GunBroker 15-minute rule: What do some people not get about it?

[GRT3031]

I don't like the policy. Set the auction to end when its supposed to. Bid what you want. If you snooze you lose. Snipping available. I don't like reserve auctions or auctions that proudly proclaim "NO RESERVE", but they have a retail price on the gun for a starting bid.

 

[deadin]

Originally Posted by deadin
This can get boring if I put in an early bid and then have to wait a week or so to see if I won.

This makes no sense to me. If an auction has a number of days left I won't even bother bidding. I prefer to put an item on my watch list and see what it does. If it gets a lot of traffic and goes higher than I wanted to pay I don't even bother.

You didn't quote my whole statement. I agree with you 100% . And I emphasized that why obligate my limited money when something more interesting may come along before the the first auction closes. __________________

 

[Mainsail]

This makes no sense to me. If an auction has a number of days left I won't even bother bidding. I prefer to put an item on my watch list and see what it does. If it gets a lot of traffic and goes higher than I wanted to pay I don't even bother.

I don't know if gunbroker works the same way, but I have won items on the State auctions and gov liquidation when I wasn't the high bidder.

Seems on some auction sites if the high bidder balks they go to the next highest bidder. That can happen right after the auction closes or a few weeks later.

I won a M1101 trailer right after the auction closed, I had quit bidding when the price went way above my max, then the next day I got the email that I'd won at my max bid (several hundred below the "winning" bid.

 

[deadin]

I had quit bidding when the price went way above my max, then the next day I got the email that I'd won at my max bid (several hundred below the "winning" bid.

Interesting.. Was the "balking" bidder the same one that pushed your bid to your max? If so, they should have dropped back to whatever your bid was before the defaulter showed up. Otherwise I would assume that a shill was at work and I wouldn't use that particular auction again. (I would also consider legal action against the auction house.)

 

[mpc]

While I think the 15 minute window is long, I do like it. I despise snipping. the 15 minute rule is their version of "going once, going twice, sold". I say bump it down to 5 minutes tops. Avoids sniping and any potential glitches in last second bids like with ebay.

 

[GRT3031]

Like or dislike, knowing the system is half the battle. I've confused GB and eBay on that 15 minute rule much to my chagrin. At the end of the day, if it's something I want, I've learned to figure the max I want to pay, and put the bid on it within the last hour or so of the auction, then walk away. If I win I win. I've learned to really examine photo's too.

 

[Borderboss]

I've learned to really examine photo's too.

Photos are so critical. That's why I paid up as I did for this Rossi. Based on the photos and the follow up communication with the seller before I bid, it seemed that it would be in excellent condition.

I now have the gun in hand, receiving it yesterday. The condition is outstanding. Except for two very minor cosmetic things, this rifle is tight. I doubt that it was used much, and it was certainly cared for over the decades.