Which ebay sniping program do you use?

This is my method as well, but I use a count down timer. Once it's synched to the second, I don't need to keep reloading the page. At anywhere from 10 to 3 seconds, I enter my bid.

Sniping doesn't insure a win. Entering the highest bid insures a win. What sniping does, is mask your interest in the item, possibly lulling someone into thinking nobody else wants the item, and a sniper doesn't contribute to bidding fever.

I'm always looking for stuff cheap, so am not always the high bidder. But when I really want the item, I'm close to undefeated...

Jon

That's probably how the copy of Machine Tool Reconditioning sold a while ago for over $200.

Steve.

What about using ebay's system? I understand that ebay automatically bids for you up to the maximum amount that you determine, no extra fees. I think that the only way that you could lose would be if the final price was higher than the maximum bid that you have predetermined, in which case you would want to lose. Even if a sniping program put in a bid at the last second, if it was under your maximum, ebay would outbid the sniper on your behalf. Or is there something wrong with that strategy? The only problem that I can see would be if two people were using that system, the price would instantly move up to the lower of the two maximum numbers. Even in that case, the person who wanted it more would get it, probably at a lower price than his maximum.

Let me know what you think about this system, which seems simple and effective to me, but I am not a heavy ebay user.

Richard

SteveB wrote:

Yes, there is.

If you put in your bid of say $333.33 early, when the standing bid is near $80.00, others will come in and start bidding say $5.00 more than the currently displayed top bid, moving your bid up with each try.

However, if you put your significant bid in very late, these other biders will come in, perhaps bid once or twice to top whoever is already there, and then sit back expecting to win. When you come in, at the last moment, and make your bid of $333.33, you will almost certainly win it for less than you would have with your bid out early and available for the incrementalists to pick away at. (Of course, if there is another last-minute bidder who also is serious about it, it will go to whoever has put in the more serious bid

I'm with you Don. Hell, if you're not interested sufficiently in an auction to watch its final 2-minites, you probably don't deserve to win the item since you lack sufficient motivation and need.

I manually SNIPE at times, however at during the last 20-seconds of the auction decide what is the top dollar that I am willing to pay for an item, watch how the last 60-seconds of bidding is going, then at

No software can do this for you, since it involve a last minite judgement decision. My track record which you can check (HHC314)is now around 290 on the feedback scale (figure around 400 corrected to real terms because many users don't post feedback).

I don't even use a wristwatch. I simply sync my computer time to that of eBay, and estimate the bid delay time due to the curren response of the net at that time. (Try finding a program that will do this for you.)

Works more than 95% of the time, but I sometimes feel guilty when I use this technique for something that I really want. Also, I tend to believe that if your not around for the close of an auction, it's not anything that you really want or need...you're simply trying to outdo someone else. This is something not entirely unknown on eBay auctions.

Harry C.

And run up the bid amount with a lot of time to go in the auction? Sounds like good strategy to me .............

STeve

"Ian Stirling" wrote

Names, please?

Well, provided you're not at work (where you don't have computer access), asleep (time zone dependent), at a party, or otherwise committed. I can certainly see how it could be convenient to have an automated last minute bidding program for someone who can't be around. Not everyone has schedules flexible enough to be at their computer for the last 2 minutes of every item they intend to bid on.

Or rather a last-minute lack-of-judgement decision :-) I think you'll find that you will be kicking yourself less frequently if you make decisions about your maximum price when there is no pressure and you can research what the fair price to pay is. I'm assuming of course that you want to pay fair prices; if you just want to win, all bets are off.

If the bidding software doesn't ping eBay to find the delay or leave room for eBay's CGI processing time, it's not very good software!! I think you greatly underestimate software developers with this comment. I don't think you'll find too many people who are smart enough to write bidding software but too stupid to realize that net communication and form processing aren't instantaneous.

-Adam

"Harry Conover" wrote

I work odd hours, and earn from $22 to $44 per hour. I don't have the time all the time to be in front of a computer at the end of an auction, whatever my "interest and motivation" is.

Don't deserve to win because I'd rather not tell the boss I want to leave early and bid on something on ebay?

Get real!

Steve

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote

A man after my own heart! I have seen many "buys" on ebay, and many things that people paid more than retail AND THEN paid the inflated shipping. What were they thinking?

They weren't. Being a savvy bidder is knowing when the price is higher than what the item is worth. Those who go on after that are either stupid or "just have to have it" for some reason.

Steve

You miss the point of sniping.

Whoever bids the most will win the item...... sniping or not, but you'll never see my bid until less than the last 5 seconds..... you won't be able to put in a bid that fast. The net and especially eBay isn't that quick.

I win most items I want. Attribute it to sniping or overbidding or both.

I've sniped watching the auction and using software. Have won and lost both ways. I am usually pleased with items won. And for those lost-someone wanted it more than me.

Life on ebay.

Gary Repesh

I agree you should have a maximum amount that you want to bid, I wait till about and hour brfore the end then put in the max that I want to pay. If I get it great if not I wait for another one to come up.

char*p="char*p=%c%s%c;main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}";main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}

On Mon, 17 May 2004 17:26:11 GMT, Ian Stirling brought forth from the murky depths:

Right, and by sniping, you don't quickly jack up the bid amount (thus raising the awareness of the "gotta outbid him" mental cases.) Sniping is good for buyers and bad for sellers since it can keep the bidding frenzy down to a minimum.

- In nature's infinite book of secrecy a little I can read. -Shakespeare ------

On Mon, 17 May 2004 14:12:08 -0500, Richard J Kinch brought forth from the murky depths:

Why are you guys posting that when all they have is:

"This Project Has Not Released Any Files"

- In nature's infinite book of secrecy a little I can read. -Shakespeare ------

"GTO69RA4" wrote e. I'll still enter my maximum

I've also noticed that I get higher prices on items I'm

As a seller, I love the newbies and those that bid early.

Love em love em love em

Steve

As an unrepentant Ebay sniper, I will never use a program to do the deed for me. I actually enjoy visualizing the look on the snipee's face when he/she sees that they were outbid with only 8 to 10 seconds remaining. There is no way I would get that enjoyment with a program! I know the look on my face when I get out-sniped! ;)

Rex the Wrench

SteveB wrote:

and let the other suckers snipe among themselves.

Those of us who travel or don't want to get up in the middle of the night to bid. I just set my snipe program and forget it until the auction is over.