Klarinet Archive - Posting 000038.txt from 2002/05

From: Tom.Henson@-----.com
Subj: RE: [kl] Bad behavior on eBay auctions
Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 11:46:40 -0400

Yes,

You are referring to the practice on Ebay and bid snipping.

There is even a software that will do this for you and in all likely hood
they are using this software.

It will send a bid in the last 15 seconds at a pre-set limit and will keep
sending an incremental amount it until the bid is won.

This unfortunately is a common practice. This software automates the bidding
so that you don't have to wait for the closing of the auction to put in a
final bid.

I have even seen some of the links for this software posted in the auctions
themselves and this is indeed against Ebay rules.

They will cancel the auction if they find any such links for this type of
software.

Tom Henson

<< Twice in recent auctions, I was out bid, in the last 20 seconds of the
auction, by someone who had never bid before.

By the time one notices this, even when hitting the F5 key repeatedly, to
refresh the screen every 5 seconds or so. It is too late to bid again.

I think that eBay needs to find a way to block this kind of behavior.

Walter Grabner >>

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