Automatic Bidding on Ebay

[Wallace]

I am wondering what peoples views are on Ebay automatic bidding. I have been watching some of the Cheapnese tools on Ebay from a couple of sellers that start at £9.99 and always seem to sell. I noticed two of the same item from one seller went at identical prices despite having different bidders throughout which I don't think is a coincidence. As you cannot now see the details of whos bidding nor their history and automatic 'sniping' seems to be the norm I can see this open to abuse if a large enough group are placing bids on eachothers items to push the price up. If a false bidder wins the sale can be cancelled at a later date and Ebay refund the sellers fees so the seller only looses the listing fee or can use the 'second chance option' and offer the item to the next highest bidder.

Ebay seem to be constantly changing the rules of engagement, I used to enjoy finding bargains on Ebay and sniping at the last second! Automatic bidding has taken a lot of the fun out of it although I can see some benefits to buying if you are unable to bid at the finish time.

Mike

 

[Dev]

What you're talking about is called 'shill' bidding and if eBay catch you at it they cancel your account. But then the people at it just set up another. It's the same with accounts cancelled for selling fakes.

eBay is more of a channel for commercial sellers now than it used to be and it's much harder to find a bargain.

I prefer circling gumtree like a vulture looking for second hand tools

 

[snowcat]

Its nothing new with the electronic era, It would happen at real auctions, often the auctioneer would be pals with one or two of the sellers and deliberately be putting ghost bid in on there behalf, sometimes if someone was keen to the buy the sellers mate would just run the biding.

If your eyes are open, and you know what the product is worth and what your willing to pay I don't see its a problem, as I said its been going on the hundreds of years.

 

[Wallace]

Don, I always meant to look up shill bidding when I read it on Ebay once before! You are right about the bargains being harder to find though.

Snowcat, I have always done my homework on values and set a price I am willing to pay for an item then make one bid in the final seconds, some of my best bargains have come that way.

 

[pedrobedro]

A friend of mine has a couple of accounts on ebay and if he was selling something but not getting a good price he would bid it up with his other account. They caught up with him and suspended his accounts for a month and made him do a course before he could sell again. Now he asks someone else to bid it up.

 

[gordon stephenson]

Some auctioneers don't need a mate to help bid it up, They just bounce fictitious bids of the wall if they though somebody would pay more and there was nobody bidding against them.

 

[Dev]

Some auctioneers don't need a mate to help bid it up, They just bounce fictitious bids of the wall if they though somebody would pay more and there was nobody bidding against them.

I've seen this happen at car auctions. Seems deceitful to me but it's apparently allowed.

 

[busastars]

It is getting harder to find bargains, I have never used an auto bidder but will always bid at the last few seconds, some you win and some you loose.

Just picked up a seat cover for the bike, was a company and they have them for sale at £30 ( £32 on ebay ) but they do list some stuff for auction, I got my cover for £17 ( say got, when it arrives )

Just need to find an electric stapler now for a few peanuts......

 

[Robotstar5]

Just need to find an electric stapler now for a few peanuts......

Why would you want to staple peanuts?

 

[MattF]

It is getting harder to find bargains

Oh, I don't know. A bit of patience and the right location, and there's still good bargains to be had. Seems that certain weeks certain stuff literally bottoms on price for no discernible reason, and certain areas seem to be good for bargains too. It's almost as if people don't like going to certain areas if they can help it. It's just a patience game more than owt. Jump at the first one and you'll likely pay over the odds. If one is willing to bide their time for several months or more though, some corking bargains can be had.

I have never used an auto bidder but will always bid at the last few seconds, some you win and some you loose.

Same here, generally. As much as I hate the last second bidding scenario, for those certain things you really want, it's practically a necessary evil. If you can't beat them join them, so to speak. Always do it manually though, never via programmes. I class it as a gesture of etiquette in a situation where there is none.

 

[busastars]

Why would you want to staple peanuts?

I really should think about what I type a little more

 

[penfold]

I don't have time to be sat at my confuser all day so if there's something I want I just put a proxy snipe on it; it's convenient and removes the temptation to up my bid in the heat of auction fever.