[Discussion] Time to end auctions on these forums.

[Gunga_Din]

Most of the time something always goes wrong. No way police them. Bids out of thin air. Auction gets banned or cancelled after a week of bids. Its a complete joke.

I say, come to these forums with set prices you want for your items or get the ...... out.

Of course, asking for price checks is fine etc. But I myself am done with Auctions on these forums. If I see the word auction, I'm not even gonna bother anymore. I'll stick with peoples vendors and the rares festivals (well , most rares fests lol)



Cheers.

 

[Slickjack]

I've only had one bad experience with an auction here, and alot of people that are doing them are putting in "public bid only" qualifiers to eliminate some of the speculation about "phantom bids"...

Of course, nothing is keeping someone from creating two accounts to put bids in on their items, but we are, after all, a relatively small community and it is easy to spot someone that totally comes out of left field or has LOW post counts and no history that "all of the sudden" wants to spend 500m on an item....

I see no problem continuing them and I see no way to stop them from happening...

Sorry you've had negative experiences...

 

[Tinsil]

Derium's and Pyccy's seemed to both go well..

I've been parts of other ones and never had an issue. rolleyes:

 

[Gunga_Din]

It probably just me lol. One auction I missed the finish so thats my fault. Others just seem too shady to me. But you know what i'm saying. I wish it was a price and buy, these things drag out forever.

 

[DVI]

The reason auction use continues is in my opinion for two reasons:

1. It will often favor the seller by creating a competitive environment and causing items to sell for more than they generally would.

2. Many buyers like them b.c it gives many people the opportunity to buy an item vs one person seeing the item for sale and snagging it before many even knew it was available.

[DVI]

 

[Derium of ls]

Since the dawn of Rares Collecting there has never been a 100% solid price guide. And as such Auctions are nice because you can start it out at a reserved price and hope for the best.

I understand issues will happen, I wish we could set up an eBay type auction here, where it keeps track for us. But I'm sure that's too much to ask for.

And thank you Tinsil!

 

[Petra Fyde]

Of course, nothing is keeping someone from creating two accounts to put bids in on their items, but we are, after all, a relatively small community and it is easy to spot someone that totally comes out of left field or has LOW post counts and no history that "all of the sudden" wants to spend 500m on an item....

We have a rule against just this type of action.

Q. You may not use an alternative user account to promote or support your main user account in a way that implies you are more than one person or to evade disciplinary actions.

If anyone believes they have found a post breaking this rule, please use the 'report post' button.

 

[Gunga_Din]

Main thing, if your gonna do an auction, try to keep it as legit as possible with accepting only posted bids. Don't slack on it and keep bids up to date.

 

[Derium of ls]

Main thing, if your gonna do an auction, try to keep it as legit as possible with accepting only posted bids. Don't slack on it and keep bids up to date.

I had a few bids via PMs that were higher than what the items sold for, but i told them I can only accept it if it's posted, they just never did.

 

[Gunga_Din]

I'm not complaining about your auction Derium Just what i've run into past few months.

 

[Tinsil]

It gives sellers option to see what their item is worth, and not risk pricing it way too low if they don't know the value.

I like it as a buyer because sometimes I'm not sure of values for items I like, so if I see a couple people bid in the same range then I know I'm generally okay.

 

[Apetul]

I like auctions where the seller doesnt accept PM bids. They are VERY VERY transparent auctions.

 

[Derium of ls]

I'm not complaining about your auction Derium Just what i've run into past few months.

I know you were not just letting you know!

 

[Stupid Miner]

A Sticky with a set of generally accepted auction guidelines and regulations might be good.
Buyers will be pretty regular, but Sellers can easily pop up out of the blue, having no idea how to run an auction or knowing anything about the accepted auctioneering etiquette.

 

[Flutter]

I've taken PM bids in the past. Never really thought about it. I understand some people dont like to post.

 

[Corum11]

No offense, but if you don't like auctions then you should ignore them. I ignore countless threads in this forum cause they don't interest me. It's not that hard to do.

If someone wants to accept bids via PM, then why shouldn't they be allowed to? If rules to an auction are clearly stated in the original post, and you do not like them, then don't bid. To me that is pretty simple and painless.

 

[Gunga_Din]

A Sticky with a set of generally accepted auction guidelines and regulations might be good.
Buyers will be pretty regular, but Sellers can easily pop up out of the blue, having no idea how to run an auction or knowing anything about the accepted auctioneering etiquette.

Good idea. Just trying to get some thoughts from people on improving Auctions on here. Since a lot of items i'm interested in are only offered via auction, I'd love to participate in them more comfortably. However, my experiences of late have been disappointing to the point where I am starting to ignore this method of obtaining items I desire. Which is ok, I'll just stick with the methods i'm using now (Contacting people directly, vendors, rares fest, etc).

My collecting is pretty simple anyway and I don't go berserk if there is something I can't afford. Its just when I enter into these auctions and things go wrong after a week of bidding and watching daily that bothers me.

If we had guidelines or more people protested inept auctions, then maybe we could improve the experience for everyone.

 

[Tomas_Bryce]

There are already auction guidelines in the forum rules sticky. However, we are not going to make up draconian rules about how the owner should perform the auction.

If you do not like the auctioneers rules, then simply do not partake. It is as simple as that. There have been hundreds of auctions that have went mostly without a hitch.


Copy/Paste from sticky follows:

Auction policy

An auction in an ideal world would have a set duration and rules on how it will end. However, this is not a requirement per say and we often get items with set price threads and/or list of items with no prices or end rules. For sake of simplicity, it will all be considered as an auction.

This forum is bit specialized as it not only has a mandate of facilitating trade of rare items but also discussions pertaining to rare items. As a result, I am going to write up some basic things to save myself the trouble of dealing with the mess.

Responsibility of the auctioneer
* Create auction rules - I cannot emphasize this more. Clearly indicate how the bidding process will work (time-bound, your-fancy-bound, whatever)
* Try to be as clear as possible about those rules
* Provide all the pertinent information regarding the items up for auction
* Try to stick to those rules
* Try to format the thread in such a manner that people know what they are bidding on and can easily access current bids.
* Try to update bids as often as possible - at least once per day.
* Politely ask people to not partake in off-topic discussions, if that may be your choice.
* Go through some past auctions to see what worked and what did not work

Responsibility of the auction bidder
* Respect the auction rules set by the auctioneer
* Remember that the auctioneer is the owner of the item even after you have won the auction. They will always have the last word.


I will try my best to facilitate auctions as long as the auctioneer meets his or her responsibilities. It is up to auctioneer to be as clear as possible about everything to prevent chaos. Failing to do so will also mean that I will not treat the thread as a strict auction thread and will definitely not clean up the mess resulting from ambiguity and confusion (unless of course the posts are against basic Stratics rules).

 

[Tinsil]

There are already auction guidelines in the forum rules sticky. However, we are not going to make up draconian rules about how the owner should perform the auction.

If you do not like the auctioneers rules, then simply do not partake. It is as simple as that. There have been hundreds of auctions that have went mostly without a hitch.

I'm glad we're on the same page this time!

 

[Athens]

I think there are just two simple rules that will make every auction safe and fun for all and yes they have already been mentioned in this thread I am just putting them into the same post and making it clear and simple.

First... Make everyone post there offers in the thread. (Smart makes people feel bit more comfortable and fair time is on the post)

Second... Make sure any last minute bids on a item make that item and that items only last 10 minutes longer. Makes snipers no more unless someone puts a bid in last moment and you are not around for the last ten minutes which if thats the case you really didn't want the item anyway besides after you put your bid in you can always tell the seller your limit this is called an absentee bid. And yes there is a concern that the seller will work your bid up But like someone else said this is a small community for the most part and it and it like the old saying says get me once shame on you get me twice shame on ME!

I think these two elements make a Auction go very smooth in my opinion.
Well everyone have a Fantastic day!!!