21 Feb
2011
21 Feb
'11
10:15 a.m.
On 21 Feb 2011 at 17:32, Philip Pemberton wrote:
"Going once... going twice..."
"Fifty quid!"
"Fifty quid to the gentleman in the middle... do I hear fifty-five...
going once..." "Fifty-five!" "Would the gentleman in the middle care
to counter? Going once, going twice. Sold."
Sure, and that's the way almost every other online auction used to be
run, with the notable exception of eBay.
Ubid.com still works that way, Excite! and Yahoo! auctions worked
that way as did OnSale, all of which are history.
I submit that the "auction ends precisely at xx:yy:zz" was one of the
features that made eBay attractive to buyers. A sweaty-palms
approach to auctions, with high adrenalin levels. Turns the whole
affair into a sport more than a business transaction.
Sniping does avoid the adrenalin rush. Occasionally, I'll get an
email informing me that I won or lost and I'll say "Gee, did I bid on
that? I don't remember." Some of that, could also be due to age and
the ossification of grey matter also...
--Chuck