Foreign auction--AS "bid too low" warning

No, AS will not place a bid when it perceives that the pre-set bid amount is less than the actual bid amount. When you see that yellow warning notice underneath your snipe, either change your bid amount or delete the snipe.

How can we get AS to fix this glitch?

AS doesn't see it as a glitch. It's eBay that distinguishes among currencies. AS bids in dollar units. EBay sees the AS bid as being in whatever currency the individual auction is based on, and provides a "translation" into how many dollars the current bid is. It's up to the sniper to take this information into account in setting up his bid. If the currency is in Australian dollars, then each Aussie dollar is worth about 50 US cents. If it's English pounds, then each pound is worth about $1.45 US. So if you bid 30 AS units (US dollars) in an auction by someone Down Under, your bid of $30 is worth AU$60. If you're bidding on something from an English seller, then your bid of $30 is worth about GB£20.68. Other bidders take this information into account; so should the sniper.

But AS won't LET me bid the number of "units" it takes to post my bid in the real-life situation I described. If AS can't/won't track eBay's procedures effectively, then to me, it's a glitch. (Here I'm defining "glitch" as something in AS which prevents a person from making a legitimate snipe bid in an eBay auction.)

Pedar

I think there is some confusion in this discussion.

Watford - You say the current highest bid is 12 pounds and you have entered a snipe for '15'. As the auction is listed in GBP this snipe is therefore 15 pounds. The only way that AS should tell you that your snipe is set too low is if the bid increment on the item is greater than 3 pounds. That is, the next minimum bid is, say, 16 pounds for that item. AS cannot work its way around the bid increment rules.

If this is not true regarding the bid increment then there may be a glitch in your circumstance.

Perhaps you could let us know the item number so we or AS can give a specific answer.

Steve - you are wrong regarding your currency point. AS does not bid in dollars - it bids in units of the auctions's listed currency. If you set a snipe for '15' it is not necessarily for 15 dollars. If the auction is listed in Euros, your bid will be 15 Euros. If the auction is in US dollars your bid will be 15 dollars.

When I snipe a UK item in GBP I do not have to perform any currency exchange calculation - I just place the GBP amount I am prepared to pay.

The auction I'm talking about is eBay #202204837. The currency is specified as GBP and the minimum bid is 12 GBP, which eBay approximates at US$17.61. There are no bidders and no bids listed.
My AS snipe is set at "13.78" and there is a yellow border below the snipe box which says in red letters "WARNING - Your max bid is below the minimum allowed for this item!"

So how come?

Watford

That number does not come up with an item on Ebay when I try it - it says the auction has expired. Can you double check it?

Watford, I see what's happening. EBay is comparing your bid of 13.78 to the US$ equivalent of £12, which is $17.61 (12 X $1.47). So eBay is the one that's lousing you up. Your bid is being seen in US$, not GB£. That's screwy because I've bid in many auctions where the item was listed in GB£ and my bid was taken as being in the same currency. I'd suggest you ask eBay how come this auction was different. (I'm presuming that you're not bidding in some currency other than US$.)

How do I ask eBay about this auction?

Watford

Sorry--I truncated the number when I copied it. The number is: 2022048376

Watford

Just had a look. The auction is in GBP with the first bid to start at 12 pounds. There are no current bids. Therefore if you enter '12' or higher when placing a snipe it should work.
Can Adam R. help Watford out on this one?

M

I don't think there's anything Adam can do about an anomaly that's caused by eBay. My advice now would be to bid as though the auction is in US$ instead of swimming upstream by contacting eBay. It takes their support people about a week to get back to you and there's only 5+ days left in this auction.

I have found that if you place all your snipes in USD AS works fine. I have lost at least two items in the past by assuming that AS works in the currency of the auction ie GBP. I think it all depends on which Ebay server you log on with, and which auctions you then look at. I log on using Ebay.co.uk but if I then look at items on ebay.com I have to be carefull what currency I snipe them in. Problem also gets worse because I use management software that Logs me on using www.ebay.com. If I then look at "My Ebay" auctions are listed in UKP AND USD at the same time...

Steve, it seems clear from the facts and the comments we've had that the "anomaly" is from AS, not eBay. How do I get Adam's attention?
Thanks!

Watford

Addendum: So far I have read AS's and eBay's statements that all bids are processed in the currency specified in the auction. I have also read statements from newcomers that they have bid in US$ (in their minds and wound up paying double in an auction spcifying Australian $'s. I have a hard time believing that I really can bid in US$'s in an auction which specifies GBP as its currency?!??

Watford

You can e-mail Adam at support@auctionsniper.com