Klarinet Archive - Posting 000051.txt from 2002/05

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Bad behavior on eBay auctions
Date: Thu, 2 May 2002 23:29:07 -0400

Walter: First of all, I'd suggest that while your address is easy to find,
not to post it in a forum that is publicly archived... (Just a suggestion to
keep a shred of privacy in this not-so-private world).

As for the practice called sniping... It is common on ebay. I've lost
plenty of auctions to this behavior, but I've also participated in it as
well. If there is something you want, you have two options. Bid now or Bid
at the end. Ebay is not really a real auction so the "going, going, gone
doesn't really apply." Anything is "fair" until the last second. If you
have bid as high as you want to go and you loose, it just means that
somebody wanted it more. If you don't put in a bid for as high as you want
to go, you've done yourself a disservice as it will automatically bid for
you up until that price (another way it is not a "real" auction). I find
that sniping only occurs on products that are really cheap. If the auction
ends at or above market value for the product people won't snipe as it isn't
worth the $$.

Just my $0.02...

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Fifth Circle Audio
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: GrabnerWG@-----.com]
>
> I just sent this e-mail to eBay, reporting what I consider
> actions of very dubious morality:
>
> <<I want to report some behavior which will, if it continues,
> stop me from buying on eBay.
>
> 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.
>
> Surely this is NOT what was intended when your service was put
> into place. A real auction has a "going, going, Gone" warning for
> serious bidders.
>
> This lurking behavior, bidding only in the last few seconds, I
> view as immoral, dishonest and disgusting.
>
> I think that eBay needs to find a way to block this kind of behavior.
>
> I know some people think this is smart or clever behavior, but it
> is really p*****g ne off! Has anyone else had this experience,
> and if so, what have you done?
>
> Walter

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