G B Auction Time Increase?

[thomasinaz]

I was bidding on a pistol the other day, when the auction end time increased by 10 minutes. This happened maybe 3 times on this auction when someone bid. Each time there was under 5 minutes remaining and of course the bids went up too. Does anyone familiar with the selling side of GB know if this is common practice. I've never experienced this before, in my previous purchases on GB. Seems like bad business, not showing the true auction end time.....

 

[cballman]

I have never used gunbroker for items, BUT I think that it is a feature that keeps us from sniping any items at the last seconds or minutes. Check out the policies and I believe that you will find out how it works.

 

[smith17]

Check the rules on bidding. I have always understood there were 15 minutes added every time a bid was made late in the game.
Ed

 

[Peter J.]

I have been using Gunbroker for a long time (eight or nine years?) and there has been a 15 minute time extention per high bid for as long as I have used it. Auction Arms just added the auction time extention about a year ago.

 

[mkk41]

Yep , they have a 15min rule. If ya look under 'ending time' and click on the green '15 min rule' all will be explained.

 

[VM]

I've never experienced this before, in my previous purchases on GB. Seems like bad business, not showing the true auction end time.....

If you never experience this before, it means that your bid was highest and nobody tried to beat you.
As far as bad buisness..........it's clearly outlined in their rules and as Member "mkk41" mentioned, there's a "15 minute rule" button that you can click (right next to the auction clock) to read about it.

 

[tripledipper]

The bottom line is that if there are 0 bids on an item that you are interested in close to the official auction ending time and you submit your bid and the auction is extended 15 min. you more than likely will still be the only bidder and be the winner. I usually don't even bother bidding on items with multiple bids.

 

[deadin]

Just like some folks that won't bid on an auction with a reserve, I won't bid on one with the "15 minute rule" in effect. It's just another way to suck money out of the buyer and pass it on to the seller and the auction house.
Too one sided... (Of course, if I'm a seller, I see nothing wrong with it...)

 

[thomasinaz]

Wow, I'm expected to read the instructions?! I guess I missed that little feature. Thanks for pointing out what should have been obvious to me....

 

[JSR III]

It prevents sniping like you have on eBay. At a "real" auction the auctioneer always calls for any last bids, going once, going twice, SOLD. If you raise your hand before SOLD, the auction keeps going.

Remember, auctions are for the benefit of the Seller to get the highest price that the audience is willing to pay. It is in the best interest of the seller and doesn't hurt the auction house either as they usually work on commission.

With GB, any bid made within the final 15 minutes adds an additional 15 minutes to the auction. This continues for as long as anyone bids within the final 15 minutes. If you are the only bidder, wait until there are about 16 minutes left and then place your bid. If no on else jumps in, you win.

 

[smith revolver cop]

I have never used gunbroker for items, BUT I think that it is a feature that keeps us from sniping any items at the last seconds or minutes. Check out the policies and I believe that you will find out how it works.

Correct. Designed to give the last high bidder a fighting chance against being sniped at the last second.

 

[Ogandydancer]

It's what they call the 15 minute rule whereby if someone is willing to or has time to sit at their computer and watch the time wind down to the last minute and then place a bid that is a dollar more than yours then the time goes for fifteen more minutes to see if you are going to increase your bid or not. I hate this rule because it can inflate the cost to much more than what it is really worth. Unless I want it really bad I won't even bother to bid.

 

[eyegots2no]

It ths 15 minute rule---actually it makes it much more like a real auction----and is good for a seller. I cannot complain about it----it is a good idea---but---I really do like sniping on ebay!!!!

 

[deadin]

My argument against the "15 minute rule" as an answer to being sniped is that you can't be "sniped" in a proxy bid auction if you will just bid what you are willing to pay in the first place. Your max bid won't be reached unless someone outbids you.
Being "sniped" means that you were willing to bid more but ran out of time but not out of bids.
It's your fault that you didn't bid what you were willing to pay, not the "sniper's" fault for cheating you out of something.

 

[number0009]

My argument against the "15 minute rule" as an answer to being sniped is that you can't be "sniped" in a proxy bid auction if you will just bid what you are willing to pay in the first place. Your max bid won't be reached unless someone outbids you.
Being "sniped" means that you were willing to bid more but ran out of time but not out of bids.
It's your fault that you didn't bid what you were willing to pay, not It's your fault that you didn't bid what you were willing to pay,

Folks seem to bring up the sniping vs. 15 minute rule when this subject comes up.

15 minute rule is not part of the GB to prevent a sniping. It's simply there to potentially bring a higher final bid and happens to make it more like a live auction. More money for the seller and GB. GB is not the only auction site that does this. Most of the higher end auction sites do bidding in a similar manner. Sometimes buyers new to GB fail to understand how the auctions work and we have these threads.

Those buyers new to GB who have no clue often are using a bidding style close to if not actual sniping and are disappointed to find out the auction is not run that way. Thank the heavens GB is not run like eBay that bleeds many sellers with much higher fees.

GB system sometimes help the seller get a higher amount. Rather than caring just about ourselves it's good to imagine yourself in their position for a change and wanting to be treated fairly as a seller. Consumer today...layoff...seller tomorrow.

If you bid what you are willing to pay in a timely manner prior to end of auction and walk away until the next day the 15 minute rule really has no affect on the outcome. If you are not the highest bidder it is not the fault of GB, the seller or the buyer. It's your fault that you didn't bid high enough to win the auction.

My GB experience has been limited to search, watching, bidding and completing a few won transactions with no issues. For those who walk away because they don't like it just makes for less competition and better for the rest of the bidders.

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