Snipe was $45 higher than closest bid???

The auction had a reserve price of $195. You placed a $200 bid. You reached the reserve.

Grasshopper

p.s. - hope you change your Icon to a happy one.

With five bucks to spare.

???

It can't. Are you familiar with reserve auctions? You've been on ebay long enough that you should know. DID YOU PLACE A $200 SNIPE? If you did, then read up on reserve auctions in ebay's faq and help. Why do you continue to dig yourself into a deeper hole? Just admit you screwed up, and move on.

Glad to see you changed your icon, but is all this bold type really necessary?

Grasshopper

Placing your bid thru AS is the same as placing your bid directly on eBay yourself. If you had placed your $200 bid on eBay yourself, the same thing would have happened -- any bid high enough to meet a reserve automatically jumps up to the reserve amount rather than the next increment amount. Check out the FAQ on bidding and the different kinds of auctions on eBay.

Steve,

You've been around from the get-go. Do you remember anyone admitting they were wrong? I'm not talking apology. I'm talking about simply acknowledging a boo-boo.

And why do they have to start with an angry icon? Why not give the defendant a chance to respond to the accusation before declaring them guilty?

Grasshopper

Rick, I do recall one or two people admitting that they had been hasty in passing judgement. At least one of them used the icon. I'm sure there have been more but they aren't very common.

Oops, didn't answer your followup question. Snipers are just like everyone else -- they don't like to lose. Using AS (or another software snipe service, or manual snipes) has given them an additional layer of confidence that they will win most auctions. What they really get upset about is a perceived error on the part of AS which has cost them an anticipated win, often in an auction of something they really, really wanted. It hasn't occurred to most of them that the great eBay, with its vast array of servers and experience in auctions, might be the culprit in some instances. So they come into the Forum under a full head of negative steam and start shooting from the lip. It's a perfectly normal human reaction -- and so is the reaction of others who resent the tone that's being used.

415, please try not to take too much offense from Rick's rude post. You DID NOT screw up. You simply asked a question that was not at all rude and was very understandable if a person is not familiar with reserve auctions. I had the same reaction the first time I bid on a reserve auction myself on eBay and my proxy bid jumped up $50 instead of just $1 to the next increment.
I've been using AS quite a bit longer than Rick, and I have had my own issues with AS when there have been snafu's (which any program can have), but Rick seems to have become very holy-than-thou when anyone complains, or as you can see in your own case, asks a question that he perceives as a criticism of AS. And there was absolutely nothing wrong with your second question either.

Rick is one of the main reasons I'm not very active in this forum. But there are some people who will post NICE responses, so don't hesitate to ask questions if you have them. That's what this forum is for.

P.S. The number of posts don't necessarily denote the experience of the sniper. For example Rick has a lot more posts, but I've been around a lot longer. However, Steve HAS been around probably the longest.

Don't know that anyone was being rude or out of place. Posts are often taken the wrong way, one of the dangers of written communication vs verbal. As someone who has used the icon in the past when my post was taken the wrong way - I speak from experience.

Also I'd never judge the quality of the advice from the length of time they've been on AS or the number of posts. Read the advice, if it makes sense follow it, if not ask again.

Gosh, I didn’t know I had so much influence on this forum. Well, I guess I wasn’t “one of the main reasons” you’re not active on this forum. I’m still here, and I see you are back.

Incidentally, you left a pretty caustic post to me on 12/10/02, saying that I had accused you of all kind of transgressions. I left you a follow-up question, which you never responded to on 12/11. This was my question: “Why would you think that everything in my last post was about you? There is only one paragraph about you, and it has your name on it.”

After rereading all the posts in that topic, perhaps you should consider doing a little bit of self-examination.

I agree with you: My number of posts doesn’t necessarily denote my amount of experience; Just as the amount of time you’ve been around doesn’t denote yours. But since Steve has more of both than anyone, his experience counts.

Should this post, or any of my posts, be “one of the main reasons” for you leaving this forum again, then you have to be the thinnest-skinned person I’ve come across.

Grasshopper

p.s. -

Yes - Rick and Steve can sometimes come across as abrupt, but - if you look at who answers the questions around here, it's mostly those two. After posts by AS Support, they have over 20% of the posts between them.

So in my book, I still welcome advice from them both.

Nobody asked me, but it just seems to me that lots of people are pointing fingers, including myself. I popped off at "the other Steve" a couple of days ago, and am heartily ashamed of myself for doing so. (There's #3, Rick, and let me tack on a into the bargain.)

Let's assume when somebody comes roaring into the Forum with guns blazing that he or she is just upset. Now, that's not always the case -- a couple of weeks ago we had a real flamer, a jerk with a capital Obnoxious. Let his fate be a lesson to us: he was kicked out of AS. But let AS Support take care of people like that. "A soft answer turneth away wrath," and if you just get more wrath in response quit trying to respond. Sometimes silence gets the message across more effectively than angry words.

I must admit I was surprised at the response, BUT when I went back and reread my post without the knowledge of what I was trying to say, I could see how it could be interpretted as being directed at you personally - which it wasn't at all. So I understood the emotion, and I've got thick skin, so I didn't crawl away and not come back.

Posted my apology, and my and moved on.

ToS

BUT I did think about changing my Username to TSFKAToS, but I just couldn't come up with a good symbol for it

quote:

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If you had placed your $200 bid on eBay yourself, the same thing would have happened -- any bid high enough to meet a reserve automatically jumps up to the reserve amount rather than the next increment amount.

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This is correct. It's one of those wierd things eBay does.

I never left. And as I have already admitted, I have had my own issues when there have been legitimate snafus with AS (which we all know there has been). BUT I'M STILL HERE. I just chose not to respond in the forum.

Steve gives very good and well thought out advise and is kind and responsive to people extemely consistantly. I have "sung his praises" before. Steve has also stated before that he is retired and has much more free time to spend researching his competition and responding to requests for help on this forum.

What irritated me in this particular case was telling a new member "Just admit you screwed up, and move on." When that new member didn't screw anything up! 415 just asked a legimate question. And it seems that this is the type answer that has become very consistant from you, Rick. I apologize now if I'm wrong. But, please try to remember that not everyone has a lot of experience with AS or eBay.

If someone had answered my questions when I first started out with the perceived insensitivity that comes across in your answers I would have left AS a long time ago. And I really do NOT believe that is your intent.

Patience is not one of my assets, especially on a subject that I’m passionate about. I’ll work on it, but I may “slip” from time to time.

I think that everyone with multiple posts on this forum has the same goal: Wanting AS to be successful. My method, sometimes extreme, doesn’t necessarily follow others. I can’t promise I’ll be more objective, but I’ll at least add 15 Mississippi’s before I make future replies.

I’m worn out on this one. I’d like to suggest we go back to sniping and put this topic out of its misery.