Getting so sick and tired of being 'sniped'

[CathrynRose]

eBay.

It never fails, I get sniped all - the - flipping - time. Always by a buck, always within seconds of auction end, always by someone who had no bids the entire auction.

I hate to sound like a whiny kid, but it's not fair!!! The auction I lost last night, ended at midnight. I stayed up to be sure I got it and 7 seconds before auction end *POOF* it's gone.

It's making the entire eBay experience -SUCK- lately. Not even worth it anymore. I wasted sleep, last night only to get sniped in 7 seconds.

 

[Gabes_mommy]

If you can't beat them, join them. I use this free sniping service:

http://www.biddingscheduler.com/

It automatically enters your max bid at 10 seconds before the end of the auction.

I love it. I can be sleeping when an auction ends and it prevents me from emotionally bidding more than I planned just because of competition.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I thought that was just part of bidding on auctions?

I barely look at Ebay anymore, but when I used to bid...won some, lost some. Sometimes it was aggravating to lose, esp at the last minute, but unfair? I just don't see it.

 

[mjkacmom]

I apologize - I'm always doing that to others! I honestly have no idea why people bid on an auction until the very end - just jacks up the price!

 

[CathrynRose]

I thought that was just part of bidding on auctions?

I barely look at Ebay anymore, but when I used to bid...won some, lost some. Sometimes it was aggravating to lose, esp at the last minute, but unfair? I just don't see it.

Bid - fine. Snipe (IMO) not fine, and not fair.

So then it comes down to which sniping software is quicker, or waits the longest? That's not bidding. Again, IMO.

There's been a few times, I have my son 'snipe' manually - by having 2 windows open, waiting until 2 seconds and **clicking** quick.

I don't like the sniping software, and I think it's complete crap that it's allowed. Sorry to those who use it - it's just how I feel. I've been on eBay since 1996, and I hate this.

 

[LisaR]

OMG! I got "yelled" at for this today. I haven't ordered off of ebay in probably a year. My son wants this older DS game and I decided to look on Ebay. The very first thing that came up was a great price. It had one bid on it and 2 minutes left. I placed the bid and won. I get up this morning to a nasty, all caps email from the only other bidder about how I sniped her and how unfair it is, blah, blah, blah. I deleted it. Sorry but it was what it was. I didn't sit around sinisterly plotting to overthrow her $12 bid. I didn't do anything illegal. It is a bidding war, plain and simple. Why wouldn't someone bid on an item that was a good price? Would you pass something up just because the auction was close to ending? I can say I don't have any guilt this morning and after the nasty email, I am actually feeling pretty good.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

There's been a few times, I have my son 'snipe' manually - by having 2 windows open, waiting until 2 seconds and **clicking** quick.

So you snipe too? How is THAT fair?

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

OMG! I got "yelled" at for this today. I haven't ordered off of ebay in probably a year. My son wants this older DS game and I decided to look on Ebay. The very first thing that came up was a great price. It had one bid on it and 2 minutes left. I placed the bid and won. I get up this morning to a nasty, all caps email from the only other bidder about how I sniped her and how unfair it is, blah, blah, blah. I deleted it. Sorry but it was what it was. I didn't sit around sinisterly plotting to overthrow her $12 bid. I didn't do anything illegal. It is a bidding war, plain and simple. Why wouldn't someone bid on an item that was a good price? Would you pass something up just because the auction was close to ending? I can say I don't have any guilt this morning and after the nasty email, I am actually feeling pretty good.

Congratulations!

 

[CathrynRose]

OMG! I got "yelled" at for this today. I haven't ordered off of ebay in probably a year. My son wants this older DS game and I decided to look on Ebay. The very first thing that came up was a great price. It had one bid on it and 2 minutes left. I placed the bid and won. I get up this morning to a nasty, all caps email from the only other bidder about how I sniped her and how unfair it is, blah, blah, blah. I deleted it. Sorry but it was what it was. I didn't sit around sinisterly plotting to overthrow her $12 bid. I didn't do anything illegal. It is a bidding war, plain and simple. Why wouldn't someone bid on an item that was a good price? Would you pass something up just because the auction was close to ending? I can say I don't have any guilt this morning and after the nasty email, I am actually feeling pretty good.

I've certainly never messaged anyone for doing it. And what you did, was bid.

Out bid me last minute - fine. The sniping bugs me. It's always $1 more than what I put in - exactly. And done within seconds of auction end (in this case - 7 seconds). Odds are, that's a snipe - not a person, sitting there bidding.

I've just had it happen so many times, I'm tired of it. I'm just whining. I know.

 

[CathrynRose]

So you snipe too? How is THAT fair?

Really?

 

[dis-happy]

I only ever bid in the final minute. What's the point of bidding earlier?

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Really?

Ummm...yeah. You're doing the same thing you're accusing other people of doing. So is the reason that everyone else was unfair FIRST, forcing YOU to be unfair?

 

[CathrynRose]

OMG! I got "yelled" at for this today. I haven't ordered off of ebay in probably a year. My son wants this older DS game and I decided to look on Ebay. The very first thing that came up was a great price. It had one bid on it and 2 minutes left. I placed the bid and won. I get up this morning to a nasty, all caps email from the only other bidder about how I sniped her and how unfair it is, blah, blah, blah. I deleted it. Sorry but it was what it was. I didn't sit around sinisterly plotting to overthrow her $12 bid. I didn't do anything illegal. It is a bidding war, plain and simple. Why wouldn't someone bid on an item that was a good price? Would you pass something up just because the auction was close to ending? I can say I don't have any guilt this morning and after the nasty email, I am actually feeling pretty good.

And I don't know how someone messaged you, when eBay no longer shows user ID's of other bidders.

Ummm...yeah. You're doing the same thing you're accusing other people of doing. So is the reason that everyone else was unfair FIRST, forcing YOU to be unfair?

As the only way of not being sniped? I'm physically sitting there, bidding. I'm not using software.

We obviously are not going to agree, and for some reason you're angry with my thread. So be it.

 

[MsDisney23]

I wonder what would happen if I ask my dh if he wants to SNIPE.....

 

[Buzz's Buddy]

Sorry, I don't get it.

I've been sniped before, but I usually get mad at myself because I didn't enter a higher bid. I tried to bid low and got beat out. If you bid what you're comfortable paying, and someone comes along and is willing to pay more than you, oh well. It really wouldn't matter if they bid 5 days or 5 seconds before the end of the auction because you weren't willing to pay that much anyway.

Plus, I must say, when I've sold things on e-bay, I love snipers.

 

[CathrynRose]

Sorry, I don't get it.

I've been sniped before, but I usually get mad at myself because I didn't enter a higher bid. I tried to bid low and got beat out. If you bid what you're comfortable paying, and someone comes along and is willing to pay more than you, oh well. It really wouldn't matter if they bid 5 days or 5 seconds before the end of the auction because you weren't willing to pay that much anyway.

Plus, I must say, when I've sold things on e-bay, I love snipers.

The snipe doesn't win by 10, 15, 20 bucks. They win by a dollar. I put it 'retail' price for this item. It really has nothing to do with the amount. Had that amount gone in more than 7 seconds before the auction ended, I would have raised mine - KWIM?

It doesn't give you a chance to raise your bid. And they don't have some obnoxiously higher than you were willing to pay, amount.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

We obviously are not going to agree, and for some reason you're angry with my thread. So be it.

Well, that made me . I can't for the life of me see "anger" in my posts, and I certainly don't feel an ounce of anger about anything you said. Honestly, there are bigger things in the world to be angry about than whether a DISer feels like something happening on Ebay isn't "fair". I just said that I don't get thinking it's unfair, and just wondered how YOU doing the same thing WAS fair.

I never heard of sniping software. Do other bidders somehow know if the sniping was due to software? It's a technological world out there...if there's sniping software, and I lost enough bids to upset me (I don't think I ever bought anything I couldn't do without, personally), maybe that's the way to go. You seem to think the mode of sniping matters tho, and that it's OK for you to snipe because you're doing it manually.

Still not angry tho.

 

[clgwli]

The snipe doesn't win by 10, 15, 20 bucks. They win by a dollar. I put it 'retail' price for this item. It really has nothing to do with the amount. Had that amount gone in more than 7 seconds before the auction ended, I would have raised mine - KWIM?

It doesn't give you a chance to raise your bid. And they don't have some obnoxiously higher than you were willing to pay, amount.

I guess I am not getting it. Usually the items I bid are have an increased bid amount of $1.

I have sniped and I've been sniped. All is fair in an auction IMO.

For the record unless it is something I do not care about or can't be online to do at end, I never bid before 10 seconds out.

I suggest you either put in your absolute highest amount you are willing to pay or sit and do the same with sniping as many others do.

 

[NY Disney fan]

OMG! I got "yelled" at for this today. I haven't ordered off of ebay in probably a year. My son wants this older DS game and I decided to look on Ebay. The very first thing that came up was a great price. It had one bid on it and 2 minutes left. I placed the bid and won. I get up this morning to a nasty, all caps email from the only other bidder about how I sniped her and how unfair it is, blah, blah, blah. I deleted it. fl:

Wow, that person needs to get a life.

 

[sbell111]

Bid - fine. Snipe (IMO) not fine, and not fair.

So then it comes down to which sniping software is quicker, or waits the longest? That's not bidding. Again, IMO.

There's been a few times, I have my son 'snipe' manually - by having 2 windows open, waiting until 2 seconds and **clicking** quick.

It should be noted that sniping is the practice of bidding in the final few seconds. The beauty of this is that it gives no one the time to see your bid and out bid you (if you do it correctly). No matter if you do this last moment bidding manually or use software, it is sniping.

There is nothing wrong with bidding at the last moments. If there were, you may as well make the auctions shorter or do away with bidding all together.

I've certainly never messaged anyone for doing it. And what you did, was bid.

Out bid me last minute - fine. The sniping bugs me. It's always $1 more than what I put in - exactly. And done within seconds of auction end (in this case - 7 seconds). Odds are, that's a snipe - not a person, sitting there bidding.

I've just had it happen so many times, I'm tired of it. I'm just whining. I know.

The bolded part is interesting, but it's not what you think it is. If your 'highest bid' for something is $51.75 and I enter a bid of $60.00, I will win the item for $52.75.

Bidding is done in increments based on the current high bid amount. For items with a current high bid between $25 and $99, the increment is one dollar.

If the bidder knew what your high bid was, he could beat you by 1 cent. Since he doesn't know, he has to bid high, typically winning by the increment amount.

It should also be mentioned that snipers don't always win the auction. If your current 'highest bid' was more than their 'sniped' bid, you would win. For this reason, if you do not intend to snipe, you should bid the maximum amount that you are willing to pay. That way, it doesn't matter if someone snipes. If anyone else wins the item they fairly got it at a price beyond what you were willing to pay. You were outbid.