Update Timing

[FFinCT]

Occasionally I decide to update my snipe a few minutes before the auction's end, and I will see the message that the update may not take. My update was done today for item 150632631881 at around 3 minutes and some # of seconds, and the update didn't work, so to speak. (and thus the item went to someone who bid less than I did - although I don't know what their top bid was and if it was higher than mine, so I still could have lost).

My main question is: How soon before an auction ends can I update the price so that I'm confident of the update taking hold, and not receiving the warning message? Thanks!

[mario]

It's 2 minutes.

As for the item in question, your last change was one minut and 7 seconds *after* auction already ended. The original bid was placed just before auction end (you can check that in bid history), but you were outbid.

[FFinCT]

Thanks.

Well apparently I didn't update my browser as I thought I'd done - so that's my reward for multitasking - I timed out!

It's good to know about the two minute thing - maybe something to add in your FAQ - for the question, "Can I change my bid after I've entered it in Gixen?"

I was aware of this time limit in regards to cancelling/deleting a Gixen bid within the 2 minute time frame.

[mario]

Editing is, in fact, the same as delete + add in Gixen, that's by design. I'll see that I add this to FAQ.

[Gixen]

[FFinCT]

Yes - clarifying the circumstances when the "2 Minute Rule" is involved would enhance the FAQ.

From the warning message that pops up when changing (editing) a bid within 2 minutes, my interpretation is that sometimes changes made within 2 minutes might take effect and sometimes not - if so, any clarification as to what affects the viability of a last-minute change?

[mario]

It's just time, nothing else. Most of the time, anything changed with over a minute left is fine. Items are picked up from the queue every 30 seconds I believe (have to check that), and anything 90 seconds or less to the auction end is picked up. That means that if you make a change 20 seconds before end, and it happens that the item is picked up at 19 seconds before end, it will, in fact, execute fine. But if you make a change 20 seconds before end, and items were picked up 21 seconds before end, the next "pick up" time will not happen until the auction has already ended.

Also, while the best effort is made to stop already picked up items that were deleted in the meantime, and this works 99% of the time, this may not always succeed, and the snipe deleted very late (e.g. less than 90 seconds before auction end) may still execute.

This is grossly simplified, don't hold me to word that everything is exactly like this.

[FFinCT]

Thanks, the explanation makes sense based on the programming. Is there a technical reason why the upd*ting is done on the 30-second basis?

[mario]

I think the original reason was to avoid unnecessary hammering of the database, when Gixen was running on quite limited resources. At this point it's probably mainly historical, however it would still take a good argument to convince me to reduce that.

[FFinCT]

Thanks. Well, the only reasons I can think of to change it are to increase the odds of a last-partial-minute change kicking in for a bidder/sniper who, for whatever reason, reassessed their "highest" bid amount, or who wanted to delete a snipe very close to auction end time (e.g., change of heart). None of these are frequent events for me, but I've experienced them on occasion.

[Cupid]

I think that one of the skills of sucessful sniping is the ability to be able to decide the maximum amount that you are willing to pay many hours before the auction ends.

Personally I can not think of the last time that I had not already decided 2 days before the auction was to end.

I apreciate that is not always possible, spmetimes you will miss something special about an item that others have noticed, the way that I mitigate this possibility is with quite a lot of research... sometimes what you save in time using Gixen to bid for you is taken up with that extra work looking into the background and prices of items that are similar to those you are interested in.
_________________
Mark

[FFinCT]

Well, on occasion I decide to delete an item bid, and usually I do so before the "two minute Gixen limit" but there have been a few instances when, for one reason or another, I would have liked the reliable option of killing the snipe within two minutes. If there is no longer a server load issue, then why not decrease the "undo" option to within two minutes.

I do fully understand the philosophy of setting a bid amount to the highest value for what one is willing to pay (based on research or whatever).

[mario]

[FFinCT]

Thanks!