sniping question on ebay.

[Phantom]

I attempted to snipe a comic at £7.77.
I put in my bid days before, and it went off 10 sec before the end (using free service).
It did activate and bid placed.

What I don't understand, is that the winning bid was £7.77.
I that because we both put in the same bid ~ and earliest bid won?

Just never seen this before.

Usually I win, or amount is above my bid by set amount.

[jeremycoe]

That would only happen if the winning bidder's max bid was also £7.77, but was placed earlier than yours.

[BloodShot]

That would only happen if the winning bidder's max bid was also £7.77, but was placed earlier than yours.

That is EXACTLY correct.

[jeremycoe]

It's kind of random that the bids would match like that, but it happens sometimes.

[corey]

Reminds me of the snipe job somebody for me on years ago comic went for like 12xx.87. He bid in the finaI two seconds. I had a bid of 12xx.86.was a sad day

[Phantom]

ok, cool. thought it was a glitch.
will use different number next time, same digits must be quite common.

thanks guys

[mrwoogieman]

It's possible the underbidder was slightly less than your 7.77 and eBay was rounding to the next nearest bid increment and ran out of rounding room.

Example, your competitor bids 7.50, eBay software would normally auto bid you up to the next nearest bid increment of 8.00, but since it can't do that it just brings your bid up to the maximum of 7.77 instead.

[jeremycoe]

It's possible the underbidder was slightly less than your 7.77 and eBay was rounding to the next nearest bid increment and ran out of rounding room.

Example, your competitor bids 7.50, eBay software would normally auto bid you up to the next nearest bid increment of 8.00, but since it can't do that it just brings your bid up to the maximum of 7.77 instead.

???

I'm pretty sure this isn't how eBay works. You can bid down to the penny, or whatever £.01 is called.

[mrwoogieman]

It's possible the underbidder was slightly less than your 7.77 and eBay was rounding to the next nearest bid increment and ran out of rounding room.

Example, your competitor bids 7.50, eBay software would normally auto bid you up to the next nearest bid increment of 8.00, but since it can't do that it just brings your bid up to the maximum of 7.77 instead.

???

I'm pretty sure this isn't how eBay works. You can bid down to the penny, or whatever £.01 is called.

Rounding up to the next bidding increment is exactly how eBay works.

[greg]

I think both bidders bid 7.77 and the earlier bid won.

If there was any other number, even 7.78, Ebay would have set the winning bid to 7.78.

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Take-Advantage- ... 188/g.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The example they give is 156.80 and 157. Even though 157 isn't 156.80 plus the increment, the winner would pay 157.

[mrwoogieman]

That's an interesting page link there, Greg, thanks! But I believe it still leaves open the possibility that the two bids were not identical, see this excerpt

Understanding bid increments is also extremely useful if you bid and don't end up as the high bidder. If, after you bid, the current price ends up lower than your bid plus the bid increment (you bid $40 and the price rises to $40.17), then the high bidder's maximum bid is equal to the current price (in this case, $40.17). This means that all you need to do is place one more bid of at least $41.17 to put yourself in the lead.

If the default was only one penny over the next highest bidder bidding $40 would result in a shown bid of $40.01 not $40.17. the bidding software is trying to take it up to the next highest bidding increment, so it uses the entire $.17 overage and not just one cent.

[jeremycoe]

That's an interesting page link there, Greg, thanks! But I believe it still leaves open the possibility that the two bids were not identical, see this excerpt

Understanding bid increments is also extremely useful if you bid and don't end up as the high bidder. If, after you bid, the current price ends up lower than your bid plus the bid increment (you bid $40 and the price rises to $40.17), then the high bidder's maximum bid is equal to the current price (in this case, $40.17). This means that all you need to do is place one more bid of at least $41.17 to put yourself in the lead.

If the default was only one penny over the next highest bidder bidding $40 would result in a shown bid of $40.01 not $40.17. the bidding software is trying to take it up to the next highest bidding increment, so it uses the entire $.17 overage and not just one cent.

The two bids were identical. There is no other possibility. If the previous bid was .01 less, then Phantom's bid would have won.

[mrwoogieman]

I agree that in Phantom's case there were two identical bids of 7.77 and the earlier one was the winning bid. I thought he was the winner at his max bid, I didn't understand he was the losing bidder.

[greg]

So, despite the large font of disagreement, I am correct.

(I'm also proud of my pun for the word "font".)

[lorddunlow]

It's called a penny (pence plural), but they usually just say "p".

[Dallow Spicer1]

It's possible the underbidder was slightly less than your 7.77 and eBay was rounding to the next nearest bid increment and ran out of rounding room.

Example, your competitor bids 7.50, eBay software would normally auto bid you up to the next nearest bid increment of 8.00, but since it can't do that it just brings your bid up to the maximum of 7.77 instead.

???

I'm pretty sure this isn't how eBay works. You can bid down to the penny, or whatever £.01 is called.

You don't know what a £.01 is called?!?!

[jeremycoe]

It's possible the underbidder was slightly less than your 7.77 and eBay was rounding to the next nearest bid increment and ran out of rounding room.

Example, your competitor bids 7.50, eBay software would normally auto bid you up to the next nearest bid increment of 8.00, but since it can't do that it just brings your bid up to the maximum of 7.77 instead.

???

I'm pretty sure this isn't how eBay works. You can bid down to the penny, or whatever £.01 is called.

You don't know what a £.01 is called?!?!

Nope. Not sure why I should. I use $

[Dallow Spicer1]

It's possible the underbidder was slightly less than your 7.77 and eBay was rounding to the next nearest bid increment and ran out of rounding room.

Example, your competitor bids 7.50, eBay software would normally auto bid you up to the next nearest bid increment of 8.00, but since it can't do that it just brings your bid up to the maximum of 7.77 instead.

???

I'm pretty sure this isn't how eBay works. You can bid down to the penny, or whatever £.01 is called.

You don't know what a £.01 is called?!?!

Nope. Not sure why I should. I use $

I just figured given Britain's fundamental place in the creation of the US (language, culture etc) that there'd be a general awareness by Americans of the UK and things associated with it?

Hope that doesn't sound critical of you as an individual, it's not meant to be, I was just genuinely surprised.

[michael]

It's 1 pence. or 1 pee for short. American idiots . I'm also an American so I can say it.

[Dallow Spicer1]

It's 1 pence. or 1 pee for short. American idiots . I'm also an American so I can say it.

[lorddunlow]

Like I said in my post above, "pence" is technically the plural, so 1p would actually still be a penny. (You guys don't even have 1p coins any more though, do you? 5p is the smallest if I'm correct.)

[Dallow Spicer1]

Like I said in my post above, "pence" is technically the plural, so 1p would actually still be a penny. (You guys don't even have 1p coins any more though, do you? 5p is the smallest if I'm correct.)

Saying 1 pence would be ok (at least that's how I'd articulate it). 'P' can be used singularly 1p or plural 10p, 50p it's just an abbreviation of pence. But yeah, a penny is 1p(ence). We still have 1 and 2 pence pieces.

[Phantom]

And they are still in use. You will always get your change.
1 and 2 p used in all accounting except for our taxes which round up to nearest pound------- for each amount entered in each section.

[michael]

Like I said in my post above, "pence" is technically the plural, so 1p would actually still be a penny. (You guys don't even have 1p coins any more though, do you? 5p is the smallest if I'm correct.)

5 cents is smallest in Canadia. Rounded up or down depending on change. No one need jars full of pennies or pees anymore. It costs way more to make them than worth. Save taxpayers money. I guess some people keep jars of pee but it's different type of pee.