At 05:39 PM 12/20/00 -0800, you wrote:
>An auction format that is sensible is the "going once, twice, sold" method
>which was used in newsgroups before online auctions came to be. It allows
>fair bidding, results in a fair price (for both buyer and seller), and so
>overall is fair for both buyers and sellers. Each party wins.
>The method I used, and that I want eBay to implement (but I know they
>never will) is to extend the auction deadline as each new bid comes in
>within X minutes of the deadline. This is fair and avoids the inflated
>prices that eBay promotes. But of course, eBay WANTS inflated prices.
>It's better for their bottom line, and they know it.
I agree with you totally. I've never been a fan of eBay's format, though
I've participated in thier auctions for a number of years now. In that
time period, whether I agree with it or not, I've found that in order to be
sucessful in winning eBay auctions it is more often than not necessary to
snipe...that or bid far above what I'm willing to pay for a particular
item. There is unlikely to be anything I can do to sway eBay's bias
towards the seller and the price inflation that happens because of it, so I
do what I have to do to make the system work for me without overinflating
the prices. This isn't to say I haven't knowling overpaid for a particular
item when I decide it is worth it to me personally to do so though, because
I have.
BTW, the 'going once, twice, sold' format is still used quite a lot in the
newsgroups that cater to the classic gaming platforms for selling
cartridges and such. It does work quite well.
Jeff
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Received on Wed Dec 20 2000 - 22:23:58 GMT