www.auctionsieve.com

[arm]

I am currently running AuctionSieve 2.5.6.3 on MacBook Pro. I've captured and logged over 500,000 auctions with the current and previous versions. My analysis of stored records in the Price History file show incorrect bid number and final prices. The incorrect records are from the correct auction - just not up to date when the auction expired.

Originally, I thought that this issue arose/arises due to auctions ending when my computer was asleep. I suspected that AuctionSieve had stored price and bid number and was unable to receive up to date data from eBay for expired auctions. It appeared that AuctionSieve was plugging in the last stored data from cache. However, I tracked an active auction and observed it end. AuctionSieve passed out of date data from the Watch List to Price History.

Has this topic been covered? Are my observations correct? Are there setting that will ensure that every Price History recorded is accurate?
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DA

[nev]

When an auction ends, AuctionSieve puts the item in the Price History and tries to do a final retrieval of the details. If it can't interpret the page it will just show the last details it got before the end.

I need to look at the code which interprets item detail pages - eBay have made some changes which means AS is finding it hard to get the details for both the Watchlist and Price History. Hopefully this weekend I'll get a new beta out.

[arm]

From what I gather, AuctionSieve is able to query and access eBay's database after a particular auction has ended (post-mortem)? Therefore, AuctionSieve does not have to be running (alive) when auctions end. How long after an auction expires can AuctionSieve retrieve data?. I suspect that the correct answer is three months. Could you enable a version of AuctionSieve to hold data and check back with eBay's servers to look for changes and capture and store them in a log file? Perhaps updated data could be append with a ".c". This way we/you can track when and how "NOT UP TO DATE" auction data gets passed prematurely into the Price History file.
I am thinking out loud here. I assume, however, data once passed into the Price History file, data remains static meaning that it is nevert updated from eBay queries. I personally would like to see something like a transition file/tab... or just a hidden file that holds data until it's blessed or finalized, perhaps by several successful eBay queries. Alternatively, pre-blessed data would be greyed-out in the the Price History file and that information would not be included in the aggregate - such as average price, until blessed. Once blessed, preliminary data would become active. Data in the Price History file should be dead accurate.
Just a couple of minor tweak I'm sure!! I expect all of this and have it done for FREE, right?
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DA

[nev]

New beta is out with a fix for Watchlist/Price History prices.

Yes, AuctionSieve does one final retrieval when an auction ends. It doesn't have to be running when the auction ends. When you start it up, it checks the watchlist for ended items. And yes, it can get the information for as long as eBay keeps the item page - generally 3 months.

You can always try to refresh Price History items. Just select items with the checkboxes and click Refresh. All the prices that have gone missing over the last few days should appear.