[Coco] Re: [Color Computer] eBay item 5158119652 (EndsJan-24-05 20:57:32 PST) - CM-8 RGB Monitor For Tandy Color Computer 3

[Torsten Dittel]

> Ebay allows sniping software.

On EBAY.COM I found:

######

"Someone bid on an item I was bidding on at the very last second and won
it! Is this allowed? 
    
Yes, it is.

Within the eBay Community, this practice is called "sniping" and it
means to place a high bid in the closing seconds of an auction-style
listing.

As frustrating as it can be to lose an item you really wanted, sniping
is part of the eBay experience, and all bids placed before a listing
ends are valid - even if they're placed only one second before the
listing ends.

One way to help avoid disappointment is to ensure that the maximum bid
you enter on the item page is the highest price that you're willing to
pay. The eBay system automatically increases your bid up to the maximum
price you specify, so entering a higher maximum may help prevent you
from being outbid in the closing seconds of a listing."

######

I didn't find any additional note in the user agreements/policies wether
the usage of a sniper SOFTWARE is allowed or not (of course sniping
MANUALLY can't be forbidden anyway. I can bid until the auction closes
and that could be in the last second).

On EBAY.DE I found almost the same on German, BUT in the user
agreements/policies it reads (I added the English translation):

######

§ 10 Grundsätze für Online-Auktionen 
(§ 10 Principles for on-line auctions)

[...] 

4. Die Abgabe von Geboten mittels automatisierter
Datenverarbeitungsprozesse (z.B. so genannten "Sniper"-Programmen) ist
verboten. 
(4. Placing of bids using automated data processing (e.g. so called
"Sniper" programs) is forbidden.)

######

However: Ebay Germany went to court against all distributors and
manufacturers of sniping software. They won some of the first instances
but finally lost all cases at the higher courts.

> It is normal acceptable behavior. Everyone
> has access to sniping software, so where's the unfairness exactly?

Well, I think this is not the question at all. Everyone (in the US) has
access to a pump gun (I guess you can buy this at your local WALMART
store and are proud of it). So everyone could commit a bank robbery,
it's FAIR, but still not LEGAL. The question is: is it legal or not.

In the US: legal
In Germany: against ebay's user agreements/policies BUT: legal
concerning the law

For me bidding on ebay is fun (I like this rush of adrenalin if I try to
bid manually in the last 10 seconds and ebay is asking me to enter my
username/password again... ;-)), using sniper software is no fun. But: I
agree with several opinions here: I place my maximum bid in the last
minute manually. If someone snipes me because his willing to pay even
more: be it.

Just my two cents.

Torsten