Gixen placing multiple bid on the same item

[alan317g]

Hi, I just won eBayUK auction item number 127212031836 using Gixen (non subscription). Out of interest, I checked the bidding history and couldn't understand why my winning bid was for ?GBP 90.00. The next highest bid was ?GBP 68.54, so I would have thought I should have won the item for ?GBP 70.54 (since at this bid level, the bid increment is ?GBP 2). Also, I was surprised the bid history showed my bid as being ?GBP 90 and not the ?GBP 95 I had entered in my Gixen snipe set up.

I contacted eBay chat support since I assumed I was just misinterpreting the bid history I was looking at, but what I was told was that I (Gixen) had placed 3 bids of ?GBP 90 at the last minute and I had ended up effectively bidding against myself up to ?GBP 90. I complained to eBay that surely if multiple bids are placed by the same bidder they should not bid against themselves, but it leave the question why Gixen placed multiple bids for the same item on my behalf (I didn't bid directly on ebay) and why for ?GBP 90 and not ?GBP 95.

Is what ebay is telling me possible? Is this a problem with Gixen?

[Cupid]

As you say, the way that Ebay has always worked, is that multiple bids from the same Ebay account don't increase the auction price, provided there are no other comparable bids, from other Ebay accounts... and the Gixen implementation is based on that.

The most likely explanation, from what you're seeing is that the seller paid for a reserve of ?GBP 90 on that auction. Did you see a 'Reserve not met' note on the auction when you scheduled the snipe ?

It's no longer noted on the auction pages, once completed when a reserve has been met... so, you can only tell from looking at the bidding, and seeing this behaviour, as you've done.

As for Gixen bidding, it would make more sense if you did have a subscription and you had the same offset for both servers because then Gixen will often register both bids (of the same amount, that you set) on the Ebay servers. It's not really an issue though because of the way Ebay works, as we've already discussed.

If you only scheduled this on a single Gixen account, and don't have your Ebay account registered with other sniping services, I can't really explain how you managed to have 3 bids placed at the same time, unless there really is a defect in the Gixen software that has never materialised before. One that you appear to actually be benefitting from, if you've not got a subscription. Perhaps an email direct to Mario at the support address given on the Contact page could solve that mystery. He can have a look at the Gixen bidding logs held on the Gixen servers.

Aside from that, it sounds like you got an average level of service from Ebay Customer support.
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Mark