1 post tagged “ebay”

Let's face it-- eBay is broken.  It always has been, because it uses a system that's not fair to buyers or bidders.  We all know what I'm talking about:  you've found an item you wanted on eBay and placed your bid, only to be outdone at the last moment by a sniper.  Perhaps you've tried to be the sniper yourself by only bidding in the last minute or so.  Maybe you've even used some third party software to help.  On the other side of the equation, maybe you've put an item up for sale only to see it go for much less than it's worth because no one bid until the last moment, and there wasn't enough time left for a proper bidding war to ensue.

So here's what I suggest.  Have all auctions begin with a preview period.  During this time everything works the same way it does now.  People can place early bids if they want, but you don't really have to.  The period lasts one day less than current auctions.  Then the bidding period begins.  Any bid placed during the bidding period extends the end of the auction to 24 hours after the bid was placed.  This way  if someone snipes your auction, whether you're a bidder or a seller, you've got 24 hours to respond.  Sure, auctions could take longer.  But if that happens then the seller won't complain because he's getting more money than he would have otherwise.  Bidders won't complain because they can always just bid sooner.  If a seller needs to get rid of an item in a hurry, give him the option to accept the current bid and end it, or let him configure the amount by which the auction is extended.