Slightly OT: Snipe issues on eBay

[ATP]

Has anyone else been hearing complaints on their snipes not going through tonight on eBay? I had one of my lowest selling weeks in some time bid and dollar wise, and when I just checked my email....I had messages from multiple bidders on different items saying that they placed a snipe and it did not go through? Anyone else experienced this tonight, as either buyer or seller?

[Bugsy]

I had snipes that didn't go through tonight.

[Jacker_ Cracks]

Same here

[cardsfan73]

Appears to be an a major issue.. Discussion about it over on the PSA boards too.

[sbfinley]

The glitch blocking bidders happened earlier this week, snipe services getting blocked at the end of it. Lot's of $$ left on the table for sellers this week without a heads up from eBay.

[cardsfan73]

If I were a seller with auction listings ending I would be pretty pissed.

[ATP]

Wow, that really stinks. It already takes nerves of steel to run regular auctions on eBay having to wait until most of the action in the last few seconds, and then tonight...no action hardly at all at the end...I was expecting a little slow as it's a holiday weekend...so thank goodness I had a very very modest reserve on two large items, the reserve was only one third met on one and one half met on the other. I had assumed both reserves would easily be met. Multiple people not getting their snipes through on them. Just image If I hadn't put a reserve on those two and they had gone off at one third of a very low expected price. At this point I probably only left a few hundred on the table, but that is only according to those who contacted me about it.

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by ATP

Has anyone else been hearing complaints on their snipes not going through tonight on eBay? I had one of my lowest selling weeks in some time bid and dollar wise, and when I just checked my email....I had messages from multiple bidders on different items saying that they placed a snipe and it did not go through? Anyone else experienced this tonight, as either buyer or seller?

I had a few last week

[dog*dirt]

I also had snipe problems. I couldn't believe how low the prices were on some items I was sniping, just glad I wasn't selling anything and feel bad for those that were.

[bobbyw8469]

Originally Posted by dog*dirt

I also had snipe problems. I couldn't believe how low the prices were on some items I was sniping, just glad I wasn't selling anything and feel bad for those that were.

Yea...losing $330 is rough. And the poster above who slammed me is missing the point. When bidders arent allowed to get bids in, meaning they are blocked from bidding due to Ebays incompetence, well, that is just as bad as shill bidding. It is called bid rigging, and it is just as illegal as shill bidding. Should a seller be forced to make a sell when other bidders are blocked from participating?

Ebay never ceases to amaze me in its' incompetence. Just when I thought I had seen it all.....

[D. Bergin]

This is concerning to me. Has anybody figured out if it's any particular sniping tool, or is it all of them across the board?

[D. Bergin]

Wonder if Ebay has suddenly decided that auction sniping services pose a "security breach".

[Leon]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

This is concerning to me. Has anybody figured out if it's any particular sniping tool, or is it all of them across the board?

My gavelsnipe bids worked fine last night. I didn't win but was under bidder on at least a few. It seems the snipes worked properly.

[swarmee]

Originally Posted by bobbyw8469

It is called bid rigging, and it is just as illegal as shill bidding. Should a seller be forced to make a sell when other bidders are blocked from participating?

Bid rigging? That would mean that eBay or other bidders INTENTIONALLY defrauded you by restricting the price of your item. To my knowledge, eBay itself does not have any sniping software. It is likely against their Terms of Service to use such a service.
My guess is that the sniping services all have disclaimers that say STTE "we are not liable in the case that your bid does not go through at the appropriate time." So I would guess they're off the hook.

Full disclosure: I don't use bid sniping services. If I want an auction item, I am there when it ends.

[Econteachert205]

If I bid on a card for 800 dollars, paid, then had my winning bid cancelled because someone else's sniping software wasn't working, I would never ever buy another card from that seller. Ever.

[bobbyw8469]

Ebay warns sellers against ending their items early. They state that most bidders bid within the final seconds (which is true), and that you run the risk of alienating them should you choose to do so. If it is true that EBay is then restricting the software of these companies that place bids within the final seconds so a bid is never placed, then that is a problem. No seller likes to see their items sell for less than what it is worth. For the card in question that I had, it had a known commodity with a value that most people look at as the gospel (VCP). That value was $1,250 (as of last night - I am sure it is lower now thanks to my throttled auction). If the card sold low due to a fact that Ebay is restricting these sniping programs from placing bids, well that affects me as a seller. I no longer wish to run 99 cents auctions. I also feel I shouldnt be held responsible to negligence on Ebay's part. Ebay makes it so I can't do anything really about non-paying bidders. How about some seller protection for seller's who don't wish to give an item away?

If the auction were a "true" auction that had no issues, then of course I would have no problem shipping the card off at a $330 loss. However, when I hear from multiple people that EBay is not allowing their bids to go through, well, that is a problem. A big one.

[swarmee]

http://www.gavelsnipe.com/faq.php?anchor=2#2

Quote: "My snipe failed to execute. What happened?

GavelSnipe may encounter problems on an auction site that can cause a snipe to fail to execute. Network delays and server timeouts can cause the sign in page or bidding page to not respond. GavelSnipe is designed to continue attempts to sign in and bid during the user-defined snipe buffer until a bid is placed or the auction ends.

eBay has security measures in place to detect weak passwords. This security measure can cause your snipe to fail because the eBay log in process is interrupted by the weak password notification. Click here for tips on creating a secure eBay password.

eBay randomly uses captcha verification codes. These codes require human intervention to proceed with the sign-in/bidding process. Captcha verification codes will cause a snipe to fail because GavelSnipe is unable to sign in and bid."

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by swarmee

Bid rigging? That would mean that eBay or other bidders INTENTIONALLY defrauded you by restricting the price of your item. To my knowledge, eBay itself does not have any sniping software. It is likely against their Terms of Service to use such a service.
My guess is that the sniping services all have disclaimers that say STTE "we are not liable in the case that your bid does not go through at the appropriate time." So I would guess they're off the hook.

Full disclosure: I don't use bid sniping services. If I want an auction item, I am there when it ends.

Ebay has to give permission, and a key to their back door for 3rd party developers like sniping services to even exist. Therefore they giving some sort of tacit approval for the service being offered.

The question is if the problem is on the sniping service end, or if Ebay is unnecessarily blocking some of these services due to yet another glitch or "enhancement" in their system.