ebay sniping??

[spudshaft]

Is there a sniping service that most people use, or that is better than the others? Have you had a good experience with it???? Thanks http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Smokin Joe]

Sniping on E-Bay is about as lazy as marrying a pregnant woman. I stay up and bid myself. There's a trick to beating the snipers, but I ain't gonna tell! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[spudshaft]

I agree that it is lazy - and it's irritating when somebody does it. That being said, I thought I might try it to see how it works. I usually stay up/schedule computer time at the closing myself.

As most people seem to bid at the last possible minute, they should change ebay so that you have (as a bidder) no idea when the auction ends - that way it would force everybody to bid earlier. Stuff would probably go higher - good if you're selling, bad if you're buying.

[Two-Gun Bob]

Try www.esnipe.com (http://www.esnipe.com) Yeah, I got lazy but it lets me eBay while the boss or wife
have got me occupied elsewhere. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Deyomatic]

The last time I tried to wait till the last few seconds, my internet service got SLOW on me, so while I was watching and refreshing the page to get a new read on the timer, I never knew if the new timer was from when I first hit the refresh button, or from when the page came back after the 45seconds that it took to refresh.
Well, anyway, By the time I placed my bid the auction had ended by about 45 seconds. Oh well. A sniping program might have helped out.

[ray]

y'know, when i'm at a REAL LIVE auction, i'll sit back and let the idiots bid an item up. when bidding slows, and the auctioneer is calling for any last bids, THAT is when i bid! just like ebay!

i use auction stealer, it has a free version that gives you ten snipes a month. i would rather be available to bid in person, but have had no luck getting ebay or the sellers to arrange the auction closing times around my work/personal schedule http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

sniping is only "unfair" to those who don't use the proxy bidding to their advantage! its fun to see an item with a hundred bids by the same bozo bidding it up a dollar at a time, and still get beat out by a sniper! i love bidding aganst these people cause they don't know how the system works and you KNOW you can easily beat them! you gotta decide what something is worth to you BEFORE you bid, if you bid early, it gives plenty of time for the next guy to decide he wants it a little more than you do.

face it, if someone else wants it, and is willing to spend more, they are gonna get it no matter how "fair" the sale it.

[laverda]

WinningBid Pro ... open source advanced auction monitoring/bidding tool.

Never tried it but a hard core ebayer/programmer I work with has contributed to the development ... fortunately he collects old computers & cameras not hemi parts http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

later,
papa al

[StevesGalaxie]

Auctionsniper.com I use it only when I know I won't be home...

[dirttracker]

I sell more then I buy but when I buy I always use www.auctionsniper.com (http://www.auctionsniper.com) to insure I'm going to be able to bid within the last 5 seconds the amount I'm willing to pay. Look at it this way, it'll bid for you however many times it takes to bring the auction up to the amount you want auctionsniper to bid for you in an instant, it'll bid for you until you are the highest bidder or until it reaches your limit. I've won 9 out of 10 things I've bidded on in the last 2 months. It's the only way I bid now!

[why?]

auction sniper .com is the only way to go ive never lost an auction yet . and when you sign up they give you so many free snipes and then you get your friends to sign up and use you for a reference and then they give you 3 more for every one that signs up , deal of a lifetime i tell you .

[BigJim394]

Just a note...if you decide to try sniping on your own, close all other windows and shut off you email inbox when you are going to snipe. Having an email (especially one loaded up with something like a photo attachment) come in when you go to submit a snipe bid in the last few seconds of an auction can slow things up so much that your bid won't get in on time.


And if you do get your bid in and someone using a sniping program wins the item in the last fraction of a second, that bidder was willing to pay a higher price than you set for yourself, and they will have to be paying the sniper service a percentage of the bid for their services.

[Mike Landwehr]

I have supected for some time now that there was a way for a bidder to "lock" up a high bidders computer at the last minute, Its happened to me so many times it has to be a program or trick, never clears until auction ends,ARGH! I bid near to what i want to spend at the first bid to get rid of the tire kickers and blast away at the end of the auction.Say its at 10$ on a set of Cal Vlv Cvrs,I go to my near limit at say $96, at the end I go to $125.50,(NOT exact amounts,example only,I wont pay that for valve covers)

[ray]

hehe, mike, you won't PAY that for them but you'll SELL for that right! i was ebaying yesterday and seen your site today http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

and TOO MANY times has my computer locked up, disconnected or errored in the closing seconds of an auction, over and over. someone has a trick!

[kustombuilder]

i've seen a couple sellers say they will not sell to a sniper.

[silent rick]

a sniper, huh? that explains it. thought it was my computers fault, locking up like that in the last seconds.
i punched it, left a huge dent. now i want that bastard who won the auction.

[Mike Landwehr]

Ray ,Saw that did ya,LOL,like I said ,some stuff is for my car and to get rid of the tire kickers, I put everything I buy for it on my site at an stupid price, If I plan on using it and If they want it that bad,then thats what I want,THEN I can buy something BETTER http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif,NOT everything there is THAT high, just the stuff I want to keep,lol,keeps em from buggin me w ??'s about will I sell THIS peice.Like the new five spokes,red flake wheel,tach and 56Erdys (now mine)55-7 fenderwells .

[the-rodster]

I tried auctionsniper.com - it was too unreliable.

I've had really good luck with stealthbid.com - you
get 100 free credits, then you have to start payin'

Good luck.

[TWO]

They have sniping SERVICES?? That sucks.

[rodnkustom]

Those sniping are horrid, distressing.
-peter

[lakes modified]

Peter: it's the only way to fly. i use it every so often and i have the HAMB to thank for putting me on to e snipe.yep, someone here noted it over a year ago.i just nailed an original edmunds air cleaner [ like the ones i recast] last week at a low price. the other bidders must have been asleep.even with esnipe, i only have a 30% success rate.the others have deeper pockets than me i guess.

[Missouri_Mike]

OK, I may be an idiot, but...

Can someone please explain to me what advantages these sniping programs have over using ebay's proxy bidding? I don't buy stuff all that often, but if I do, I just decide the max I'm willing to pay, punch it in as a proxy bid, and away we go. I'm failing to see how a someone sniping can beat me, unless they are just willing to pay more than I am.

Is there something here I'm not getting? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[delaware george]

don't know....this internet auction shit is like a double edged sword http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[hatch]

I don't get it either...If my proxy bid is 1000 on an item that is at 700 near closing, why wouldn't I win...unless someone else has a proxy bid of 1001? How do the snipe programs help?

[Kustm52]

When you place a proxy bid, you are only raising the price on yourself....first, your proxy outbids the current high bidder. Then, someone comes along and bids against you...repeatedly....and then quits. Your proxy has raised with each bid...then the auction ends and you win. Now, had you placed your max bid with a snipe, then all that previous bidding activity may (or may not) have happened...and you get it for a lower price...bottom line is, if you bid on an item before the last ten seconds you are just raising the price on yourself...!

Brian

[hatch]

So, if everyone bidding on an item is sniping, the bid sheet will be blank until the end with only one bid registering.....Example...proxy bids of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500...the winner would be 401 from the 500 proxy bidder....to me, it's the same as the bids being raised all through the auction and ends the same as sniping?

[Kustm52]

Nope.. not necessarily...that would depend on the time interval (how close to the end of the auction) each sniper stated when you entered your snipe...

Brian

[30roadster]

[ QUOTE ]
Nope.. not necessarily...that would depend on the time interval (how close to the end of the auction) each sniper stated when you entered your snipe...

Brian

[/ QUOTE ]

I need to look into sniping.... i proxied on some tail lights.... I had them for a good price well below my max...the last day of the auction someone kept bumping at my bid till they went over my max....then they didn't buy...so the seller came back to me and wanted to know if i would buy the tail lights at max bid.... i had them at half the max bid only hours before...why buy at max?....I was fairly pissed....I didn't know about sniping then...but I do now!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I've made about 300 purchases on eBay. 70% of my hot rod came from there. I choose a maximum price that I'll pay for an item and bid it, usually at the last minute. If someone else wants it more than me I figure there'll be another one along in the future. I, more often than not, end up getting things for less than my maximum bid.

[spudshaft]

Thanks for all the responses. BTW I've never posted anything that got 29 responses - must be the topic. I think I'll post about gun control or abortion next. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Kustm52]

The bottom line is....decide you max bid, set it to go in with seconds left, and forget about it. If you win, you often get it cheaper, if you don't, someone wanted it more than you. As a buyer, I love the sniping programs...(I use esnipe myself), as a seller, I hate it...I love for two people to get in a bidding war. I once a red NOS seatbelt for a chevy II for almost $200, because two guys got in a fight and wouldn't stop... and I've got a ton of other stories. The more an item sells for, the more ebay makes...so the proxy bidding is designed to give maximum profit to ebay.

Brian

[Missouri_Mike]

Ok, I think I understand the sniping thing a little better now. I only buy things here and there on ebay...usually just little crap that catches my eye and can be had cheap. But, I pretty regularly watch a variety of categories, just so I have some idea on what kind of prices certain items are bringing, so when I'm ready to buy I'll be somewhat informed.

Guess I might have to check out a sniping program when I start getting serious about buying stuff.

Thanks for the explanation!!

[ESnacky6]

30Roadster- It really sounds to me that the seller had a
friend shill bidding the item up to a higher price and
'accidentally' went over your max, but then you didn't outbid him...
I hope you didn't end up paying that 'max bid' Dude...


I really hate that shit when you see the same asshole
bidding a couple of bucks over and over and over to bump
the price up, but never 'seals the deal'...

if you want something that bad, BID LIKE A MAN...
put up or shut the fuck up...

I personally have paid 'too much' for a certain part or whatever,
but on the other hand I have gotten some SCREAMING deals as well...
It all averages out in the end in my mind...

[HOTROD30]

Snacky6... A good example of someone walking up the bid.

http://cgi6.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=2434079357

This example also shows people bailing out on their bids for some reason.

[Smokin Joe]

The thing I've found sellers doing is bumping up the bid to find your max then contacting you. You see a 0 feedback guy bidding up till it hits your max. Usually with a day or so to go to give you a chance to bump your bid at the end. Then if the 0 feedback bidder wins it, you get a note from the seller stating that the 0 bidder didn't pay and you can have it at your last bid price so he won't have to re-list it. I had one asshole seller try to pull this shit on me on 3 different items using the same bidder before I understood how it works. You think some kid is screwing him out of his auctions till you catch on. Now if I see a 0 feedback bidder bumping it up with a day or 2 to go, I withdraw my bid.

The newer version of this is to take something that's worth say 100 bucks and put it up with no reserve and a 5 buck opener to draw interest. Then you use another account with a sniper program to bid 95 bucks with say 5 minutes to go. What you've done is to actually set your reserve above 95 bucks on a no reserve auction, but the buyers don't know it. Someone else using a sniper program and knowing what it's worth on E-Bay will probably put in a max bid of 100 bucks or more with a minute to go. He'll go to bed a few hours before the end of the auction thinking his 5 buck opener might just win it afterall. Then he gets up in the morning to find he won it, but for 100, YEA! Boy, this sniper program just won me another one! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[sunny_day]

Gixen (www.gixen.com (http://www.gixen.com)) is absolutely free, and worked good for me.

Is there a sniping service that most people use, or that is better than the others? Have you had a good experience with it???? Thanks http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[**MCQUEEN**]

.... they should change ebay so that you have (as a bidder) no idea when the auction ends - that way it would force everybody to bid earlier. Stuff would probably go higher - good if you're selling, bad if you're buying.

Now there's a thought, have a special section for blind ending / sealed bid auctions where you can't see if anyone has bid or what the bid is or when it ends.

[leadsled01]

[ QUOTE ]
Nope.. not necessarily...that would depend on the time interval (how close to the end of the auction) each sniper stated when you entered your snipe...

Brian

[/ QUOTE ]

I need to look into sniping.... i proxied on some tail lights.... I had them for a good price well below my max...the last day of the auction someone kept bumping at my bid till they went over my max....then they didn't buy...so the seller came back to me and wanted to know if i would buy the tail lights at max bid.... i had them at half the max bid only hours before...why buy at max?....I was fairly pissed....I didn't know about sniping then...but I do now!
I bet his buddy figured out you proxy bid and ran the price up for him to make more money.

[curtiswyant]

Just bid the most you are willing to pay. Simple. :)

[abe lugo]

Guys,
Sniping has been the only way I've gotten sucessful bidding, there's a lot of psychology going on here. There's nothing wrong with sniping, get over it. Each person has their own way of bidding- note the funny gesture bidders do at live auctions.
All you have to do is decide what you want to pay for an item. If someone else wants to pay more the so be it. I have no time to go watch item end to the last second (some people should just get a life). I decide what I'll pay for an item place my snipe and let it go, it does not always win. If you are one of those people that sit there and drive up the bid till you win over somebody, you are the people we hate. This is why there are things that go for outrageous prices, a pissing match of sorts. All you have to do is decide, one time, what the item is worth put your bid in and forget about it. I've been Ebaying close to 10 years now, trust me another one will show up sooner or later.

[HOTRODPRIMER]

Sniping could be solved if the auction was extended 5 minutes every time someone bid.

Man,,,I thought I had won the part I needed yesterday,,,,me and two other guys back and forth for 4 days,,,I was the high bidder and had bidded high,,,,and DAMN,,,,a new player snipped at the last few seconds,,,:mad: HRP

[32viper]

Sniping could be solved if the auction was extended 5 minutes every time someone bid.
No that's the best solution I've heard. Tell EBay.

[Muttley]

If you bid on anything with more than 10 seconds left all you are doing is showing your hand and screwing yourself out of money. BTW the adding 5 minutes per bid thing would ruin E-bay for the buyers.

[Deluxe]

This thread just taught me about sniping! I've been an EBayer for several years, and I never knew about sniping! I think I lost an auction for a couple A frames last winter to a sniper!

Thanks, HAMB!

Deluxe

[MIKE-3137]

I know your high bid is your high bid...but theres nothing worse than losing an auction for 50 cents....Sometimes I don't even look to see if I won until the next day, it can be extremely frustration on ebay.

[Muttley]

I know your high bid is your high bid...but theres nothing worse than losing an auction for 50 cents....Sometimes I don't even look to see if I won until the next day, it can be extremely frustration on ebay.

Just because you lost the auction by .50 cents doesnt mean the other guy only bid .50 cents more than you did, it could just mean the bid increment is .50 cents. If your maximum bid is $150 bucks and the winner bids $300 he still only pays $150.50.