Recnt bid higher than Buy It Now warnings

[rickajho]

Hi

Confoosed. I got a "Your maximum bid is higher or equal than buy-it-now price. eBay may (and probably will) refuse your bid." warning on two auctions:

182050209701

This one has a Buy It Now set at $15.00 with an opening bid of $10.00. I set my snipe at $15.00 and got the warning - okeh. Not sure what the reason is that eBay would disallow the bid when it's supposed to happen. Regardless I dropped my snipe to $14.51and the warning message didn't reappear.

201537114775

This is the one I don't understand - it no longer has a Buy It Now option for the auction. Someone has already placed an opening bid and BIN is gone. Today I increased my snipe from $12.11 to $22.11 and got a "Your maximum bid is higher or equal than buy-it-now price. eBay may (and probably will) refuse your bid." warning.

In general, what is the issue with a snipe set higher than a Buy It Now price? Why doesn't that work?

In specific, why did I get a warning on the second auction when there is no longer a Buy It Now option for that auction? The second auction ends in about 8 hours - that's the one I'm really concerned about.

Thanks.

[Cupid]

I don't get the warning when I add 201537114775 at 22.11... If you still are, when editing, I suggest deleting the snipe and adding it again... let us know if you still get the warning then.

I'll expand on why attempting to bid above the BIN does not work in my next post.
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Mark

[Cupid]

OK, item 182050209701... if you put a bid of 15 or more into the bid box and push the 'Submit Bid' button Ebay produces a warning screen that includes:

'Your bid is the same as or more than the Buy it now price. You can save time and money by buying it now.'

try it, you don't have to confirm the bid to get that far.

That bid flow is different from normal, and that is why it doesn't work on Gixen.

It used to be far worse, you didn't even get a 'Confirm' button previously... though I have noted before, that now you do get one:

http://www.gixen.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7830

You will see on that thread that it was confirmed that Gixen still DOES NOT place a bid when the BIN is still there at the time it comes to place the bid.

I think we now need some input from Mario as to whether, with the latest changed operation of Ebay, it would now be feasible to change the Gixen software so that the bid could be confirmed even when the warning screen comes up.
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Mark

[rickajho]

Hi Mark

I don't know. I just tried that on item 182050209701 and this is what Ebay has to say if I try to place a bid higher than BIN:

[Gixen]

[Cupid]

Yes, I thought I demonstrated that I get the same screen as you quote.

I agree that your logic is reasonable... though personally if I am ever willing to pay more than the BIN, that is what I do, because I am confident that it is worth at least that and if I don't it is almost certain that someone else will.

I am also confident that Gixen will NOT bid in these circumstances (because that is what the other Gixen user experienced quite recently)... As I said, we need Mario to comment on the feasibility of changing Gixen so that it does bid in these circumstances, in the future. The logic may now be flawed in Gixen not Ebay, because, as I was also trying to explain, Ebay has already changed what happens, in this scenario, recently.
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Mark

[mario]

I indeed have to change this and add ability to bid - there was no Confirm option in the past, it would be outright refused.

Please give me a few days. Feel free to remind me if this is still an issue in a week.

[rickajho]

Thanks for looking into it Mario. Would it help you to understand what Ebay is up to at this point if I actually placed that bid over the BIN price and report back with the response? (Actually place the bid on Ebay - not via gixen.)

Mark I know this sounds kind of nutz but there are two issues here. I want to get the item at the lowest possible price - which would mean waiting on a snipe and not indicating interest by placing that initial $10.00 starting bid in order to stop the BIN option. At the same time, should multiple bids roll in I don't want to lose either by a dollar or two because of that cap of not being able to do a snipe no higher than the BIN price.

In other words, I would prefer to win at $10.00 but I'm willing to risk paying a bit more than what the BIN is set at if I need to. (Must be the gambler in me. )

[Cupid]

Yes, I understand what you are doing, others have made similar arguments in the past.

I'm sure you acknowledge that by leaving the BIN you also risk someone else just buying it at the BIN price?

In my case, because of the things I take an interest in, the amount of research I have done on the value, and the prices I am prepared to pay, it is more than likely that if I am prepared to pay more than the BIN it is almost certain that someone else will. I do not claim that is the case for everyone and the things they take an interest in.

I don't think, at this stage it is necessary for you to do further research as to what Ebays' current operation is... Marios' knowledge of how both Gixen and Ebay already work should be sufficient for him to make the necessary changes.
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Mark

[rickajho]

Well that was nerve wracking.

In the last 20 minutes I decided to cave and just go for the BIN purchase at $15.00.

Then my computer spazzed & choked. (It's Windoze - poop happens.)

By the time I got the computer semi-functional there were only about 4 minutes left - and I could see someone had gone and placed a bid. Browser still not fully working I loaded gixen desktop instead and only had 3 minutes (barely) to increase the bid above the original $15.00 BIN limit. Deleting snipe... adding snipe... queuing snipe... (Hurry! Hurry!)

Bottom line: I split the difference and won at $13.50 - between the auction starting bid at $10.00 and what was the BIN price at $15.00.

I'll take it.

I would have to say my instincts were correct on this one and sniping was the way to go. However I still hope this can be modified to place bids higher than a BIN price in the future. (This one was too much drama. lol)