I know you have to put extra lead time if you want to snipe on a Sunday. How much would you suggest for an auction ending at around 9:30 eastern time? Thanks.
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5:30 PST? 10 to 15 seconds.
what do you think about an auction ending at 7:30 AM PST? the same, 10 - 15 seconds?
5 - 8 seconds. Sunday evenings (Bbal1223's auction) are ebay's Prime Time. So many bidders - so few resources.
thanks Rick, I appreciate it
Rob
Rob
If AS is always testing response times and adjusting the lead times to suit, why do the users (i.e. you and me) have to adjust things for the busy times like Sundays?
Surely AS will automatically do that for you if the hype is to be believed?
Just a thought...
Surely AS will automatically do that for you if the hype is to be believed?
Just a thought...
quote:
basrah posted:
If AS is always testing response times and adjusting the lead times to suit, why do the users (i.e. you and me) have to adjust things for the busy times like Sundays?
Surely AS will automatically do that for you if the hype is to be believed?
Well, just a guess here on my part...but I would think that AS (being just a computer program) is only make an adjustment, of a couple seconds, based on time it is taking for it to get into eBay's system...it is not taking into consideration the level of logic a person (you, the sniper) is using in figuring out your lead time. While it appears that most of us use pretty similar lead times, I wouldn't want AS (the computer program) making a judgment call for me and changing my lead time from, say, 9 seconds to 22 seconds just because *it* thinks that is what I want.
Bottom line is that I don't mind AS automatically altering my lead time by 2-5 seconds, but going beyond that is taking the choice out of my hands...and I wouldn't like that.
Input from others on this?!?
WarriorNun
"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning"
2-5 seconds added by AS is about right. So if eBay's really slow that might not be enough. Setting your lead time for 10-15 seconds on a Sunday evening makes AS's adjustment more effective. 
hmm, as a programmer, I don't get it.
If response times are good then the user-prescribed time is OK.
If response times are bad then AS must calculate how many seconds it should add so that the bid gets there in the user-prescribed time. Eg. User sets 8 seconds, system is slow by 10 seconds, AS sends snipe at 18 seconds, snipe arrives at 8 seconds, users sees nothing different.
You're saying that AS will only add 2-5 seconds no matter what. As the robot on Lost in Space would say: 'That does not compute'!
If response times are good then the user-prescribed time is OK.
If response times are bad then AS must calculate how many seconds it should add so that the bid gets there in the user-prescribed time. Eg. User sets 8 seconds, system is slow by 10 seconds, AS sends snipe at 18 seconds, snipe arrives at 8 seconds, users sees nothing different.
You're saying that AS will only add 2-5 seconds no matter what. As the robot on Lost in Space would say: 'That does not compute'!
quote:
Originally posted by basrah:
If response times are bad then AS must calculate how many seconds it should add so that the bid gets there in the user-prescribed time. Eg. User sets 8 seconds, system is slow by 10 seconds, AS sends snipe at 18 seconds, snipe arrives at 8 seconds, users sees nothing different.
That's how I've been taught that it works. Apparently there are these bursts of usage that AS can't always detect.
It use to be a bigger problem. Most Sunday nights there would be several complaints about snipes not placed. It appears that about 5 months ago ebay made some changes and they noticeably improved response times (I think those posts are still "out there"). This forum still gets some complaints, but they are a lot less.
Basrah, I'm saying that there is an upper limit to the amount of time AS will add to a snipe. I know this from vaguely-remembered info posted by Sara B. I am not sure what the upper limit is, but I point to the Monday Morning Moaners whose Sunday snipes didn't make it through eBay's servers on time as evidence of the fact that it isn't always sufficient. Does that compute? 
basrah,
Some repetition of info below, but these may help:
https://community.auctionsniper.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=84260069&f=585608021&m=537605121&r=637605121#637605121
https://community.auctionsniper.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=84260069&f=385608021&m=363603121&r=563603121#563603121
https://community.auctionsniper.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=84260069&f=385608021&m=534603121&r=634603121#634603121
https://community.auctionsniper.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=84260069&f=585608021&m=877605121&r=787605121#787605121
Some repetition of info below, but these may help:
https://community.auctionsniper.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=84260069&f=585608021&m=537605121&r=637605121#637605121
https://community.auctionsniper.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=84260069&f=385608021&m=363603121&r=563603121#563603121
https://community.auctionsniper.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=84260069&f=385608021&m=534603121&r=634603121#634603121
https://community.auctionsniper.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=84260069&f=585608021&m=877605121&r=787605121#787605121
quote:
basrah posted:
If response times are bad then AS must calculate how many seconds it should add so that the bid gets there in the user-prescribed time. Eg. User sets 8 seconds, system is slow by 10 seconds, AS sends snipe at 18 seconds, snipe arrives at 8 seconds, users sees nothing different.
You're saying that AS will only add 2-5 seconds no matter what. As the robot on Lost in Space would say: 'That does not compute'!
Basrah, first of all I sincerely doubt that the AS program is all that sophisticated...don't get me wrong, it does a tremendous job(!), I'm just saying that I doubt it drags too many variables into the equation so as to adjust each user's snipes individually.
I would take an educated guess that if it is detecting a slower response time, it is adding a few more seconds to everybody's snipes and not even taking into account the number of seconds that the sniper has preset.
Then (again, I would guess) it most likely reevaluates eBay response times before putting in another batch of snipes...now, of course, all of this is being done in lightning fast time.
If it were taking the time to evaluate each of our snipes individually and adjust accordingly...well, I don't think that AS could afford the hardware and software that would be necessary to pull off such a feat...and
our rates would go up!Bottom line is...they are adjusting just a little to ensure that most of the snipes will make it in time. A few will slip through the cracks and that is probably an acceptable error rate...as opposed to the number of complaints they'd get from 'seasoned snipers' who had fine-tuned their snipes to just the right amount of seconds...only to have AS add 10 seconds to it, submit it, and then be outsniped by somebody with a higher bid that sniped at 4 seconds. Does that make sense?!?
But, anyway, your type of logic supports your claim that you are an engineer/programmer type.
(please don't take offense to that, I just know a lot of engineers and they do think that way!! That's probably why they're good at what they do!)WarriorNun
"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning"
WarriorNun writes, "A few will slip through the cracks and that is probably an acceptable error rate...as opposed to the number of complaints they'd get from 'seasoned snipers' who had fine-tuned their snipes to just the right amount of seconds...only to have AS add 10 seconds to it, submit it, and then be outsniped by somebody with a higher bid that sniped at 4 seconds. Does that make sense?!?"
Well...no. Even if a rival sniper saw your bid coming in 'way early and entered a countersnipe, the highest bid would still win. And the countersniper doesn't know what your max is, so it's a proxy war of very short duration.
Well...no. Even if a rival sniper saw your bid coming in 'way early and entered a countersnipe, the highest bid would still win. And the countersniper doesn't know what your max is, so it's a proxy war of very short duration.
quote:
Originally posted by WarriorNun:
I just know a lot of engineers
I also know some engineers and programmers, and I've even had them over for dinner - once or twice.
quote:
Steve posted:
WarriorNun writes, "Does that make sense?!?"
Steve writes, "Well...no."
Well, gee, Steve...you just blew my whole argument!
So you wouldn't be indignant about AS dramatically changing your snipe time? Maybe my initial thinking is completely wrong...we should leave it completely in AS's hands; even the $ amount! Ya know, maybe I'm on to something here! Then AS can pay for it too, and... um, okay, I'll be quiet! 
WarriorNun
"If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning"
Aw, phoo. I'm sorry, WarriorNun. >snif< Perhaps I should have broken the news more gently, like: "In the parameters of veracious probability your thesis would score very high on a scale of one to one hundred, with one representing the optimum score."
No, it wouldn't worry me if AS changed my snipe's lead time. I know they're sniper pros themselves (and if you think Sara B. isn't a great sniper think again), and they're doing it in my best interests, and I also know that the change is not going to be much of a factor insofar as competing bids are concerned. Changing my bid amount, on the other hand, would cause instant warfare.
No, it wouldn't worry me if AS changed my snipe's lead time. I know they're sniper pros themselves (and if you think Sara B. isn't a great sniper think again), and they're doing it in my best interests, and I also know that the change is not going to be much of a factor insofar as competing bids are concerned. Changing my bid amount, on the other hand, would cause instant warfare.