Originally Posted By tiggerdis_ Okay, I'm relatively new to ebay. I was bidding on some disney pins, and was pretty sure I had won - there was less than a minute left. All of a sudden out of the blue, I get two messages. One, I've been outbid, and two, I didn't win. How do people do that? Can anyone help me? Thanks so much.
Originally Posted By Dave I've dont it with multi browsers all set up ready to go. But they have snipe software and web sites that will do it for you.
Originally Posted By Big Thunder there is also web based software/services that do it. I use e-snipe at esnipe.com. There are advantages to sniping, I ended up using it a few years ago there was a handful of other bidders that seemed to search me by eBay user name because they also bid on vintage Disneyland memorabilia, Id spend hours searching for certain items, bid on it, and find that the same 3-4 other eBay bidders would find me the last day and outbid me. Since I began using snipe software then eventually e-snipe, my bids are lower because I don't get into bid wars with similar collectors, and, I win more auctions.
Originally Posted By jdub When you're hanging out on ebay at closing time, ignore your email & just watch the bidding screen. Bothering with your email at the end of an auction just wastes your time & confuses the issue.
Originally Posted By Elderp Sniping works to a certain extent but I have learned that I can beat the snipe if I put in a good last timed bid. You have to constantly refresh your screen though.
Originally Posted By tiggerdis_ Thanks everyone for your help. I think if it's a pin I really really want, I will check out ensipe.com, but for the others, I'll just do the ebay thing. I love LP!
Originally Posted By bloona dont you just want to scream when that happens ?( then send a rude e mail to the winning bidder!? )......lol...no I never have done it personally. would be rewarding though mentally.......At least you made them pay a bit more for it!
Originally Posted By peeaanuut my rule is, bid the highest I am willing to go, that way if I dont get it I am not dissapointed.
Originally Posted By deadmentellnotales i had this happen a few months ago right at the last few seconds, i couldn't even rebid it was that close so i did another quick search and found a item that was going to close in 10 min. so i bid and sure enough i won, the kicker?, it was cheaper than what the other guy sniped me on. so i sent him an email showing him my purchase and told him i hoped he liked his new item, me i just saved a few bucks. i know the story doesn't help much but it's true and at least you know there's some justice/karma out there...
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter Big Thunder, I'm confused. . . how does using the snipe software prevent other bidders from "finding" you and bidding on the same items?
Originally Posted By Big Thunder Pixie Glitter: When placing a bid the traditional way with eBay, one enters a minimum bid, bidders have the option to place a bid higher than the minimum bid, both eBay and the sellers love that and encourage it. The only amount known to others is the minimum bid amount that beat the previous bidder. If Pixie bid $10 for a $5.00 minimum bid item, and then Thunder comes along and wants to bid on it, I bid at least $5.50, I am informed I was out bid and the auction is now at $6.00, Thunder really wants this item so he bids again until he beats $10.00, Thunder decides he will bid $15. and he gains the auction with the high bid showing at $10.50, until someone else comes along who wants the same item, and that user has to beat Thunder's $15.00. Can you see how the bids gain momentum and go up quickly? Plus, all that time any eBay user can click the "see bid history" link and see who has bid on it and how much it took to eat him. Furthermore, anyone can use eBay's search engine and search by item, by seller name, or by bidder name. I have been buying the same category of items for many years on eBay, when I get outbid on an item I want [vintage Disneyland souvenirs] 75% of the time I recognize the other bidders, they are the same eBay users I have bid against for years. By the same token, they have been bidding against me for years. I have learned who has similar taste as me. I can either spend hours/days searching eBay for certain items [which I sometimes do] or if I am lazy, sometimes I'll search by bidder name and see what my competition is currently bidding on, there is a very high probability it is something I want also. I know that people have done the same to me too. Prior to snipe, I have gotten into bid wars with those same people just like the example I gave in the paragraph above. Now, here's the difference with snipping... I use an outside service to place my bid, I find the item I want, enter the auction number into the server, I enter my highest bid that I am willing to pay. It is probably the same as if I had entered it through eBay, only nobody else can see that I am placing a bid for a predetermined time [usually a few seconds before auction end time] So, nobody can search my name through eBay's search engine to see if I am bidding on something. Also, because my high bid is not yet entered, I don't get into bid wars, and it keeps the prices down However it is not fool proof. Just yesterday I lost an auction. At the time I bid the item was in the mid twenty dollar range with two hours to go. I placed a snipe bid for just over $55.00, problem is, the winning bidder had placed his high bid amount in eBay and it was for over $100, but I didn't know that. Because I did not bid the conventional way, I was not informed that my $55+ bid was not high enough. That's the risk I take by sniping, but I was only willing to pay $55 anyway so it doesn't matter. What's also interesting, I wasn't the only sniper, besides me 2 other eBay bidders snipped, so 3 snipers lost. It's not fool proof, and you dont have the ability to keep bidding to see if you surpass the current winning bidder. But I use the logic of... "I will only place a bid for what I am willing to pay.. if I loose then that's OK" it also prevents me from getting caught up in the excitement and paying MORE than I should. I used to do that. It's the heart and soul of auctions, someone is always willing to justify just a little bit more. "hmm I didn't get it for $10.. whats five more bucks, and before I know it, I spent a hundred bucks on something I was willing to pay $10 or $15 for because I kept telling myself, "whats five more bucks?" If I stick to my guns with snipping, I control myself. Does any of that make sense? If not I will try to explain it better, it's late and I already typed a lot, I hope it wasn't too confusing.
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter Wow, thanks for taking the time to explain all that! I understand now.
Originally Posted By Big Thunder Pixie Glitter: Sorry it's late, I am punchy and got carried away in previous post. here is a more direct answer to your specific question... <"how does using the snipe software prevent other bidders from "finding" you and bidding on the same items?"> Because the snipe bid isn't entered into eBay's system until the last few seconds of the auction, there is no record of my bid that others can see until that auction has ended. Therefore, if someone does a "search by bidder" on me, I don't show up for that item until after it closes. hope that was easier to understand than that long story I typed before.
Originally Posted By Pixie Glitter LOL! Thanks. I gathered as much from your first explanation, but I appreciate all the time you took to educate me. I've only purchased things on eBay a handful of times, and I didn't know how the sniping software worked. Thanks again!
Originally Posted By tiggerdis_ And thank you too, I didn't understand how sniping worked, but I do now. I've taken to putting things I'd "like" into my watched items. If I don't have a bid on them, I find I'm not as emotionally attached (you know that message you get YOU'VE BEEN OUTBID, it causes a knee jerk reaction). I wait until a couple of hours before the auction has ended, and ask myself if the price is still reasonable, if not, I delete it from my watched items, and that's the end. No more "hmm I didn't get it for $10.. whats five more bucks, and before I know it, I spent a hundred bucks on something I was willing to pay $10 or $15 for because I kept telling myself, "whats five more bucks?" Thanks Big Thunder
Originally Posted By Inspector 57 <<However it is not fool proof. Just yesterday I lost an auction. ... That's the risk I take by sniping, but I was only willing to pay $55 anyway so it doesn't matter.>> Bottom line, whether you snipe or not: The person who is willing to pay the most money wins. But I can see that sniping would be helpful to people who are prone to impulsively increasing their bids.
Originally Posted By LuLu I don't use snipe software, but wait til the last 3 minutes of an auction to bid - I guess this could be considered a "manual snipe." Bidding this way can keep the price from going as high, since there isn't time to get into a bidding war (especially if the item has only 1 or 2 other bidders).
Originally Posted By LadyKluck I personally have been "sniped" so many times I refuse to bid on anything that has a bid on it - & if I get outbid oh well. I personally don't like the fact that sniping is ok - but I'm not a serious ebayer either - I just don't think its fair but what do I know - I just know I've gotten pretty ticked off and my feelings hurt over some pretty petty stuff so I just don't bother.
