Bid shielding prevention now available to all users

[mario]

Gixen will, from now on, for all Gixen users, make an additional attempt to place a bid one second before auction end. Previously this was available to mirror subscribers only, however due to this fraud (bid shielding) becoming more common I feel Gixen should do all it can to prevent it. I call this preventing bid shielding, fraud perpetrated by bad buyers.

Here is an example of Gixen successfully preventing bid shielding, with a last second bid:

https://www.ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/155673303157

Read more about bid shielding in Gixen's blog: https://www.gixen.com/blog/bid-shielding-ebay/

There is nothing you have to do to turn this feature on, it's now turned on automatically.

[Mike]

Hi!
Es ist schade, daß GIXEN SNIPER noch immer nur für englischsprachige Nutzer zur Verfügung steht.
Und mühsam für andere Nationen, immer die Texte hier zu übersetzen...
Aber dennoch bin ich froh, daß es dieseen SNIPER überhaupt gibt - wenngleich ich nur noch wenig bei eBay kaufe, weil die jetzt das Geld "für den Käufer" kassieren und man das erst mit 2-3 Wochen Verzug bekommt.
Gruß vom Mike -------------------------------------------

Hello!
It's a pity that GIXEN SNIPER is still only available for English speaking users.
And tedious for other nations to always translate the texts here...
But I'm still glad that this SNIPER exists at all - although I only buy a few things on eBay now, because they collect the money "for the buyer" and you only get it after 2-3 weeks of shipping.
Greetings from Mike

[mario]

Gixen is translated in some 30 languages, although automatically.

Here is a German translation: https://www.gixen.com/de/main/index.php

[Cody]

Thank you for implementing this new feature.

However, I wonder, how are the 'bad buyers' retracting their bid at the last second? I thought that it was only possible to retract within 12 hours of the auction ending, if: the bid had been placed at least one hour prior to retracting.

I see that is not the case in the example provided.

Cheers!

[Gixen]

[alfredvenison]

Mario, Thanks for always working to safeguard our bids!

[craigblumus]

[forestfisher]

Thanks Mario! Excellent feature, that is thoroughly appreciated!!! Thanks for being proactive and effectively reducing this kind of underhanded activity!!!

[im2bz2p345]

[grabbyjohnson]

Cheers! Mario.

Much appreciated, as always,

Gary Paul Johnson

[jcrochet]

Mario,

I seem to remember in the past that the software checked the current minimum bid amount about 5 minutes out and would cancel the snipe if if was lower than the then minimum.

Am I mistaken or has this been changed and any snipe is submitted regardless of the minimum (to be rejected by eBay if it doesn't meet it when received)? Otherwise that would prevent the snipe from being sent.

Even if that is not an issue, it still might not work as bid shielders are sniping their retractions closer and closer--I've seen several 1 second retractions lately. And even if the snipe is later than the retraction by a fraction of a second there is a slight lag when new bids are still subject to the old minimum (I've seen many timestamped the next second after a new bid that would have raised the minimum to above the newest bid amount).

[woodstock28655]

Read the news folks!!....Cyber crime will dominate the world in a few short years...

Just WRITE THIS DOWN NOW...AND LOOK BACK AND REMEMBER YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! (just read the (reliable) media and tell me I am wrong). Just sayin..Ignore this if this is something you don't believe in.....no need to debate here....

"FEEBAY" is still indirectly making their money off you ALL DAY LONG as a small buyer, charging the seller incredible fees!...they DO NOT CARE IF YOU ARE GETTING SCORCHED on your purchase...60% of all (at least US) folks do not say a word for any FEEBAY bad transaction under $20 USD they get screwed on....they just let it go..

THE SCAMMERS KNOW THIS!!.....SO...do the math on that one!!!! WE ARE TALKING millions, IF NOT billions FEEBAY is making on seller fees...even if they are having to pay out some of the larger transactions with the (Ebay buyer protection).... they are still making CRAZY BANK!!

FEEBAY is balancing their books by letting the small & medium scam jobs go, paying out the small seller...and correcting their books with the "smaller guy fees" that they won't really notice, or say anything.....PERFECT business model for them!

CyberCrime is the 3rd largest "Economy" in the world (right now) behind the USA and China....Look it up folks if you don't believe me!!...soon to be the FIRST...

Deadbeats in the world have nothing other to do than think of ways to take your hard earned money...COUNTRIES FULL OF THEM!!!!

[peter3mullins]

Thanks, Mario, for another great new feature in Gixen. Sniping is one thing (still honest, simply strategic) but bid shielding is outright cheating and I'm glad you're fighting these cheats.

This also serves as a reminder for all Gixen users... If something has been bid higher than we're willing to bid, we should check the bid history to see if a possible bid shield has been set up (as it may still be worth putting in a lower bid via Gixen).

Regards,
Peter.

[GixenUser]

Thanks Mario!

[mw]

Thanks for bringing this to our attentention and trying to 'snipe' it away.
For all I understand this shielding fraud is clearly an oversight by ebay.
So easy to rectify, in the interest of all involved.
Why on Earth do they allow to retract bids within the last seconds of an auction? As much as I laud the offer to rectify an accidental bid, this should ONLY be allowed within a short time after placing the bid itself. And never ever within the last hour or so, leave alone seconds.

My interest in ebay is dwindling since many years, I hardly buy, never sell. All became uninteresting, fee ladden, cumbersome and disappointing over time. Ebay turned into a warehouse rather than an auction site. so why bother? I can buy cheaper elsewhere; the same sellers peddle their stuff on Chinese sites with lower provisions, for better prices.

Let's see how ebay approaches this new fraud schema.

[sladen]

Quite amusing that after years of Gixen screaming "bidding in the last-second will have no impact" ... and users constantly suggesting the opposite … that the defaults have no been changed to that match user expectations!

Once again, appreciations!

[Guest]

This has happened to me. Bid retractions should not be allowed within the last hour of an auction.

[Josh Mitchell]

I very much appreciate you, Mario!!

I normally would just reply to one of your emails and say this but here it is

[MikeMusic]

Thanks Mario

[areq2008]

Hello Mario,

Thank you for this new feature!

Can you elaborate on how an existing traditional snipe would benefit from an additional bid placed 1 second before auction end, since both bids are for the same amount?

Would separate "minimum-price tolerance" and "maximum-price tolerance" fields make sense? Traditional snipe time-frame bid amount field would be placed using minimum-price tolerance amount. The last-second bid is then attempted at my maximum-price tolerance, clear of fraudulent interference.

Timeframe example...

3 seconds before end - traditional snipe bid placed at minimum-tolerance price, ensuring my minimum bid in case the last-second bid fails.
2 seconds before end - nefarious activity takes place, trying to influence my bid.
1 second before end - bid placed at my maximum-tolerance price tolerance. This bid has a chance of failure due to timing, but helps my chances of getting the item under my desired price ceiling, free from nefarious influence.

[Cupid]

[Guest]

Fantastic, now it's clean, thank you Cupid!

[roger131249]

You're doing a great job as usual Mario. Regarding eBay's bid withdrawal policy, I agree that the best thing eBay could do is ban the withdrawal of bids within the last 10 minutes of an auction. This would force fraudsters to withdraw their fraudulent bid far earlier and leave plenty of time for genuine bids to placed.

[Guest]

Great work man, appreciated.