Can manual bids beat Gixen free?

[steel]

I have a paid Gixen account but have been offered a ÂGBP 5 voucher by ebay under another seller account. I am wondering if I place a bid under that account with Gixen free and the snipe time is 5 seconds, is that long enough for a bidder who is watching the auction to see the bid and manually respond?

[Cupid]

I think in order to address this question we should put ourselves in the position of the manual bidder that 'responds' to a bid in the last 30 seconds of an auction.

Firstly, the only way to actually react, and take action as a result, would be to be watching the auction bidding at that time. Doing that and planning to place a later, higher, bid can't really be considered to be 'responding' can it ?... this is because it involves an element of pre-planning in much the same way as scheduling a snipe with a service like Gixen.

Secondly, if what you are prepared to pay as a buyer is higher than the amount of a bid you've already placed on an auction or have scheduled to be placed automatically via a service, then whatever happens in the last few seconds, whether you place that bid manually or not, can't be considered a reaction, it's just you taking responsibility on yourself as to whether you take action to express your true buying preferences, or not.

In conclusion I'd say, it's entirely possible for there to be later bids, whether manual or automated (it makes no difference which they are) but it isn't realistic to describe them as 'responses' to a bid placed 5 or 6 seconds before the end of the auction.
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Mark

[steel]

Thanks. I'll have to test it myself sometime on an auction to find out. I remember doing it years ago and I imagine 5 seconds is cutting it fine, but in any case the item I wanted went for too much.