Auto bidding software

I've heard of these being used in real life auctions such as ebay, but are they being used on Lotro auctions?

I was bidding on two low priced yet desirable items today and was sniped both times with literally seconds to spare before the auction ended and it raised my suspicions somewhat. To start with it's difficult to tell went an auction will end, but to "steal" and item with seconds to spare is nigh impossible.

You may think I'm dreaming but when a bid comes in like that and you try to rebid only to find the auction for that item has ended it, well you see where I'm coming from.

Is the use of these software packages against the EULA?

Any software like that would violate both the Terms of Service (automation) and EULA (reading and/or writing the game's memory locations). But it seems very unlikely to me that anyone would take the time to develop software like that for LOTRO. It wouldn't be easy, even if exact ending times were available in the raw auction data on the client.

If you were closely watching two highly desirable and attractively priced items, is it so hard to believe that someone else might have been watching, too?

I have read a few times that there is a 5 minute period added whenever someone bids. I have certainly been in situations where I have waited in an AH being notified of having been outbid; upping my bid; waiting again; etc. until either the price goes too high for me or the other party backs out. Although I haven't done that recently as far as I remember it was something like five minutes (or may have been ten) since the last bid that I was told I had won the auction. Of course this may have been huge coincidence and the auction would have ended at that time anyway but it's strong evidence that there is such a time-lag, or at least there was back then.

Unless they have removed/changed this functionality I guess you may have switched toons or gone AFK after placing a bid rather than waiting in-game. If others are in-game it may appear that they are using a macro program to auto-bid (which I believe you are correct in saying is against the rules).

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Originally Posted by ILoveLilyAllen

I have read a few times that there is a 5 minute period added whenever someone bids.

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I have never seen this behavior. I've bid on an auction that is about to expire. Won the auction in well under a minute after my bid.

I do not know of any way to automate anything associated with the auction hall due to the Lotro's closed interface design.

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Originally Posted by Druzhina

Is the use of these software packages against the EULA?

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100% against the EULA.

If someone were watching, couldn't they pay attention to when an auction went from the 2-hour to 1-hour mark (or any hour-to-hour or 2-day to 1-day mark)? After that, it's 1:59:59 until expiration, right?

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Originally Posted by ILoveLilyAllen

I guess you may have switched toons or gone AFK after placing a bid rather than waiting in-game. If others are in-game it may appear that they are using a macro program to auto-bid (which I believe you are correct in saying is against the rules).

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To clarify the situation in detail...

I set my alarm clock to get up extremely early in the morning. I updated both bids, as they had been outbid, and waited for the auction to end (there was an hour left on each item)

Both items were bid upon in the dying seconds of the auction which then ended. The last item I tried a rebid but got an error message that the item wasn't there (presumably as the auction had finished).

if you went to the trouble of setting your alarm clock to get up early to check/update your bids...why is it so hard to believe that someone else may have been doing the exact same thing? in fact maybe they were sitting there actively watching the last couple of hours tick down.

you got outbid. happens all the time. either take advantage of the buyout option (if it's there), be a bit more 'timely' in your final bids, or accept that someone beat you to it. it's water under the bridge. move on.

Twice recently I have seen bidding referred to as sniping in the forums. Makes no sense to me. Auctions are just what they say they are. People bid on things they want.

I have learned from experience that it is a good idea to wait to bid on certain types of items until close to the end. Gotta really watch your times that way it is true. But expressing an interest in something by bidding too early or too often early in it's posting can cause it to get too much interest. Also, I do a duration check first every time I open the AH window. Sometimes there is a great deal on an item about to expire. So I do a bid. And sometimes I get the item. Just because someone pops in a bid when an item is about to end it's AH time does not make it sniping.

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Originally Posted by redwoodtreesprite

Just because someone pops in a bid when an item is about to end it's AH time does not make it sniping.

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It's exactly what is does:p

Wiki-Definition:
'Auction sniping is the practice, in a timed online auction, of placing a higher bid than the current highest public bid at the last possible moment, giving the other bidders no time to outbid the sniper.'

I use the term, but not in a negative way. It is just another tool for the 'buy low/sell high'-strategy. Nothing 'bad' about it.

Regards
/T

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Originally Posted by Tobias_R

It's exactly what is does:p

Wiki-Definition:
'Auction sniping is the practice, in a timed online auction, of placing a higher bid than the current highest public bid at the last possible moment, giving the other bidders no time to outbid the sniper.'

I use the term, but not in a negative way. It is just another tool for the 'buy low/sell high'-strategy. Nothing 'bad' about it.

Regards
/T

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I think what he was saying is that he does a duration filter on the AH and often ends up bidding shortly before the auction ends to avoid having money tied up in bids for 2 days. I think "sniping" implies an intent, where the poster may just be posting on auctions *close* to the end so as not to have to wait, but not intentionally at the "last possible moment".

So... You were outbid and you lost the item; this makes the other entity a cheater? Really now.. I personally know of people who make a lot of gold bidding on low auctions just to re-post them for a higher value. These said individuals actually stopwatch the auctions they are bidding on down to the last few seconds and then post the winning bid.

Nothing new to see here, move along.

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Originally Posted by Linnier

So... You were outbid and you lost the item; this makes the other entity a cheater? Really now.. I personally know of people who make a lot of gold bidding on low auctions just to re-post them for a higher value. These said individuals actually stopwatch the auctions they are bidding on down to the last few seconds and then post the winning bid.

Nothing new to see here, move along.

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Stop-watched?

Eep! That's so sad. I only asked because it seemed like an auto bid software but if there are folks willing to run the time out to the nearest second then they really need to be playing an economics based MMO... Eve online might be better.

FYI: There isn't any Lua API that a plugin could use to automate AH bidding. I wrote an event timer plugin to help me keep track of crafting cooldowns and approximate end times for bids, but it can't do any bidding or even see what bids are active.

You can always call out on Open chat channel like GLFF, to see who got it.

I've found out items I thought no one would bother with, had several users trying to get it. Many who waited till last moment to bid.
It happens alot to me, only odd thing I get is, I catch the timer.

Knowing it will need at a set time. Come back before hour mark, or last 20mins and find item missing. (and had no buy out)