Policy Clarification: Auction Extensions Prohibited

pinkgem

Just noticed this in General ebay announcements:

"***Policy Clarification: Auction Extensions Prohibited***

06 March, 2007 | 03:31PM GMT

We’re making a change to our Fee Circumvention Policy to clarify that auction extensions are not allowed on the eBay marketplace. All auction extensions, both automatic (eg. via a third-party tool) and manual (eg. through Revise Your Item), are banned. Third-party auction extender tools allow sellers to extend auction-style listings automatically beyond their original duration.

Why we’re making this change

Auction extensions, whether automatic or manual, disrupt normal bidding patterns and create a negative buyer experience. For instance, buyers who enjoy bidding in the last moments of an auction are unfairly disrupted when listings are inappropriately extended. These tools also "un-level" the playing field between sellers by unfairly extending the length of time a listing is available on the site. Not only do these listings remain active longer than intended, many buyers also look for items that have been newly listed, so these listings have an added unfair advantage.

In special circumstances, such as those covered by our Outage Policy, eBay reserves the right to extend all eligible auction format listings.

For more information on this policy clarification, please read eBay’s Fee Circumvention Policy. For information about our other policies, please check eBay’s Rules and Policies and Rules for Sellers. You can find these pages by clicking on Help at the top of any eBay page and clicking the "Rules and Policies" link."

Can someone explain this to me?

Does it mean if you list something for say 3 days and get no bids you can no longer extend it to 5 days, 7 days or 10 days?

If so, how is that fee avoidance? and how does it affect newly listed items? and also how does it stop people bidding in the last few moments? - i thought you could only amend auctions when there were 12 hours or more left

also, what is an outage?

Moglex

pinkgem wrote:

Can someone explain this to me?

Does it mean if you list something for say 3 days and get no bids you can no longer extend it to 5 days, 7 days or 10 days?

Yes

If so, how is that fee avoidance?

That's just the way they're spinning it. If it was legal under the T & C's, it can hardly have been fee avoidance.

and how does it affect newly listed items?

Buyers know that items will now end when it says they will end.

and also how does it stop people bidding in the last few moments?

It doesn't

also, what is an outage?

If ebay totally collapses for a few minutes, then that is an 'outage'. They need to extend auctions that were due to finish during or just after the outage since there may be several people waiting to make bids on any of the auctions affected.

pinkgem

"Auction extensions, whether automatic or manual, disrupt normal bidding patterns and create a negative buyer experience. For instance, buyers who enjoy bidding in the last moments of an auction are unfairly disrupted when listings are inappropriately extended."

how are last minute bidders disrupted if sellers cannot amend an auction with 12 hours or less left?

pinkgem

I suppose they are saying it is fee avoidance because if your 3 day listing ends without bids they would want you to relist it again and again until it sells but if you extend your auction to 5 days, 7 days and/or 10 days it costs you nothing and you have more chance of selling it.

Moglex

pinkgem wrote:

"Auction extensions, whether automatic or manual, disrupt normal bidding patterns and create a negative buyer experience. For instance, buyers who enjoy bidding in the last moments of an auction are unfairly disrupted when listings are inappropriately extended."

how are last minute bidders disrupted if sellers cannot amend an auction with 12 hours or less left?

Was auction extension one of the things that could not be done within 12hrs of an auction ending?

If so it does seem a bit pedantic.

True someone manually sniping might stay in to do the snipe and then find the auction wasn't ending, but I can't see that happening very often.

Moglex

pinkgem wrote:

I suppose they are saying it is fee avoidance because if your 3 day listing ends without bids they would want you to relist it again and again until it sells but if you extend your auction to 5 days, 7 days and/or 10 days it costs you nothing and you have more chance of selling it.

Yes, but then that's them changing the rules to the detriment of their customers rather than stopping someone doing something underhand.

As I said it's just their way of spinning yet another reduction of user facilities to make it look as if they are doing everyone a favour.

Just as they always do. :rolleyes:

StaffsSW

Most snipe systems work on the end time minus 5 or 10 seconds, rather than a real time.

I have extended dozens of auctions in the past months and found it to be a good way to increase sales - the item gets to the top section of listings twice or more during it's life-span.

It is simply a way of increasing revenue for the money-grabbers!!!

pinkgem

Moglex wrote:

Was auction extension one of the things that could not be done within 12hrs of an auction ending?

If so it does seem a bit pedantic.

True someone manually sniping might stay in to do the snipe and then find the auction wasn't ending, but I can't see that happening very often.

yes i think so. i often list items for 7 days to end on a weekday rather than a weekend evening, but if no bids i have occasionally extended to 10 days, pretty sure i have been unable to do this if less than 12 hours left.

isthatreduced

GRRR I hate ebay,how many changes have they made in the last 6 months?
Have anybody but ebay benefited.
Extending my auctions really worked for me,I don't sell much (about 2 items a week at the moment) but I don't want to spend more money and time re-listing because I can't extend my auction.

This could make the difference of me making my few sales or not.
My small profit keeps my afloat,and I am currently trying to save it for a short (cheap)break for my DD and I.

John_T_5

In theory this silly new rule will result in far more sellers opting to list at the maximum of 10 days, which in turn will reduce ebays turnover of sales and profits, looks like they have shot themselves in the foot with this one, a case of greed getting the better of them.

redfan

First step to charging extra for 10 day auctions - like ebay.com