[Coco] Re: [Color Computer] eBay item 5158119652 (EndsJan-24-05 20:57:32 PST) - CM-8 RGB Monitor For Tandy Color Computer 3

[John Donaldson]

      people, remember Ebay is a AUCTION. It seems none of you all have 
every gone to a real LIVE
auction. I have and I can tell you I have seen bids made a second before 
the auctioneer says " SOLD". He
had already had said "GOING ONCE", paused, "GOING TWICE", paused, then a 
second before he
could say "SOLD", someone raised a bid flag. It can get cut throat at a 
live auction, you should expect
the same for Ebay.

John Donaldson



Torsten Dittel wrote:

>>Ebay allows sniping software.
>>    
>>
>
>On EBAY.COM I found:
>
>######
>
>"Someone bid on an item I was bidding on at the very last second and won
>it! Is this allowed? 
>    
>Yes, it is.
>
>Within the eBay Community, this practice is called "sniping" and it
>means to place a high bid in the closing seconds of an auction-style
>listing.
>
>As frustrating as it can be to lose an item you really wanted, sniping
>is part of the eBay experience, and all bids placed before a listing
>ends are valid - even if they're placed only one second before the
>listing ends.
>
>One way to help avoid disappointment is to ensure that the maximum bid
>you enter on the item page is the highest price that you're willing to
>pay. The eBay system automatically increases your bid up to the maximum
>price you specify, so entering a higher maximum may help prevent you
>from being outbid in the closing seconds of a listing."
>
>######
>
>I didn't find any additional note in the user agreements/policies wether
>the usage of a sniper SOFTWARE is allowed or not (of course sniping
>MANUALLY can't be forbidden anyway. I can bid until the auction closes
>and that could be in the last second).
>
>On EBAY.DE I found almost the same on German, BUT in the user
>agreements/policies it reads (I added the English translation):
>
>######
>
>§ 10 Grundsätze für Online-Auktionen 
>(§ 10 Principles for on-line auctions)
>
>[...] 
>
>4. Die Abgabe von Geboten mittels automatisierter
>Datenverarbeitungsprozesse (z.B. so genannten "Sniper"-Programmen) ist
>verboten. 
>(4. Placing of bids using automated data processing (e.g. so called
>"Sniper" programs) is forbidden.)
>
>######
>
>However: Ebay Germany went to court against all distributors and
>manufacturers of sniping software. They won some of the first instances
>but finally lost all cases at the higher courts.
>
>  
>
>>It is normal acceptable behavior. Everyone
>>has access to sniping software, so where's the unfairness exactly?
>>    
>>
>
>Well, I think this is not the question at all. Everyone (in the US) has
>access to a pump gun (I guess you can buy this at your local WALMART
>store and are proud of it). So everyone could commit a bank robbery,
>it's FAIR, but still not LEGAL. The question is: is it legal or not.
>
>In the US: legal
>In Germany: against ebay's user agreements/policies BUT: legal
>concerning the law
>
>For me bidding on ebay is fun (I like this rush of adrenalin if I try to
>bid manually in the last 10 seconds and ebay is asking me to enter my
>username/password again... ;-)), using sniper software is no fun. But: I
>agree with several opinions here: I place my maximum bid in the last
>minute manually. If someone snipes me because his willing to pay even
>more: be it.
>
>Just my two cents.
>
>Torsten
>
>
>  
>