how to beat those sneaky ebay snipers?

[okdude123]

Any thoughts? I've had some success in the last few seconds before closing, but in the long run some of those last second snipers best me out of a good deal like they did todayl.

[mytime]

Yeah they are sneaky. Have you tried this http://fatfingers.com/ found a few good deals this way.

[jkkyler]

Originally Posted by okdude123

Any thoughts? I've had some success in the last few seconds before closing, but in the long run some of those last second snipers best me out of a good deal like they did todayl.

they use bots to snipe you at the last moment - only chance to use a bot yourself

[Chris Gerhard]

I have never understood this alleged problem. I always just bid what I am willing to pay. If I win great and if I don't, that is fine too because I wasn't willing to pay enough to win the item. I haven't lost a second of sleep although I concede I am often outbid at the last second but I don't care, I wasn't there watching and will just bid on the next listing of the same item. I sure don't use a sniping program and sure don't care if anybody else does. You can beat me by simply bidding more than I am willing to pay, I almost never go back and bid again.

Chris

[okdude123]

Originally Posted by mytime

Yeah they are sneaky. Have you tried this http://fatfingers.com/ found a few good deals this way.

Thanks mytime, never used it before.

Originally Posted by Chris Gerhard

I have never understood this alleged problem. I always just bid what I am willing to pay. If I win great and if I don't, that is fine too because I wasn't willing to pay enough to win the item. I haven't lost a second of sleep although I concede I am often outbid at the last second but I don't care, I wasn't there watching and will just bid on the next listing of the same item. I sure don't use a sniping program and sure don't care if anybody else does. You can beat me by simply bidding more than I am willing to pay, I almost never go back and bid again. Chris

This morning for instance I lost by $3.00, but it may have not been their max bid so I'll never know. I felt I should have bid a little higher to be safe but it was fun anyway to give it a try the last few seconds.

[okdude123]

Originally Posted by jkkyler

they use bots to snipe you at the last moment - only chance to use a bot yourself

I found one that looks good and will give it a go.

[oblioman]

E-Bay used to be fun. Before everybody had bots and that kind of crap. Before it became a hillbilly flea market. Before it became the white van special. Before it became E-store. Sorry if me sounds a bit cynical but E-bay has become a victim of it's own success by catering to those that sell the most (e-stores) thus, negating the auction process. E-bay has become the new "As seen on TV" market,,,,but on the net.

[Chris Gerhard]

Originally Posted by okdude123

Thanks mytime, never used it before.



This morning for instance I lost by $3.00, but it may have not been their max bid so I'll never know. I felt I should have bid a little higher to be safe but it was fun anyway to give it a try the last few seconds.

If you were willing to pay $3 more, why not just bid $3 more when you placed the bid you made that lost? If the $3 lower bid wins, the higher bid wins also at the same price the lower bid would win at. I still don't understand the complaint, just bid the price you are willing to pay and move on, win or lose you shouldn't have any complaint, sniped or not.

Chris

[okdude123]

Originally Posted by Chris Gerhard

If you were willing to pay $3 more, why not just bid $3 more when you placed the bid you made that lost? If the $3 lower bid wins, the higher bid wins also at the same price the lower bid would win at. I still don't understand the complaint, just bid the price you are willing to pay and move on, win or lose you shouldn't have any complaint, sniped or not.

Chris

Don't start hyperventilating on me as I'm not complaining, just talking about it and I didn't lose any sleep over it. I bid in the last 5 seconds hoping to get that item thinking I would get it but it didn't work out that's all. Oblioman had it right when he said the bots took much of the fun away.

[dbolemiss]

I use this one: hammersnipe

[gameguru1360]

I usually just look for the "buy it now" links

[mshulman]

Originally Posted by okdude123

Don't start hyperventilating on me as I'm not complaining, just talking about it and I didn't lose any sleep over it. I bid in the last 5 seconds hoping to get that item thinking I would get it but it didn't work out that's all. Oblioman had it right when he said the bots took much of the fun away.

Is it reall the bots or is it that someone had a higher maximum bid. If someone tries to snipe at the last second at $75 (or a bot does) and my bid is $100, I'm still going to get it. So I'm not sure how bots really help anyway.

Are there auctions that don't allow you to set your maximum bid?

[Chris Gerhard]

Originally Posted by mshulman

Is it reall the bots or is it that someone had a higher maximum bid. If someone tries to snipe at the last second at $75 (or a bot does) and my bid is $100, I'm still going to get it. So I'm not sure how bots really help anyway.

Are there auctions that don't allow you to set your maximum bid?

That's what I said but he accused me of hyperventilating. You can always enter your maximum bid on any eBay auction and then you needn't worry about anything further. If a lower bid than your maximum wins, you still get it for the lower price and if someone ties your bid, first bid wins. I never care anything at all about bots or snipers, they have zero impact on me and it has always been that way. Someone outbids me, I wasn't willing to pay enough to win it.

Chris

[okdude123]

Originally Posted by Chris Gerhard

That's what I said but he accused me of hyperventilating. You can always enter your maximum bid on any eBay auction and then you needn't worry about anything further. If a lower bid than your maximum wins, you still get it for the lower price and if someone ties your bid, first bid wins. I never care anything at all about bots or snipers, they have zero impact on me and it has always been that way. Someone outbids me, I wasn't willing to pay enough to win it.

Chris

I won a bid on Monday by bidding 1.5 seconds manually before closing which may have beaten the bots, I'm not sure, but I did win it for a great steal. If someone's max was higher I guess they would have won, but for most of the bots, maybe by me cutting the bid down to 1.5 seconds it made a difference.

[Chris Gerhard]

Originally Posted by okdude123

I won a bid on Monday by bidding 1.5 seconds manually before closing which may have beaten the bots, I'm not sure, but I did win it for a great steal. If someone's max was higher I guess they would have won, but for most of the bots, maybe by me cutting the bid down to 1.5 seconds it made a difference.

That method can work sometimes but overall, it is not as good as just bidding that exact amount early and doing something better with your time other than sitting at the auction waiting for it to end. For the sake of discussion, assume I also wanted that item at exactly the same price. My method beats your method 100 out of 100 times in that case. I already had the bid entered long before you did and all you have done is tie me, first bid wins. Assume along with you and me, there were 1,656 bidders with automated programs set to bid our exact amount at auction end. I beat 1,657 potential bidders with my method, although only 1 of them got their bid entered, a random finish of second place is awarded to one of the other 1,657. It is almost certainly true your manual bid would never actually be registered in that case. I think most often the method you used that time will only result in no bid being registered, it is very hard to get a bid to be entered manually at the last second and really it is likely you only won because there were no sniping programs set to bid and obviously nobody had already entered your same amount earlier like I suggest is the best overall strategy.

I would say you were lucky, despite the most difficult, most incovenient and least likely approach to winning that item at that price. If you had just bid that amount days ago, you likely would have won without having to sit there at auction end waiting to hit enter. If that is going to be your strategy, just get a sniping program and use that is my suggestion.

Chris