Disappearing "Buy-It-Now" Option - Very Irritating.

[62caddy]

I do maintain that I have seen many listings in which BIN in force with active bidding.

 

[Chip Chester]

This was quite a few years ago, but I bought my Suburban on ebay. Bidding was up to within 600 of the still-available BIN price, and it was well within what I would spend, so I did BIN and effectively ended the bidding. If BIN wouldn't have been active, I would not have entered into the competition to pay the most for the truck.

Sometimes, now means now.

Chip

 

[markshan]

Reason I ask is because yesterday there was an item listed with a $300 BIN and a minimum starting bid of $100. The item was inop and I needed to do some quick homework to get some range of cost to get the unit working again. Once I had my answer (approximately within an hour or so) I was ready to execute and pay for the purchase @ $300

but by that time, some chowderhead hit the thing at $100, killing the BIN option, needlessly tying the item up in a 7 day listing and best of all $100 was all he bid - no more so he wasn't even a serious buyer in the first place.

You snooze, you lose.

 

[usedto]

I don't think ebay calls themselves an auction site any more - just an online marketplace that happens to offer auctions as an option. If offering a BIN/auction combo increases their revenue, they're going to offer it, whether some buyers like it or not. If their revenue goes away, they'll drop it.

 

[62caddy]

Item ended today.

Seller wound up netting an extra $66.00 above the initial BIN price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mcintosh-mi...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

[sixthday]

The BIN will disappear when someone put a bid without a reserve price. Or if the bids is above the reserve price.

What I do when I saw a listing have a BIN without reserve price? I put a bid simply to lock the bidding price. Yes, I know seller wants a higher price. But, I want a low ball price. So....bye bye BIN.

First off, this is not a thread intended to trash eBay in any way, however there is a "hybrid" listing format that eBay offers that I find extremely irritating: It is the Buy-It-Now with bidding format.

This format has two versions:

Version 1: BIN option remains active at all times and visible with bidding.

Version 2: BIN option disappears when a the seller's set reserve amount has been met - after which the listing continues in the regular auction format.

Maybe it's me what what is the point of having the latter? If the seller is happy to accept x amount at a BIN price what it the point of removing it? Would it not make more sense to simply keep the BIN option alive which is what the seller wanted in the first place?

Reason I ask is because yesterday there was an item listed with a $300 BIN and a minimum starting bid of $100. The item was inop and I needed to do some quick homework to get some range of cost to get the unit working again. Once I had my answer (approximately within an hour or so) I was ready to execute and pay for the purchase @ $300

but by that time, some chowderhead hit the thing at $100, killing the BIN option, needlessly tying the item up in a 7 day listing and best of all $100 was all he bid - no more so he wasn't even a serious buyer in the first place.

So in effect he accomplished exactly zero.

And what exactly is the hurry to get a bid up when at the beginning of a 7/10 day listing anyway? That never made any sense to me whatsoever.

Anyway, when the item was still at $100 I tried contacting the seller to say I was interested in purchasing for the original $300 figure, but that chowderhead (chowderhead #2) doesn't even have the damn courtesy to respond. In any case, it's up to $227 now so any chance of buying for $300 is gone out the window.

I have been earning a living my entire life dealing with auctions. An auction is one of the simplest concepts ever invented by man - yet exactly what some people are thinking when they participate in auction activity is utterly baffling. That applies both to buyers and sellers alike - not to mention eBay.

End of rant.

 

[rxonmymind]

Op I feel your pain. Been there but time is on your side and I'm not to sore when that happens because I've had more than my share of "scores" on eBay & out in the "wild" as I would call it. Plenty of fish to go after!

 

[Stephen J]

I have had the BIN stay in effect on a couple of auctions that I have run.
I think it is automatic when your minimum bid is less than half of the BIN and the BIN goes away after 50% is reached.
As for ''chowderhead'' saying he'll let it run after getting the minimum bid ?
That's pretty much the honest / ethical way to do things.If you set a minimum bid and someone makes that bid,it would be in bad confidence to cancel that bid because suddenly someone decides they will pay the BIN.

 

[62caddy]

.
As for ''chowderhead'' saying he'll let it run after getting the minimum bid ?

That was for not returning my message. I retracted that statement in post 4 when he replied.

 

[dobyman]

Also, another buyer can poke in an absurdly high amount just to flush out a standing bid and then retract it. I've seen it done before.

If that happens more than once, they should be reported. Once is a mistake, twice is not, and is BS!