Bots everywhere and I'm tired of It!

[Avenol]

http://steamcommunity.com/id/ska♥♥♥♥♥erbr how is this guy able to buy and immediately post his items in the matter of milliseconds. I just got done competing with this guy trying to buy crate 31 from someone spamming them at very low price. Not only was I or anyone else unable to buy a single crate but the person (mentioned above) was able to purchase every single one of them and had the crates posted for sell with a preset price before I could even hit F5 to refresh in a desperate attempt to purchase one.

My wife was helping me monitor and confirmed by watching the actual crate 31 series page. He was posting the items for sell as he was buying them from newly the listed page. Even by breaking your pages out and having your newly listed or buying page open along side your inventory sell page there is no way to click between the two and buy and sell simultaneously at the speeds that I was witnessing. I'm sure a simple query into your DB timestamps and transaction history can easily confirm what my wife and I were witnessing.

I take pride in the fact that I'm able to snag items quickly via the newly listed page. I even compete with coworkers to see who can get items faster and I am most always the winner. This guy however, is clearly automating the process. Why is there no server side validation monitoring this?

Yes I understand that some people can grab items rather quickly and even push the boundaries of near computer like speeds but when someone is capable of doing it consistently, and without fail and simultaneously perform separate transactions in less then a second it's clearly a bot. Valve has all data necessary to prevent this from happening why is it not being implemented in force?

I just don't understand why this was never implemented before launching the market. It's very understandable that someone could write a smart bot that mimics human buying behaviors and speed thresholds but when an account is capable of buying and selling items repeatedly without failure and in a time frame that exceeds human capabilities the account should be flagged by your system and put on a no buy/sell probation status while its being investigated.

If written correctly the entire bot detection process could be automated by the server, requiring very little time and personnel.

I have been witnessing this same behavior from several other users in the community. I just thought it was high time I said something. I know all the honest users out there have all witnessed and put up with this same scenario and its about time more gets done.
Either allow us to write and share bots within the community so we're all on an even playing field or do a better job of policing this crap it's getting rather annoying.

[Avenol]

Trending down? Are you serious do you know how to even read a simple graph? Show me where I have changed my story? My inventory is full of crates that I have speculated will rise in value and guess what they have. What do you have in your inventory that shows me you know anything about marketing? How much money have you invested in the market? How have bots affected your purchasing? They haven't because you haven't bought crap, so before you think you know something show me you have the capability to even use a market.

[TITOMOSQUITO187]

I don';t have to. I have logic and you are talking BS. I have over 800 trades already. Pretty obvious I have done trading in the market. I just unloaded it all because of the currency issues. I can't do it at a rate that makes any sense based on Steam's unfair pricing. It's a waste of time and effort to try.

It's flat. The graph only shows peopel buying mispriced items and reselling at market. That's it. Buy 4 at .04 then resell at .28-.30.

Are you buying at .28-.30 right now? Are you? Of course you aren't.

You know why that price stabilizes up there? BOTS, and Sharks. Every time something is being sold for a price that is lower than the cost of selling at market price it is bought by people like you, or Bots. Unless somehow the market loses a gigantic amount of supply the trend will never go up. The price goes down because of people who have a better currency and can list at the top of the current market price. So...if there is an influx of more supply the new users with a currency of say $US must list at .27 so they can sell it. Otherwise they will never get to the top of the .28. The currency is pushing the prices down. The bots and SHARKS are holding it up.

This isn't following trends. This is manipulating the price. Bots and Sharks are keeping that price at 28 cents right now. IF anyone lists at 25 cents or less they buy it. Then relist it at 28 for their profit based on having a currency that gives them wider margins. They don't have to worry about others being above them on the list at that price. Since their currency is better for the market they can just list and be at the top immediately.

[Avenol]

lol so this is flat?http://steamcommunity.com/market/listings/440/Mann%20Co.%20Supply%20Crate%20Series%20%2331

I think you need glasses. You don't see a trend at all here?

And I do pay .28 -30 cents for items that I speculate will rise in value. If you would notice I don't sell my inventory very often only to purchase an mvm ticket if I need to.

Right you unload it because of currency issues. LOL. Likely excuse. It's not currency pushing prices down. It's called undercutting. Everyone does it. You're a lost cause man.

[TITOMOSQUITO187]

The average price is flat. How do you not get this? The only speculating is buying at 4 cents and relisting at market price.

I already explained it. You just don't want to hear it because you know what you are doing isn't what you are claiming. My ass you are buying at .28-30 cents right now expecting it to go up to .40. More lies.

This wasn't even your complaint to begin with. Your complaint was that someone listed items REALLY cheap and that you couldn't buy them because someone beat you to it. So...yes you are lying. You weren't worried about buying at market price. You were mad that you didn't get a SHARK price.

I'm done with you. Anyone that can read knows you're full of it. I already said that Dando rolled you with his arguments. You still haven't learned anything so you are hopeless. All you are trying to do now is twist your original complaint around and then justify it because someone called you out for your fraudulent ethics.

[Avenol]

So in May when the average price was.04 cents and a month later it climbs to an average of .28 this is flat to you? Do you know how to math? And no your the one not hearing it.. My complaint was the bots not that I couldn't buy a cheap items, clearly your reading comprehension is low, your math skills are low, your marketing skills are low, yet we are supposed to listen to your advice?

[Avenol]

LOL those are investment strategies.

[TITOMOSQUITO187]

LOL

I said hi, and no need for that to be on here.

[g4lv]

Wht mess...

[Avenol]

Agreed

[Dando Real [ITA]]

After all the chitchat, Avenol, you still miss to answer the core question:

How does a bot stop you from doing long-term investment?

The only time a user sees a bot, is when it takes mispriced items.

If you really do only market trends, which is 100% legit, you'll never have to worry about bots.

But you said the truth at start: your complain was for the 0.02$ mispriced items, not the 0.20$ long term investments.

You should be marked on SteamREP ASAP.

[Josabooba]

@Dando Real [ITA] - Games for BTC --- I think your provocation and aggressive stance here is borderline unacceptable, I would consider editing the last line of your most recent post, but of course I'm not a mod.

You would be better off in my opinion combating botters rather than attacking the reputation of one user who you disagree with, but who is only wrong (to some) by opinion, not fact.

[Josabooba]

Consider this - you think buying (example) a #40 for say €0.04 is being a shark - profiting through the, some say mistake - some think laziness, of users.

What about the issue of users who profit not through buying LEGALLY by under-priced items - but those who (example) sell a €2.00 hat for €200.00.

Where does one find your fight to combat this on these forums???



The simple fact of the matter is that buying lazily priced items is not illegal and not even immoral as no one is forcing the user to lazily mis-price their items.

Whereas botting is illegal and the argument ends here on what is legal and what is NOT LEGAL.

[Supro]

Funny how people who are selling steam games for real cash or btc (which is pretty much against the Subscriber Agreement) telling others what to do.
Since when refreshing steam market is illegal ? :)

Valve please - get rid of those who are breaking Subscriber Agreement (bots,steam wallet sellers, paypalers etc.) and there will be some peace :D

[:ekoe]

Why are you even catering to these idiotic comments OP?

Who cares if they want to call someone a shark. Call me a shark for refreshing the page a couple times to try and get a low price.
I don't care

The difference is botting IS AGAINST THE TERMS OF SERVICE for steam. Refreshing the page to try and buy items at below average price is not.

End of story. Don't even bother responding to those bot supporting morons anymore OP. They are wrong. The TOS is proof of that, there is nothing more to discuss in that regard.
To those of you who would like to argue in favor of bots, DO IT IN ANOTHER THREAD, because it is nothing more than your opinion and it doesn't belong in this thread. Start a new one and ask valve to change their TOS if you want to bot.

The only thing worth discussing here is possible solutions to the problem. I'm sure valve will take action, I've already heard of at least one person who got their accounts banned from the market and their items deleted for botting.

[Josabooba]

Well the matter was kinda over in regards of who's right and wrong and we with the OP had finished with those who think botting is ok - look at the last reply date before yours - nearly a month back now.

"Shark" is a terrible term as it suggests something is wrong with it - but that is what the market is based on in my opinion.