The new camping: Auction sniping (in General)

Looks like we have a new way for losers to amuse themselves. (Yeah, I'm calling some of you losers. Deal with it.)

Apparently, the new amusement for some people is to buy an item in auction, then turn right around and re-auction the item for a higher price. I'm not sure how profitable this is, but it's happened to me a couple of times now and I decided to do a little digging.

For instance, here you can see miteke has an Ice Familiar for sale. If you look at his transfers, you'll see that he just bought it at a different auction.

Note that I don't have anything in particular against miteke, but this is just the latest example of something I consider rather contemptuous.

I first noticed this a couple of weeks ago, shortly after camping went away, with Seeker Arrows. People were buying them at auction, then turning right around and auctioning them again. I dismissed it as not much of a problem, since Seeker Arrows spawn fairly frequently.

Not so with some other items. They spawn infrequently, and if you can't be on when the auction is ending, you apparently are forced to pay these loser's prices.

Let me be clear about why I think these people are losers. They add nothing to the value of the item. I've already bid on the item. I'm winning. And then they buy the item and basically hold it for ransom, just so they can make a little money. What's the point? Just to be a jerk? Is a little CB2$ worth it?

I'm probably over-reacting and I'm sure many people will tell me to get over it. Fine, I will eventually. Note that there's no way I'll pay your premium, Mr. Loser.

I would like to ask Jon to implement proxy bidding, if that's at all possible. Thanks for your time, everyone. Flame away. I can take it.

Almuric Investigates!

I happen to agree with you, but this kind of Ebay trading has been going on in CB auctions forever. I think the only thing to do is to just not buy their item. If they can't sell it then maybe they'll stop?

"note that there's no way I'll pay your premium, Mr. Loser."

you bought a corn from Major Pain few days ago isn't it? If you knew he was "Auction Snipping" that corn for 2.4mil and turn around and sold it to you for ....:P

I found your statement ironic. That's all.

You're right Kitty. I didn't know that's how he had acquired that Corn. My bad. Unlikely to happen again, now that I'm aware of the process. Thanks for the heads up. I guess this goes under the 'Fool me once...' category.

Personally I have no problems with it.

As auctions go to 15 min left if there is a bid in the last 15 min, there is no real sniping going on.

But if someone finds a great deal in auctions, buys it, and then tries to resell it at a profit, well thats the basis for a free market economy. Such as in CB.

If I can on, and see a great deal on an item in auctions that spawned, I likely will buy it and try to resell at a profit. As was done with the corn that you bought.

I was wondering myself if anyone else noticed that! I'm having a heck of a time keeping myself supplied with Seeker bolts, to the point where I started switching between Seeker bolts & Seeker arrows, depending on what spawned when I was around. I was going to post my own thread asking if Seeker bolts didn't spawn as much now, until I started noticing the "big" bundles being offered by the same players over and over...

No flames here!

If you were willing to pay what you paid, then what is the problem? Whether they make a profit on it or not? Do you have a problem with buying gas for high prices or clothes? We all get taken at various times, but, if we pay the cash, there isn't much sympathy by those who don't even have the choice you had. CB is all about the free market.

Sniping is a way of life in any auctions. A possible solution is to implement a 2 minute restart of an auction every time there is a bid (during the last 2 minutes). It can be frustrating when people snipes but thats the way it is. They take their time to ensure that they get it, and if they profit from it, why not? IMO, its better than seeing people buying for 33k then selling at 3m. :)

I may be wrong but I think there is a 15 min reset when there is a bid within the last 15 min of an auction.

Can someone confirm or refute this?

Thanks

hmm... Ranger has no problem sniping auctions yet he says he hated camping because it allowed certain people to control the economy. so basically what your saying is you want to buy low and sell high and thereby control the economy but you don't want anyone with lesser pockets to? i would love to here your explanation for this one

you know who's the master of auction ?
iw, lol, kk, and all of those "siblings" on that same IP

There is a big difference Megaman.. Biiiig difference..

how so. it basically boils down to the rich people controlling prices instead of campers.

10 min is add to a auction when a bid is put on a item with less that 10 min remaining.

Camping- Spending BA trying to catch that elusive rare that spawns, using programs/add ons to give oneself an advantage. Buying such items for a pittance compared to their worth.

Auctions- Everyone getting the chance to bid on those elusive rares equally. Being able to fight and bid on rares at the same time with said rares going for market price. Any profit made is far far less than from camping.

Megaman, please get over the fact that camping is over. Your becoming a broken record.

And if you read my thread, I said if I happen to see an item for a low price I will likely buy it and resell it. But its not what I do all the time.

You guys have no clue what sniping is. Every time a bid is made time is added to the clock, i.e., there IS no sniping.

Back in the old days you could get a stop watch and submit a bid 1 ms before the end and have a good chance of getting it if your bid was smart. That was sniping - and kind of fun.

If I see a rare going in an auction for a price well below market value of course I'm going to buy it - and when I bid time will be added to the auction if it is below 10 min or whatever.

Really a surprising reaction from some vets on this one.

Campers were the rich people in CB2, controling the market wasn't the problem. The problem was that they cheated the system to get those items, auction sniping is not possible as time is added when a bid is made if under a certain limit.

Camping wasn't the problem, cheaters were. Cheaters RUINED camping and gave it a bad name, so having a problem with camping is a total 360 from the problem Almuric is having.

But good try, MM.

At least with auctions everyone has 24 hours to see the item and place a bid. I have no problems losing the first 5 pairs of DB's since I got to bid on them.

basically Ranger you stumbled over your own logic i caught you and now your trying to recover by diverting the subject

Megaman,

Your beyond hopeless in your logic. As one says, you cannot reason with an insane person. You will just be spinning your wheels.

Alas, that is my problem.

Actually, camping always was a problem.

Your becoming a broken record. - Ranger

Kettle, Pot, Black.

About the NUB, I certainly am. The thing is most of the older players agree with me on it.

Not that many agree with Megaman about the demise of camping.

Big difference.

so. he who has the most buddies is always right?

Big difference. - Ranger

Different records, different fans, same garbage music.

Now it is like trying to tell your 3 year old why eating candy for every meal is bad. Some people just don't get it.

it is? but I like candy...

I would love proxy bidding. another aspect that makes auctions attractive is the chance of getting a good deal. the more sniping there is, the less reason for the sale to even be an auction rather than a straight deal. I would love to see an auction where only the people who would actually use the item bid, but from the looks of any auction that ever started at $1, that has yet to happen.

and yes, I myself bid on those kinds of auctions. but unless its either a VERY sweet price or I will actually use the item, I will not bid if it looks like I might win. (although I do flip-flop on what "might win" is)

Almuric, not sure what this post is really saying. I mean it sounds like you are saying, hey if I have the high bid on a good deal you should not over bid me?

If a person does overbid you or anyone else, and is able to sell it for more than they paid for it, it was by definition a good deal on the first auction. If they are unable to sell it for a higher price they are likely stuck with an item they do not want or need, or are forced to sell at a loss. Thus the risk/reward scenario that generates profit.

If you have a high bid on an item and win it, then likely your bid was in line with market expectations, higher than market expectations, or the auction ended at a time when the market was not able to or likely to react.

Regardless, I personally think I will file this post in the sour grapes category. I am certain you would not make the post if you had won a bunch of underpriced auctions, with or without re-selling it. So only after not winning some auctions of items you wanted, you make the post.

I will also mention as an ex-camper, (that's for you verifex, so that everyone is aware my opinion comes from an ex-camper and you will not feel the need to post) I was never one to just fight. I will not forge, so I bid on virtually every auction that spawns so that I can track each item and determine when it will end, and if I am on, and the item is selling below market value, I can post a winning bid on a good deal. If I do not need the item I will be reselling it. So yes, buying low in auctions and selling high, is the new camping for me.

Why you feel the need to insult me by calling me a loser for doing that, is beyond me, but I will fire back with this point, which is more loser behavior to buy an item at a good price in hopes to make a profit, or to whine about not getting an item in auctions because your bid was low compared to the market value.

I can understand your frustration Almuric. But unfortunately that's the way it is. Buy low sell high. Even IRL it's the same. All you can do is set a budget for an item you want to buy. Don't buy it when it goes beyond your budget. You can always wait for the next one.

It happened to me recently on a base Morgul from Auctioneer. I set a budget of 2 mil and when I was outbid, I just leave it and wait for next one. The person who outbid me told me it was for profit making and asked me to bid again and he will not outbid any further. I just said no. True enough now there's a Morgul (not base) in auction for less than 2 mil which I can buy. But I won't be buying it cause I have set a lower budget for it.

Don't worry too much about not able to get rare items, they're now no longer rares cause everyone has a chance of getting them.

On a site note, I truly missed camping that was the best part of CB IMO. Jon, bring back camping please. Scramble the name of the spawned rares if you have to, maybe that will overcome cheaters.

why dont you hire a person for free to stay up all night just so he can buy the stuff you want in auction for cheap and sell you equal or cheaper than he bought it for. There are tons I want to write about business main methods in the communist way but i guess we are all old enough to already understand such thing. I again doesn't ask to be called out name on how to run my own legitimate business. As far as I see it, there are demands and supplies which are factors subject to change at any time. Find the right buyers, Find the right items, when to sell it, when to buy it determine a great trader class in any game and/or even in real life. You could have slept only 4 hours less to bid on that corn yourself but dont expect me to do so and NOT getting compensation for my time as well. I named a price, you agreed to it because you 'maybe' desperately needed it at time. That's very normal because 'maybe' that 's all you want at the time, however then made a post publicly and insulted my business image in front of the entire community is NOT ethical by any means.
I am getting off now to wait for the paper fan i ordered 6 months ago from China to arrive because it is dirt cheap. Well i could have bought it at Wal-Mart nearby but I refused to make the Mr. Loser-Mart get rich from my money.

I swear you are such whiners. Are you going to go around and say anything profitable in the game is being a loser.

It's like you're going to complain if someone does anything short of fighting; it's counted as ruining the game and not adding any depth.l

My opinion is:
The auction is a free market.The problem is, i see a decent ELS sold at 395K,Why?.I think its because nobody have more money than that for bidding.Btw its our favorite NUB who buy it,and try to sell it 1 day later 1M. Call me crazy but i think the newbie or NUB control the market with big liquidity that they owned.

I guess I have to apologize for calling you people losers. To me, it appeared you were like the African Warlords who intercept rice and grain shipments to the starving villagers so you can make a little profit off it. You don't really add anything to the transaction, is what my problem is with it.

You don't plan on using the item. You just want to make money off of it. You're not doing it to spite me, you're doing it because there's this whole other game you're playing with yourself where you're trying to make money. I didn't realize that anyone was doing that. Call me short-sighted or maybe I had blinders on.

Just like the scalpers buying up blocks of front-row tickets you're providing a valuable service without which the wheels of economy-blender would grind to a halt. I guess it's my fault for trying to get a night's sleep.

I wasn't really pissed off, more a little miffed. It seemed like such a petty thing to do. Playing keep-away when all I wanted to do was buy the damn thing and equip it. It seemed mean-spirited.

I understand now. You're playing your own little game. You've got your own little goals. You're a vital and necessary part of the community here. You complete this game.

I hope I haven't ruffled too many feathers. I guess I'll have to pay more attention in the future. I'll try not to post ad-hominem attacks at the entrepeneurs here. There might be a Donald Trump in the making. I may need his/her help one day.

Goodnight, Gracie.

When it comes to Capitalism, the main necessity is an "honest" market. If there aren't enough people bidding, or if there is "insider" trading, there is a problem.

I am not sure I see either here.

The Auction market is pretty decent. If I saw an item going cheap, I would buy it, useful or not. I just don't know what "correct" market value is.

Sefton, not sure who you think is calling you a loser...at least not directly (you wanna do Chevy's next week so I can call ya to your face? *grin*)...Almuric is deserved of his opinion just as you are deserved of your auction action.

This thread seems to be a bit of a non-event? And I helped!

Ahh Chet I would be up for Chevy's.....but let me help you with a little reading lesson. See there are these things called letters, when formed in certain manners they make words. Now allow me to quote directly from Almuric's orignal post:

"Looks like we have a new way for losers to amuse themselves. (Yeah, I'm calling some of you losers. Deal with it.)"

"Let me be clear about why I think these people are losers. They add nothing to the value of the item. I've already bid on the item. I'm winning. And then they buy the item and basically hold it for ransom, just so they can make a little money. What's the point? Just to be a jerk? Is a little CB2$ worth it?"

Since I bid on items that I don't need in hopes of selling them for more than I pay for them, I would fall into the "just so they can make a little money." category, ergo I was called a loser. Now Almuric did in a subsequent post after mine say perhaps he was too hasty with his loser tag, but without my crystal ball and tarot cards I felt he was talking to me.

If you have any doubts as to why I felt this applied to me look at any significant auction spawn, and 90% of them I have bid on, and I run a wall mage team. Thusly, I took this post to heart, thusly I defended my actions. I felt after Almuric's last post the subject was over, but I do appreciate your re-introducing this non-event, as my wit need a little more sharpening :)

CM me for a date next week and we shall get some lunch at chevy's!

Just to surprise the many out there that isn't aware of this fact. Sefton and Sut are great r/l friends. Amazing, isn't it?

Actually, thats not so much a suprise as it explains a few things.

But what is indeed unexpected is the fact that i am too drunk to spell suprised.