In article ,
Dave Hinz wrote:
On Sat, 9 Jul 2005 02:39:30 +1000, Jeff R wrote:

"Dave Hinz" wrote in message
...

And yet, you're using a shady tactic to bid without giving others a
chance to make their bids.

Rubbish.
Don't you understand how proxy bids work?

Yes, I do. Sniping is an intentional way to deny people who use it
properly from having an equal chance to win the item.

The only folk who are being robbed of a "chance" are those who are too silly
to bid their final, honest amount - the aptly named
"clueless-newby-increment-bidders".

Which is why I said "bid what you want to pay and see what happens".
Bid your final, honest amount, and if it's worth more than you want,
then you won't get it.

And all the other bidders are free to put in a similar bid,
early or at the last moment. Only a fool would put in a large serious
bid early, simply because idiots keep pecking away a few dollars at
a time until they top your bid -- even if they originally had no
intention of paying that much.

Nothing wrong with nudging them out.

And, nothing wrong with wanting an action that ends when the bidders
have all had an equal chance to decide when it's over.

I rather liked the "spot bids" at government auctions. The
announcement:

"Now opening bids on lot 135!"

would be followed by a group of runners picking up the bid cards, with
no bid amounts stated aloud.

Then would follow:

"Closing bids on lot 135!"

A few moments of shuffling through the cards, and a final announcement:

"Lot 135 is awarded to bidder 332"
"Now opening bids on lot 136!"

This is not that different from eBay's system *with* sniping, except
that early bidders on eBay have their bids partially exposed before
closing. Without sniping, a serious (early) bid can still lose to
someone playing the "incremental pecking" game.

As a buyer in an eBay auction, you find and use the strategy
which maximizes your chance to win, just as in any other auction.

And a sniper can *still* lose to someone who has put in an early
bid for more, so it is only the ones who incrementally peck their way up
the price range who lose -- the ones who have not yet learned what
strategy works on eBay auctions.

As a seller, you still have the option to put in a reserve, and
with that, even a last-minute sniper cannot win your item unless s/he
bids something for which you are willing to release the item (as
determined by your reserve).

Enjoy,
DoN.
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