Getting so sick and tired of being 'sniped'

[Imzadi]

I just sniped and WON another ebay auction in the last 3 seconds.

 

[Magic Mom]

I just sniped and WON another ebay auction in the last 3 seconds.

woohoo!!!

 

[N.Bailey]

If you want to win an auction on Ebay, you must join the "sniper's club."

I'm sure sellers LOVE snipers. I know I watched one of my auctions go from like $50 to over $400 in the last few minutes. It's SO exciting.

There may be times where I'll put a low ball bid in early on with no intention of following the auction thru to the end. If I win, I'm happy, but if not, I'm not disappointed either. If someone bids before the auction is over if I've put a lower bid in, I really don't bid again. In these cases it's something that I'd pay the minimum bid for, but that's about it. If it's something that other people are interested in, you simply will NOT win without sniping, And for these auctions, I see no need to put a bid in before auction's end.

I'm sure Cathryn Rose would have loved to beat me over the head on a few of them if she'd been bidding against me. I got a few down to 1 second.

 

[N.Bailey]

Ebay isn't just about buying items. It's the thrill of "the game" too. I'm getting a rush here just THINKING about sniping! Haven't even looked at anything on Ebay in a very long time. Hhmmm...

 

[Imzadi]

I got a few down to 1 second.

To me, that's risky. I tried for two seconds once but my Internet provider was slow sending the info or something. I missed getting my bid in by ONE second.

 

[duffy]

If I really want to win something badly, I bid ONCE. I bid my ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM. It doesn't matter when I bid.

If I lose, it's because I wasn't willing to pay one penny more. If I win, no matter what the price, then I got something I want at a price I was willing to pay.

Seems fair to me.

 

[kirbsam]

as one of the most famous people in history said, "let he who is without snipe, cast the first stone."

 

[JR6ooo4]

If I really want to win something badly, I bid ONCE. I bid my ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM. It doesn't matter when I bid.

If I lose, it's because I wasn't willing to pay one penny more. If I win, no matter what the price, then I got something I want at a price I was willing to pay.

Seems fair to me.

That strategy leaves you wide open for attack. I someone bids $20 with 24 hours left on the auction, then there are 24 hours for watchers to get sucked into the lure of a real auction. It was great for sellers... because often watchers will decide one dollar is not much more.

If you bid late they do not have as much opportunity.

Mikeeee

 

[N.Bailey]

To me, that's risky. I tried for two seconds once but my Internet provider was slow sending the info or something. I missed getting my bid in by ONE second.

It is risky, but that's half the fun for me. Keep in mind, I am normally bidding on a video game or a movie, so what I'm interested in can usually be found on 1000 other auctions.

If it was a 1 of a kind or something more rare I wouldn't take the chance. I did get my daughter lots of the original Polly Pockets from Bluebird years and years ago. At the time, they'd already discontinued making them, but she loved them so much. There weren't very many "new" items listed, so at that time, I definitely overpaid for one, and snipped at the end, not leaving enough time to rebid, but not down to the seconds either.

 

[N.Bailey]

snip

Seems fair to me.

Is that just a pic of a kitten in your signature, or is it your kitty? He/she is adorable.

 

[NC State]

I never heard the term "snipe" before, is it legal to do on Ebay?

 

[Imzadi]

If I really want to win something badly, I bid ONCE. I bid my ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM. It doesn't matter when I bid.

If I lose, it's because I wasn't willing to pay one penny more. If I win, no matter what the price, then I got something I want at a price I was willing to pay.

Seems fair to me.

That strategy leaves you wide open for attack. If someone bids $20 with 24 hours left on the auction, then there are 24 hours for watchers to get sucked into the lure of a real auction. It was great for sellers... because often watchers will decide one dollar is not much more.

If you bid late they do not have as much opportunity.

Mikeeee

I understand Duffy, that you'd be willing to pay $20 on an item. But, you don't need to. You may be able to get the item for $5. By bidding early, you needlessly drive up the price as other people also bid early, see their $4 bid (which is all they were planning on bidding) got beat. Then bid $6, then $8.50, Then others start bidding:$10.27, $15.82, last: $18.94, trying to get the highest bid in.

If you wait till the last few seconds, they don't have enough time to make the counter bids of $6, $8.50, $10.27, or $18.94.

It's like yes, you could buy the item for $20, but you can also get it on sale. So buy it at the sale price. Use the money saved to snipe another eBay purchase.

I usually snipe all my auctions. But, after getting burned in a snipe by my bid not being transmitted on time by one second, as explained in my last post, I jumped the gun and bid on my next auction, by bidding with 16 seconds left on the clock. At 16 seconds, the high bid was $15 on an outfit. My proxy bid of $28 made me the high bidder as it entered the "highest bid" at $16. (People usually only have to pay $1 more than the last highest bid.) I could have actually won the auction at $16.

Instead, I then watched as the same ONE bidder put in higher bids of $18, $22, $24.55, being beat each time by my proxy bid, until the 16 seconds finally ran out on her.

If she had simply put in one high bid of $24.55, I wouldn't have had to languish watching the incremental bids. eBay doesn't work like that. It would have simply put in my proxy bid as the highest bid.

I ended up paying $26 all because I jumped the gun an gave another person - who thought she was the ONLY one bidding on the outfit at $15, a chance to bid three more times.

That extra $10 I paid is an eBay lesson I will never forget. I won't be making that mistake again.

I never heard the term "snip" before, is it legal to do on Ebay?

The term is snipe and yes, as long as people get in their bids before the auction ends, they don't care if they do it in the last couple seconds.

 

[Kit'smommy]

The person with the highest bid wins. If you bid the highest you were willing to go and still lost, even if it was in the last few seconds, I can't really understand why you are complaining.

I buy and sell frequently on eBay and as a buyer, may place a low bid early, but do not place my final bid until very near the end of the auction. I don't see any sense in getting into a bidding war.

There isn't anything illegal or unethical about this.

 

[dis-happy]

I did get my daughter lots of the original Polly Pockets from Bluebird years and years ago. At the time, they'd already discontinued making them, but she loved them so much.

Dang, are those things collectibles? I had the large princess castle Poly Pocket NIB floating around my house for years (my dd got it as a duplicate in the early 90's) and I finally got rid of it by donating to Goodwill.

 

[Disneycrazy!!]

sorry but i think its fair....it is an auction...a bidding war. it happens all the time to me and I also do it to others.

 

[FireDancer]

I am in the camp of pre-determining my maximum bid and then not going above it. The problem with snipping is that often the bidders change their focus from the item at hand to the other bidders. Often that means they don't take into account the value to themselves of the item and bid based not on that but in reaction to other bidders.

I remember covering Winner's dilemma (aka Winner's Curse) in some of my business classes and eBay is very often a great proving ground for this theory. I know the sellers love it, as do the auctioneers.

 

[PixieDust32]

Oops I'm one of those that just watch the auction and don't bid until the last second, I don't want to drive upthe price. Most of the times I had won, but not always.I wait until the very end to enter the most I would pay, and if I win good if not no biggie.