What happens if the web server or internet stops working during the auction close?
This unfortunately does happen, We of course always want it running perfect, we never want it to go offline or have any issues at all but it happens. We do our best to make sure this is dealt with in a fair way for the buyers and the consignors.
If the auction lot closes while the web server or software crash (stop working) the auction lot will still close, the second the computers come back online the auction software resumes operation based on the current time. This means WHOEVER HAD THE HIGHEST BID BEFORE THE ISSUE WILL BE THE WINNER so always used the PROXY BID system and get your bids in early. If you try to wait till the last minute to SNIPE a bid the softclose will extend the time on the auction anyway so it’s in your best interest to enter your MAX bid early and avoid any issues at the end of the auction. You are taking your chances if you leave bidding till the end of the auction.
HOW OFTEN DOES THIS HAPPEN?
Thankfully it is rare but it has been an issue in the past from time to time. Especially after the core software or server software goes through an update. All websites have this problem and even the largest online auction in the world goes offline from time to time any they employee hundreds of full time computer programmers and high paid server technicians to tend to the website full time. They spend MILLIONS of dollars every year trying to ensure that the giant power house websites never go offline but they even do even with all that protection and skilled programmers. We do not make a lot of profit from this venture, it’s a small family run business with one computer programmer taking care of it all.
Computers do not always work 100% and as frustrating as it is we have very little control over it. We MONITOR the auction close every week. If any sign of the server slowing down or doing anything it should not be doing we start to look at log files and see if we can find the bug or issue. Our servers are hosted with google in the google cloud system, it is one of the most advanced computer cloud systems in the world and it is very reliable however at times even google has to reboot or update or fix problems with computers. We have all experienced a computer not doing what it is programmed to do so to expect a web server to always perform perfect or auction software to perform perfect all the time is unreasonable.