Countdown timers and ‘Only 4 left’ are often scams, but they should note a few sites like eBay get a pass since for simply giving true facts about the auction.
Countdown timers and ‘Only 4 left’ are often scams, but they should note a few sites like eBay get a pass since for simply giving true facts about the auction.
Isn't an auction itself a giant dark pattern?
Also, ebay mixes auction with buy it now in the same item.
Buy-It-Now combined with an auction is exactly like selling a car listed with O.B.O. (e g. ”$5000 or best offer"). This doesn't seem like a dark pattern to me for either side of the transaction.
I like it a lot. I either want something NAOW and don't mind a slightly higher price than I'd pay if I waited a few days.
Auctions are great price discovery mechanisms. Nothing wrong with that IMO
Only if you consider voluntary interpersonal economics a dark pattern