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<title>Quick Start to Bidwatcher</title>
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<h1>Quick Start to Bidwatcher</h1>
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<font size=6><b>Quick<br>Start Guide</font></b></td>
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<font size="-5" color="#ffffff">
A quick guide to using Bidwatcher</font></td>
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<center><h4><font color="#ff0000">(this is a work in progress)</font></h4></center>
<h3>1. Overview</h3>
This is a brief guide to using Bidwatcher. It is assumed
that the program is properly installed and you have a valid
account with eBay. For information on installing Bidwatcher
refer to the INSTALL file that came with your distribution.
<p>
<br>
<h3>2. For the Impatient</h3>
Start the program and open the configuration window (press
the button that looks like a drivers license). At a minimum
you'll at least want to enter your eBay username here. If
you plan on using the bidding or email lookup features
you'll also need to provide your eBay password. See the
'Configure Bidwatcher' section below for more on what to do
here. Once this is done, and you're connected to the
Internet, you are ready to roll. Bidwatcher will pull a
list of all items you have outstanding bids on and your ebay
listings. This list of "watched auctions" will be updated
with varying frequency depending on the time left in the
auction (auctions with less time remaining are updated more
often). Right-clicking an item on the list produces pop-up
menu of operations you can perform. For a description of
all the programs functionality, read on.
<p>
<br>
<h3>3. Configure Bidwatcher</h3>
For Bidwatcher to do something beyond displaying the current
time in San Francisco, you need to configure it to do
something. Pressing the configuration button (the one that
looks like a drivers license) should produce the
configuration window with the following fields:
<dl>
<dt><b>Enter User ID:</b>
<dd> Your eBay username, this
field is required to do anything useful with Bidwatcher.
<dt><b>Enter Password:</b>
<dd> Your eBay password. You only need to enter this if
you plan to use the bidding, sniping, or email lookup
facilities in Bidwatcher. Since this password is saved on
disk, paranoids can leave this field blank.
<dt><b>Path to Web Browser:</b>
<dd> This is the path to your browser of choice (I use
'xterm -e lynx'), by default it is set to netscape.
<dt><b>Path to Email Client:</b>
<dd> The path to your email client. By default it is set
to 'xterm -e pine'
<dt><b>Track my eBay Listings:</b>
<dd> If this box is checked, Bidwatcher will automatically
track auctions that you have listed on ebay.
<dt><b>Track current bids:</b>
<dd> If this is checked, Bidwatcher will track all active
auctions that you have bid on, whether or not you are the
current high bidder.
<dt><b>Check auctions on startup:</b>
<dd> If this option is checked, Bidwatcher will updated your
current bids/listings and update all auctions immediately
when the program is started, otherwise it will begin
updates on it's regular cycle.
<dt><b>Automatically delete ended auctions:</b>
<dd>Bidwatcher will delete ended auctions that have ended
over a day ago. Some people want to make sure they see
the results of the auction before it is deleted, so this
option is offered.
<dt><b>Snipe Timer:</b>
<dd> The number of seconds before an auction ends that
your snipe bid will be executed.
<p>
Be aware that there will always be some delays in the
network and processing delays on Ebay's end. Even
slight problems with the network or problems with ebay
will make last second bids unreliable. Time
synchronization problems with Ebay's clock can also
cause problems.
<p>
I strongly recommend not using anything less than 5
seconds, I personally use 12 seconds. The goal of
sniping is to keep other people from reacting to your
bid, and anything around 15 seconds will accomplish
that goal.
<p>
Start out with the default of 20 seconds, and after
you have had a few successful snipes, check to see
when Ebay registered your snipes in the bidding
history. This will give you a feel for the
<b>typical</b> lag. Then, you can crank it down, but
make sure you leave enough time to handle the unusual
lags. On a busy Sunday night, processing a bid
sometimes takes a couple of seconds, so bidwatcher
doesn't give up on the first snipe for 2-4 seconds.
It will then try again, but if you set the snipe timer
too short, there may be no time left.
</dl>
<p>
<br>
<h3>3. What's Going On?</h3>
Once Bidwatcher is properly configured, it more or less runs
on 'autopilot', updating bid information on your auction
list and executing any snipes you may have set up.
<p>
Bidwatcher will check the status of an auction
periodically. The closer the auction is to ending, the
more often it will be updated. If you have Bidwatcher
configured to auto-deleted auctions and the auction has
ended over a day ago, it will be deleted from the list,
<p>
On startup, and once every couple of there after,
bidwatcher will check what time Ebay thinks it is to
insure accurate snip times. At the same time, it also
checks to see if you have bid on anything outside of
bidwatcher, and monitors those auctions also.
<p>
On the list that Bidwatch displays of auctions that you
have selected to watch, the color of the line depends on
when the auction ends. A <font color="#00ff00">green
line</font> says that the auction won't end for more than
4 hours from now. A <font color="#ff0000">red line</font>
says that the auction hasn't ended yet, but will end
within the next 4 hours. A <font color="#0000ff">blue
line</font> means that the auction has ended.
<p>
Each line contains the following information, from left to
right:
<ol>
<li>The Bid status icon is a small colored dot that
indicates the bid status of the auction
<table>
<tr>
<td>Black dot</td>
<td>You have never bid on this item, you are just
watching it.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font color="#00ff00">Green dot</font></td>
<td>You are currently the high bidder of this
auction</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font color="#0000ff">Blue dot</font></td>
<td>You have bid on this auction, but you are <b>not</b> the
high bidder. If a snipe fails for any reason, you
will get a blue dot. Check the <a href="#logs">logs</a> for errors.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font color="#ff0000">Red arrow</font></td>
<td>You have selected to snipe this auction.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><font color="#ff0000">Red dot</font></td>
<td>You are the the seller of this auction</td>
</tr>
</table>
</li>
<li>
The Ebay auction number.
</li>
<li>
The current bid value with the number of bids in
parentheses. If the number of bids ends with an 'R', it
means that the reserve has not been met.
</li>
<li>
The auction amount of time left before the auction ends.
</li>
<li>
The auction title.
</li>
</ol>
<p>
<br>
<h3><a name="logs">4. Bidding History and Error Logs</a></h3>
Bidwatcher creates two different log files about the
auctions that you have watched. These logs can be found in
a directory called "~/.bidwatcher" in your home directory.
The month and the year are attached as part of the file name
to keep the logs a managable size.
<p>
The first log file is called "~/.bidwatcher/logMM_YY.txt"
and it contains a list of every auction you have asked
bidwatcher to monitor. Besides the ebay auction number
and the auction title, it also contains who the high bidder was
and how high the item was bid up to.
<p>
The second log file is called
"~/.bidwatcher/snipeMM_YY.txt", and it contains
information about your snipes. Besides the ebay auction number
and the auction title, it also contains what your snipe
value was set for (not just what the auction ended at),
and also a description of how the snipe went.
<p>
If you are having problems with snipes failing, it is a
good idea to look in the snipe log file and see what the
error message says.
<p>
<br>
<h3>5. Bidding / Sniping</h3>
Right clicking an item on the auction list and choosing 'bid
/ set up snipe' opens the bid window. From here you can set
up a snipe (a bid that is executed a prescribed number of
seconds before the auction ends), or bid on the item
immediately. The window shows some information on the
auction, and a countdown timer that shows the time remaining
in real time.
<P>
<b>WARNING</b> - placing a bid here is the same as
pressing the 'confirm bid' button at ebay, and your are
entering a binding commitment per their rules. I've made
every effort to make sure this works reliably - but if you
are worried that Bidwatcher will handle this incorrectly by
all means don't use it!
<p>
<h4>A few words on bidding</h4>
Before you place a bid on something, it is very important
for you to think about how much you should pay for an item.
Check out past auctions for similar items. Do a web search
to find similar items in retail outlets. Search for similar
items that are still out there. It is very rare for
anything to show up only once on ebay, usually another
similar item comes alone in just a few days (or sooner).
<p>
After you have figured out how much an item is worth <b>to
you</b>, put that amount in as your proxy bid or your
snipe amount. Ask yourself, "if this item sold to someone
else for a dollar more, would I be upset?" If the answer
is yes, then you haven't bid your true maximum. The item
always goes to the person who said they wanted it the most
(by them entering a larger bid amount). Too many people
make the mistake of bidding what they <b>want</b> to pay
for something rather than what they are <b>willing</b> to
pay. After they lose the auction, they say "but I would
have been willing bid a little more", to which you should
reply "well, why didn't you?".
<p>
Some people feel they need to know what <b>other
people</b> are willing to pay for something in order to
determine how much <b>they</b> are willing to pay. This
is a very dangerous attitude. Some sellers will "shill"
an auction up by placing bids with a second ebay name to
goad the sucker into continuing to bid on the item.
(Sometimes they user several ebay names.) People are
often willing to pay "just a little more", but if they
haven't thought about what their real maximum bid is, then
they can be tricked into paying much more than they
should.
<p>
Many people also bid round numbers such as $10.00. In
the case of a tie, the first bidder wins. To prevent this
from happening, always throw in a few extra cents, or even
a few extra dollars. If you think something is worth $150
to you, bid $153.78, or some such random number.
<p>
Of course, you should also check the sellers feedback
carefully. A lot can be learned by even some of the
possitive feedbacks. Check to see if the seller is
primarily a buyer or not. It is much easier to get
positive feedback as a buyer than as a seller.
<p>
Read the description carefully and note what the shipping
charges will be. Some sellers hide a lot of their profit
in large "handling fees". Ask questions, and if you don't
get an answer, or something just looks wrong about the
auction, don't bid. There will almost aways be another,
better described item being sold by a better seller
sometime in the near future.
<p>
<h4>A few words on sniping</h4>
A snipe is a bid set up to execute a few moments before the
end of an auction. Sniping has several advantages, namely:
<ul>
<li>
Many adults act like 4 year old kids and want whatever
it is that other people have. If you bid early, you
will attract attention to the auction and there will be
some people who will bid just because you bid. This
causes the price to go up.
</li>
<p>
<li>
Some people when they are out bid will feel "hurt" or feel
like they are "losing" and will let their emotions get
away from them. They will then bid up an auction past
what they would rationally pay for the item if they would
relax and think about it. By sniping, you prevent
yourself from being drawn into a bidding war, and you do
not give the other bidders a chance to start a bidding
war.
<p>
Bidding is not a game, with winners and losers. You
should Bid on something in order to get what you want,
when you want it, and for a price that you think is
reasonable. If someone else is desperate and is willing
to pay more than you, let them have it. Another one
will come along.
</li>
<p>
<li>
If you bid early, you run the risk of becoming a "free
finder and appraisal service" for other people. If you
are knowledgeable about the stuff you are bidding on,
never over bid, and only bid on "good stuff", other
people will notice and will watch what you are bidding
on. If you bid early, you tell everyone that this is a
good item, and if they outbid you, they know that they
haven't over paid for the item, or at least not by very
much.
</li>
<p>
<li>
By sniping, you prevent the seller from shilling your bid up.
</li>
</ul>
There are also some disadvantages to sniping:
<ul>
<li>
If anything bad happens, a snipe might not be placed and
you could lose the item. This includes network
problems, problems with ebay (they are known for
crashing or become very slow), problems with
synchronizing the time with Ebay, or bugs in bidwatcher.
<p>
If you really, absolutely, positively, HAVE to have
something, don't snipe.
</li>
<p>
<li>
If you are the first person to bid, or are the current
high bidder, then other people will look at the auction
and realize that they will have to outbid you to get the
item.
<p>
If you can easily get an item for $15, and the
current bid is $14, then it probably isn't worth bidding
because you can't outbid the current bidder without
overpaying. This gives a very slight advantage to being
the first bidder.
</li>
</ul>
</td>
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<p>
<br>
<hr>
Credits: <font size=-1> This document was originally written by Trent
McNair, but has been heavily modified by Wayne Schlitt.</font>
<br>
<hr>
<address><a href="mailto:wayne@midwestcs.com">Wayne Schlitt</a></address>
<!-- Created: Sat Feb 26 00:51:50 CST 2000 -->
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Last modified: Fri Apr 14 09:42:54 CDT 2000
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