Ebay sniper program redux

[Balog]

Search tells me the last time this came up was 2006, so I thought a new go around was in order.

I've just started buying a few things on Ebay, and I'm interested in using a snipper program. I know e-snipe's been recommended before; is that what people are still using? Anyone have any experience with Gixen? I'm mainly concerned with security; giving any 3rd party a user name and password (especially when this grants them the ability to make financial obligations for me) makes me really nervous.

[Gewehr98]

Still using E-Snipe here.

It works very well for my purposes.

I usually set it to snipe my bids about 4 seconds prior to the end of the auction.

[guns and more]

I snipe my own bids.
I set my limit so I'm not disappointed if I lose.
Divide the screen in half with two e-bay screens, one side to refresh the bids, one side with your bid ready to enter.
With 5 sec remaining, make the bid.

There is a e-bay countdown timer online, but it is very hard to synchronize e-bay time with my computer time.
(you would think they would be the same, but they never are)

[Brad Johnson]

I snipe my own bids.
I set my limit so I'm not disappointed if I lose.

If you have a limit then there's no need to snipe.  Put the max bid into the system and let it ride.  It will automatically raise the bid to your limit, and no more.

Brad

[Balog]

The idea is to have the bid entered at the last second so 1. The buyer doesn't use a shill bidder to jack the price up 2. To avoid a bidding war inflating the price.

[charby]

If you have a limit then there's no need to snipe.  Put the max bid into the system and let it ride.  It will automatically raise the bid to your limit, and no more.

Brad

Thats what I do, won a running mini bike last week for $82, set my high bid at $100. Its an old school 5hp briggs and stratton one. Can't wait until camping season to ride it around the campground.

So I have another toy I wanted as a kid, now off to find another.

[Nick1911]

I've used auctionsniper.com

That said, I haven't eBay'd in a long time.  I'm more of a craigslist guy now. 

[AJ Dual]

Thats what I do, won a running mini bike last week for $82, set my high bid at $100. Its an old school 5hp briggs and stratton one. Can't wait until camping season to ride it around the campground.

So I have another toy I wanted as a kid, now off to find another.

The problem is that with the eBay limit set, the other bidders immediately know they've been outbid by someone's limit, and can re-bid again. Or a dishonest seller with his own shill account can keep pumping it up closer to your set limit.

Let's say there's two people interested in an auction. You and another bidder. The other bidder puts in a bid of $90 into eBay. You put a limit of $100 into eBay, the other bidder knows immediately to keep on bidding until either he gives up or he surpasses your limit outbidding you.

With the sniper program, your max. bid is witheld from eBay and everyone else until the last possible second. Using the sniper program, the other bidder would only see his max bid of $90 sitting there alone up almost until the auction ends. The sniping program with a few seconds to go will enter a bid of $91, and you win the item.

[mtnbkr]

That's why I prefer Gunbroker's model.  Too many games on ebay...

Chris

[AJ Dual]

That's why I prefer Gunbroker's model.  Too many games on ebay...

Chris

I've never actually sold/bought anything on GB, how does it work? Max. bid silent auction by all parties?

[roo_ster]

[obvious statement of disappointment in bid snipers]

Nice.

No wonder ebay is not worth my time any more.

[Nick1911]

I've never actually sold/bought anything on GB, how does it work? Max. bid silent auction by all parties?

Bidding closes 15 minutes after the last bid placed.

So, if you bid with 5 seconds remaining, the auction will be pushed out another 15 minutes giving others time to respond.

[Nick1911]

Ahh, ya'll are the c*********s pulling that crap.

Nice.

No wonder ebay is not worth my time any more.

A lot of people do.  It makes eBay a de facto silent auction.

That in mind, it works well.

[Balog]

What's your problem jfruser? How is using the system in the most intelligent way ruining it for you, and making us all [expletives]?

[Brad Johnson]

The problem is that with the eBay limit set, the other bidders immediately know they've been outbid by someone's limit, and can re-bid again.

So?  Your limit is your limit.  If they overbid you, so be it.

Brad

[Balog]

So?  Your limit is your limit.  If they overbid you, so be it.

Brad

Because if you put it in at the last minute they might not?

[Gewehr98]

Yup.

Auto-sniping or doing it manually the last few seconds is the way to go.

Never advertise you're in a bidding war. 

Just snipe it.

It's kept me well below my bidding limit on many auctions. 

If folks know you have a bid in already through the eBay automatic system, then you stand a greater chance of getting outbid before the end of the auction. 

If they're smug in the fact that their high bid is the current winning bid down to a few seconds before the end, then you hop in.  4-5 seconds before the end, there's no time for them to manually bid again. 

However, I've been out-sniped by as little as 1 second before the end of the auction, making me consider perhaps setting my snipe timing to 1-2 seconds prior to the end.

[crt360]

However, I've been out-sniped by as little as 1 second before the end of the auction, making me consider perhaps setting my snipe timing to 1-2 seconds prior to the end.

It's pretty risky.  I've lost a few that I carefully timed down to the last few seconds.  Something in the process took too long and even though my confirmation appeared to go through on time, I got the "this auction has ended" message.  Although it's more exciting, I've actually lost more auctions that I closely watched and tried to win at the last minute than ones I set a max bid for and forgot about.

[Gewehr98]

There used to be a bid sniping website, giving awards to the bid sniper with the closest timing margin and smallest bid increment - manually.

I've done the 1-second thing, but not the 1-cent/1-second thing so far.

[S. Williamson]

Try this:  http://www.lastminute-auction.com/index.php?

[280plus]

So?  Your limit is your limit.  If they overbid you, so be it.

Brad

Yup, I do it that way too. Decide how much you're willing to pay, set that as a limit and walk away. I do wait till fairly close to the end of the auction to do so though. That helps to limit the up bidding that can occur when people are trying to feel out your max. If you lose the auction, well, you didn't want to pay that much anyways.

As far as snipers, may a smoke grenade mark your position and a close air support missle thing follow soon afterwards. 

[roo_ster]

Yup, I do it that way too. Decide how much you're willing to pay, set that as a limit and walk away. I do wait till fairly close to the end of the auction to do so though. That helps to limit the up bidding that can occur when people are trying to feel out your max. If you lose the auction, well, you didn't want to pay that much anyways.

As far as snipers, may a smoke grenade mark your position and a close air support missle thing follow soon afterwards. 

Pretty much my view, on both counts.

[Balog]

Man, I'm surprised how many people are getting their panties in a knot over this. Guess free market competition and ingenuity are only good things when you don't have to face them, huh? :rolleyes:

[Gewehr98]

I hated bid snipers.

Then I became one.

 

[zahc]

I think that instead of auction ending times, there should be auction START times. After 7 days, during which you can place a starting bid, the auction STARTS at the amount of the highest starting bid, and it doesn't end until X amount of time has gone by with no new bids.

If I created an online auction site, that's how I'd do it.