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Automated Scripts Overrun eBay Holiday Contest

turnkeylinux writes "TechCrunch is reporting that eBay is under fire from users because of a holiday giveaway contest gone awry. On Tuesday Nov. 25, eBay announced its $1 Holiday Doorbusters deals promotion, giving away 100 gifts on a daily basis, all for a $1 fixed price. The gifts ranged from jewelry, clothing, digital cameras, and GPS devices to a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette. The only catch is that there's no announcement on when these items are released or in which category they will be. But cheaters came up with a clever way of winning deals on an automated basis by continuously running scripts to bid on items for $1."

6 of 182 comments (clear)

  1. Re:The internet is full of assholes... by orthancstone · · Score: 5, Funny

    When griefing gets boring in online games, take it to the next best place: Ebay!

  2. Re:Time to offload some crap by nizo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Your life won't be complete until you augment your iPhone with a new postcard! Bidding starts at only $1!!

  3. Re:The internet is full of assholes... by DRue · · Score: 5, Funny

    /me hurridly begins posting his "ebook" on ebay for $1 each.

  4. Re:The internet is full of assholes... by jhRisk · · Score: 5, Funny

    More assholes need to get fucked.

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    That's just my POV... no more, no less.
  5. Re:The internet is full of assholes... by bberens · · Score: 5, Funny

    By using that logic no company should ever advertise because it raises the base cost of doing business... which is bad for their customers. The reality is that advertising increases market share which generally lowers the per transaction cost and saves customers money. If we all thought your way there'd be no such thing as marketing. Wait.. maybe you're on to something...

    --
    Check out my lame java blog at www.javachopshop.com
  6. Re:Time to offload some crap by bev_tech_rob · · Score: 5, Funny
    Here is a quote from the MSNBC article about the same issue...pretty funny :P

    "This is picture I took of my cat with my Cannon Powershot Camera after she overheard that people where using scripting to purchase HOLIDAY DOORBUSTERS items on eBay. Not responsible for poor scripting techniques."

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    You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....