beyond the original BIN amount?
2) What happens if someone BINs and “I” lose out on the buy of the century?
2) How will an indecisive bidder determine if the BIN is “fair” without other bidders to TELL them?

If someone knows in advance that they would be willing to bid $60 should other bidders (including deep-pocketeers) “think” the item is worth that much, then only an irresolute bidder would hesitate to take advantage of a $40 BIN.

The 70% feature will require a greater bid amount to remove the BIN (somewhat like a reserve), which may cause these auctions to close at a higher price. It may also encourage more bidders to BIN to avoid a potentially higher price.

The issue with auctions, as with any purchase is: WHAT AM I WILLING TO PAY? I understand that we would all be MORE willing to pay less, as all sellers would be MORE willing that we pay more, but as long as we’ve established an item’s value which has been determined by the individual, we have the disposal income, and the bank isn’t about to repossess the house (it’s a subjective call), then shouldn’t we purchase the item? (that’s called a rhetorical question as I’m REALLY not looking for disagreement – like most people that ask a question.)

We’re more concerned about the opinion of others to determine the value of an item/service then we are about our opinions. THE BIG SHAME: I paid too much - just a notch below sex offender.

Thanks, I appreciate your responses...both the understandable 'huh?!' reactions and Rick's.

But I especially enjoyed Rick's nuanced description of what can happen in an irresolute bidder's mind. I recognized it only too well!

Another life lesson learned from ebay...if you want something (and are given the rare and absolute option to get it, as in BIN)--then just go for it!

Metaphors aside, this new BIN system will change how/if I snipe. I guess I was starting to rely too much on AS to do my bidding work.

quote:

Metaphors aside, this new BIN system will change how/if I snipe. I guess I was starting to rely too much on AS to do my bidding work.

It should influence nothing--BIN is a BIN is a BIN. Take the option when offered the chance!

I tried AS again today, it worked fine. I guess it was one of the new little tricks about sniping that I needed to learn. Thank you for your comments.

To region 2: I have returned

quote:

Originally posted by sala:
To region 2: I have returned

Welcome back! Quite often people turn up here, vent their spleen and disappear, hence my comment! Hopefully the above all makes sense...

R2

Wow! I was not aware that Ebay was testing a new policy for BIN. I have many times bid on an item with the minimum bid in order to "get rid of" the BIN price.

Using this strategy, I have successfully won many items using AS. I usually would bid the minimum using ebay, and then put something (sometimes up to the BIN price) into AS for my bid. This has been very successful. Will we need to now put a 70% minimum bid on items that have a BIN price to get rid of BIN? This doesn't seem like a workable solution if someone is willing to start the bidding for their item at a lower rate.