Couple things....
A moderator isint going to comment until you tag them, so not sure why nobody has done so yet.
@Merlin @Captn Norrington please share opinions as I know some ppl want them.
Also
@BrianFreud is a great person to get an opinion from as he runs more auctions than anyone.
@BBear , unfortunately I have to disagree with you. I agree 110% with you in terms of the rules of many auctions when citing your examples such as eBay, casino bet etc. etc. Technically, the auction would end at exactly 5:00P.M.
I was in your EXACT same situation when first returning to UO and stratics back in May. I lost many auctions in the same matter you have described, and I had the same valid argument that you now are making. However, the "norm" I have seen on almost every stratics auction would be to accept that entire minute from 5:00 P.M. until it clicks over until 5:01.
Here is why, technically a bid on the dot at 5:00P.M. with 00 seconds would be valid, no? To put in a bid on the closing second? You yourself said above "what are the chances this happens", and I agree with you on that. There is almost zero chancd. However, the possibility is still there. It is a 1 in 60 chance, but none the less it is still a chance. This is why the "norm" has been to accept that entire minute, and I have lost many items in Brian's Auction this way.
If you look at my auction with the pets from last night between
@Aeyko and
@Mr.Green , there was a ten minute rule. Mr.Green placed a bet for example at 5:01, and Aekyo placed a bet ten minutes later for example at 5:11. I know his bid was NOT in at 5:11 and 00 seconds. Had he not have made a mistake betting in the wrong increment level, I would have allowed the bid. I understand your argument that the second it hits 5:11, it should be over. However, I have zero way to view the seconds, and the norm in many auctions was to let that entire minute play out, because it is impossible to know of it came in at the correct 00 seconds. The "ten minute rule" on every auction now has come to mean ten minutes on the timer within each bid = valid.
I was also bidding on jhelom pit pvp tunic a while back with
@Longtooths and had the same argument you had. I thought his bid was invalid as it was at like 10 and a half minutes after my last bid. However the clock read 5:00 and then 5:10 when there was a ten minute rule. I know he was thirty seconds into the 10th minute bc I kept hitting refresh and saw my bid then read, "posted 10 minutes ago" before well before his bid popped up. There were multiple tunics, and he was going for them both. In the end, we each ended up getting one tunic but paid more gold than we should have because I believed the bidding should have been closed. He ended up costing us both more gold, lol. It happens.
I think the norm would become what you are asking if stratics would allow seconds or an actual timer on this website. Because they do not allow seconds (no idea why) most people are going to accept that entire 10th minute. I am sure there is a good reason for there not being a timer or seconds, and maybe it has to do with software or website design. This is above my head, and they would be better explaining the reason for that. I did not agree with it at first, but now I do. If you want the item bad enough, bid that entire 10th minute until it says "11 minutes ago" when there is a ten minute rule.
I do think it would be AWESOME to be able to make a post as an auction and plug in the actual timer end time with a count down in the thread.... so every post you could see a counter.
How cool would that be?
This would then make auctions how you are asking them to be.
Hope this helps!
Happy Meal
