Mechanics of the AH: Self-dealing questions

[Yomo Kimyata]

First off:

1. An alt cannot buy or sell to itself.

2. An alt CAN buy or sell to another alt under the same global.

 

I’m curious what people’s experiences are when buying and selling the same thing on an alt.

 

Ive noticed that when I am bidding and offering the same thing, when my bid is lower than my offer, things seem to operate as you would expect.  Example: bidding 255 on common salvage via luck charms; offering @ 305 via luck charms.  I make buys and sells as they come in.

 

I’ve also noticed some wonky behavior when I am bidding (usually at the highest outstanding level) and when I am offering at a LOWER price.  Example:  bidding 155 on luck charms, offering @1.  What I see is delays in the process, and what looks like alternating periods where the system first considers my bids, then considers my offers.  I’ll often go for 30 seconds before making a sale, even though there are thousands of bids.  I THINK this may be due to the fact that the system won’t let me make any sales while I am still the best bidder and that the only sales I do make are to other people who are bidding higher than I am.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts or anecdotal evidence?

[Hedgefund]

On 8/3/2019 at 5:38 PM, Yomo Kimyata said:

First off:

1. An alt cannot buy or sell to itself.

2. An alt CAN buy or sell to another alt under the same global.

 

I’m curious what people’s experiences are when buying and selling the same thing on an alt.

  

Ive noticed that when I am bidding and offering the same thing, when my bid is lower than my offer, things seem to operate as you would expect.  Example: bidding 255 on common salvage via luck charms; offering @ 305 via luck charms.  I make buys and sells as they come in.

 

I’ve also noticed some wonky behavior when I am bidding (usually at the highest outstanding level) and when I am offering at a LOWER price.  Example:  bidding 155 on luck charms, offering @1.  What I see is delays in the process, and what looks like alternating periods where the system first considers my bids, then considers my offers.  I’ll often go for 30 seconds before making a sale, even though there are thousands of bids.  I THINK this may be due to the fact that the system won’t let me make any sales while I am still the best bidder and that the only sales I do make are to other people who are bidding higher than I am.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts or anecdotal evidence?

The bolded is what second accounts are for.  Buying and selling in real time to yourself mitigates the risk of someone swooping in while you swap characters.

Edited August 7, 2019 by Hedgefund

[0th Power]

You CAN sell to another character on the same account.

 

You CANNOT sell to yourself on the same character

[Yomo Kimyata]

On 8/3/2019 at 5:38 PM, Yomo Kimyata said:

 

I’ve also noticed some wonky behavior when I am bidding (usually at the highest outstanding level) and when I am offering at a LOWER price.  Example:  bidding 155 on luck charms, offering @1.  What I see is delays in the process, and what looks like alternating periods where the system first considers my bids, then considers my offers.  I’ll often go for 30 seconds before making a sale, even though there are thousands of bids.  I THINK this may be due to the fact that the system won’t let me make any sales while I am still the best bidder and that the only sales I do make are to other people who are bidding higher than I am.

 

I feel pretty confident I know what is going on.  When I am offering items at a lower price than I am bidding for the same items, the system won't allow me to make any sales unless they are higher than (or equal to?) the price at which I am bidding.  In the above example, I make sales down to 155 then stop.  Even though there are bids out there higher than my offer, the bid that I have out there is still the best bid, and I cannot sell to myself.  If any external bid comes in greater than (equal to?) 155, I sell to that bid.  And, of course, any external offers at or under 155 come to my bids.

 

I haven't spent a lot of time thinking about this, but I don't immediately see a way that people can dangerously exploit this mechanism.