Set auction close to be a specific time...

[kengillam]

Quick follow-up...
..........Just now I set
a start time of 1915, but ended up with 1915 and 24 seconds,
which is a huge error ................

Ian.

You are not serious are you! 24 secs I think you need to chill out a bit.

[mapesdhs]

You are not serious are you! 24 secs I think you need to chill out a bit.

When I have auctions spaced 5 minutes apart, yes I am
serious. The earlier poster said this method was a way of
setting an auction to end at a specific time. It's not. It doesn't
work properly. A later auction I set for 1925 hrs gave me a
time of 1925 and 56 seconds. That's *way* out. I think what
the system does is take whatever the current numbersof
seconds it is past the current minute and adds that on to
whatever one selects in the popup panel, which is a very odd
way of doing it (I would have thought zeroing the seconds
setting after the hours/minutes data is entered would be the
logical way to code this).

It's not a question of chilling out. I'm merely pointing out that
the earlier suggestion of how to achieve what I was trying to do
doesn't work properly. Thus, being able to simply set a
specific end time, without fiddling about with popup panels
and all the rest of it, would be much easier.

Ian.

[bykimbo]

I think you might have to accept that it's not proving a popular idea, so is unlikely to make it to the top of any "to do list" for a while yet. In the meantime surely what you're really trying to achieve is a staggered end time to allow bidders time to move between your auctions, and a minute or two either way really doesn't matter a hoot when you focus on the purpose instead of the method?

[lofty100e]

When I have auctions spaced 5 minutes apart, yes I am
serious. The earlier poster said this method was a way of
setting an auction to end at a specific time. It's not. It doesn't
work properly. A later auction I set for 1925 hrs gave me a
time of 1925 and 56 seconds. That's *way* out.

Ian.

If your needs are so precise, maybe you should set up your own auction site; as I think you will struggle to find one that suits you.

[mapesdhs]

bykimbo writes:
> In the meantime surely what you're really trying to achieve is
> a staggered end time to allow bidders time to move between
> your auctions, ...

Sometimes, but not always.


> ... and a minute or two either way really doesn't matter a hoot
> when you focus on the purpose instead of the method?

All I'm suggesting is an easier, simpler, more efficient way of
specifying what is a rather important aspect of setting up a
normal auction, namely when it ends. This forum does
include the word, 'suggestions', and that's what I'm doing,
suggesting something that will make the service better. So
why the negativity? Will it make the system easier to use? Yes.
So should you support it. Yes! What amazes me is the way
many here won't support something unless it helps *them*,
whether or not it would help others. No reply has yet explained
how it would make anything worse, and several agree it would
make it better for those starting normal auctions, eg. the posts
from heatemyfather. Nobody has explained exactly how my
idea would make anything worse, so this constant no, no, no
response is completely illogical. I said in my previous post that
the extra option to set a specific end time could be added with
the default choices left exactly as they are now, so those
starting fixed price auctions wouldn't need to change a single
thing. I'm the one who would tick the extra box and type in the
time to end.

Are you saying you would never use such an option? I don't
believe you, and that applies to everyone here.


lofty100e writes:
> If your needs are so precise, maybe you should set up your
> own auction site; as I think you will struggle to find one that
> suits you.

That really is quite astonishingly rude. Is this the eBid friendly
attitude I was led to believe prevailed here? Ye gods, I've made
a suggestion that will make this site *better*, yet all I'm getting
are apathetic wishy washy excuses for not rocking the boat,
and the kind of insults I would expect to see on eBay, not here.
That's the kind of comment I expect from a child on a
playground, not a serious discussion forum. If you had any
kind of logical rationale for not liking my idea, I'm sure you
would have stated it, but since you didn't I must infer the
insult was made purely for its own sake. How incredibly lame.

Fine, if you don't want eBid to improve, so be it. Making perfectly
sensible suggestions on this forum is obviously a waste of my
time. I'll just struggle on with the current daft way of setting
an end time, meanwhile sales will suffer because I and I'm sure
many others are unable to setup as many normal auctions in
the same amount of time as would otherwise be the case. I
understand why those who only sell fixed-price items don't
care about this issue, but I'm gobsmacked such feelings
would then extend into being anti anything which only suits them.

Do I sound annoyed? Too right I am. I have made a very
sensible suggestion for improvement. I've been dealing with
human/computer interaction issues for nearly 15 years. I can
see what makes a good user interface and what doesn't. My
idea would be an improvement, yet for reasons more akin to
the nonsense I see on eBay forums, all I get is apathy or
negativity without rationale. Since nobody has provided any
evidence at all as to why my idea would be bad, I'm closing
this thread. I have better things to do than respond to insults
(I mean the post by lofty100e, not you, bykimbo).

Sorry, but I really had expected better. If anyone feels an urge
to respond, feel free to PM, email, or start a new thread.
Indeed, if you think my idea is sensible, start a new thread.
This one feels... stale.

Ian.