In the final seconds of the auction, the leading bid (not the leading bidder's "true maximum", but the actual current high bid visible in the auction) was already $16k. No bid lower than the leading bid can be placed, and so can't show up in the bid history.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/117204-1985-300td-ebay-w-71k-miles-ca-car-item-4533456113-a.html#post834954

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1983 300TD White/Black
1986 560SL White/Palomino

I use Auctionstealer for sniping. For casual bidders I think they allow 3 free bids a month. I used on this auction with nice results:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4531483857

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Bill Reimels
Now down to one:
1972 300SE 3.5 W109 (Euro delivery)

Here's another outtasight auction. The current High Bidder twice raised on his previous bid with no new bidders. How is it that his latest bid is the high bid? Would not ebay just hold the higher bids as proxy bids until another bidder pushed the value up? I've seen this before and it seems it could work as a proxy in most cases but here the higher the guy bid against himself the higher the price went. What gives? I know for a while ebay let the bids go higher like that as long as the reserve is not met but I thought that proctice was discontinued.

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Tom Engel
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83 240 230K Manual (8/2003)
83 300D 265K (3/2004)
Just a Driver!

Something stinky about this car and the auction prices.

SteveM.

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'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner

I'm not sure of where and when the current high bidder did this. He chased the second highest bidder during the final three minutes of the auction, until he finally passed him with seconds to go.

The situation that you described is normally present only when a reserve price is in place. If I'm not mistaken, the high bidder can raise his proxy in an attempt to meet the reserve. But, they might have changed this recently, so I'm not positive about it.

If ebay wants to give a true auction they ought to go to a variable close time- say within an hour. The bidding could close ANYTIME within the stated hour, and thus sniping via computer program or last second placement would not work. SNIPING IS THE EVIL weasel of ebay and a good reason why many people stay away from ebay.

Oops Brian: I forgot the link.... This is the auction I was referring to...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6330&item=4533183708&rd=1

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Tom Engel
***********
83 240 230K Manual (8/2003)
83 300D 265K (3/2004)
Just a Driver!

Well too many of these go for more than I am willing to pay....and I will walk away when that price is met...........and believe me I drove up the price on more than a few auctions that had only one other bidder willing to go more than me right before I walked away.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Seriously, have you given this much thought? Do you really think it's more of a "true auction" if the auction ends at any time within a one hour window, with the winner being whoever had the highest bid at that time? Do you think this would appeal to most people? I don't.

I've seen suggestions floated before about how to make it more like a "true auction," but more often they run along the lines of automatic auction extensions, where every new high bid within a certain time of the closing time extends the closing time by some increment.

Personally, I have no problems with the basic format of the current eBay auction system. Compared to more traditional venues, it's a different sort of format for a different type of venue. The basic rules are pretty clear, and those who understand them seem to get along fine. Those who don't understand how the auction format works may be disappointed.

Sniper or not, the winning bidder is the one who bid the most in the auction, regardless of whether the actual bid (that bidder's "true max") was placed 7 days before the close or 7 seconds before the close.

Again, disappointment can result if one does not understand the auction format. There is no auctioneer there to coax the fence-sitter into offering just a little bit more because, you know, this other guy just offered a little bit more. Personally, I decide how much I'm willing to pay for something - other bidders in the auction have nothing to do with that. One of their bids will, however, have something to do with how much I actually have to pay - if I win.

It's still the highest bidder wins. I lose a lot more auctions than I win because my last second bid is not high enough. I find nothing unethical about last second bidding to avoid a price war. My high price for the bearing set above was $26.00. If the other bidder felt they were worth $27.00, he would have won. He lost because he was trying to lowball the auction at $10.00.

I bottom fish eBay for parts almost as much for entertainment as real need. A few months ago I scored a set of front Bilsteins for a my 108 for $1.00. They were take offs from a failed restoration. Turned out they were brand new had had never been on the road.

I only use eBay for Mercedes parts and an occasional odd tool. I would never use it for electronics or computers because that's where the scammers and con artist's hangout plus there are too many eBay suckers who bid up items without thinking.

Hey I figure if more people on this list stay away from eBay that just opens more opportunities for bargain hunters like me! Now everyone repeat after me: eBay is evil, eBay is evil, eBay is evil..........

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Bill Reimels
Now down to one:
1972 300SE 3.5 W109 (Euro delivery)

Sniper or not, the winning bidder is the one who bid the most in the auction, regardless of whether the actual bid (that bidder's "true max") was placed 7 days before the close or 7 seconds before the close.

Again, disappointment can result if one does not understand the auction format.

Uh hello... the winner bidder is NOT the one who bids the highest bid, it's the one who outbids the current price AS LATE AS POSSIBLE SO THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN COUNTER. If I have a max bid of $100 and the current bid is $60 and you place a bid of $61 two seconds before the closing then my suppossed automatic counter bid of up to $100 cannot be placed. I bid $100, you bid $61- I bid higher and before you and still lost. YOUR understanding is the one that needs clarification. That's why it's called sniping, not some nicer term. A true auction does not end at a certain time, it ends when all present have had the chance to see what the bid is and counter EVERY bid. Ebay tweaking it's bid process is needed to avoid sniping.

William,

In this specific case, if you had a proxy bid of $100.00, the e-bay computer would place a bid of $62.00 for you at 1.9999999 seconds before the close and you would win the auction.

The only way you can lose is if you fail to use a proxy bid, in favor of placing the bid yourself.

Eskimo had an example of a fellow putting in his bid with one second to go. He lost the auction to a proxy bidder: post #25:

Someone's Getting a Pretty Good Deal...

No offense intended here, but I've never seen evidence for what you claim (sniping somehow "beating" a higher "true maximum" bid placed earlier in the auction). If you have evidence of this, then I'd love to see it.

I've participated in a brief discussion of this before - please see this thread. Many of the comments I might offer here are already there.

I lost a set of MB rims to a sniper who won the auction with a bid less than my maximum bid if my memory is correct.