Getting so sick and tired of being 'sniped'

[quentina]

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.

Yep...I hate to say it, use the thing that bids for you. I never....never....never bid and fight someone, it just makes the price go up.

 

[quentina]

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.

Yep...I hate to say it, use the thing that bids for you. I never....never....never bid and fight someone, it just makes the price go up.

 

[mbfqueen]

Sniping its called? Well didn't know there was a name for it .. and sniper? Ooh, that sounds dangerous! lol

But that's the ONLY way I bid ... I get about 85-90% of what I bid on .. and do it in the last minute .. otherwise I'd drive up the price .. to me it's the fun of ebay ..

Sucks if ya lose, but it's pretty cool when you win =]

 

[jlmarr]

... what I would like to see is eBay be more like a real auction. That is, when someone becomes the high bidder, other folks have a time period where they can raise their bid. As in "going going GONE!". They could extend the ending time to 5-15 minutes after the last high bid. If the item keeps getting bids the time gets extended. Just like a real auction. That would put an end to sniping, and I think it would be fair to the seller too.

 

[Tinijocaro]

... what I would like to see is eBay be more like a real auction. That is, when someone becomes the high bidder, other folks have a time period where they can raise their bid. As in "going going GONE!". They could extend the ending time to 5-15 minutes after the last high bid. If the item keeps getting bids the time gets extended. Just like a real auction. That would put an end to sniping, and I think it would be fair to the seller too.

You DO have that option, you just have to do it sooner rather than later. That's what the max bid is for. You are deciding your max based not on the influence of others bidding but on what you are willing to pay for an item. In a regular auction, it's easy to get caught up in the heat of the moment and bid higher than you intended-the ebay way (sniping) prevents overspending and bidding wars.

 

[4greatboys]

I only snipe in auctions. I never bid ahead of time. Seems like someone always comes along, drives up the price then moves on.

 

[tasha99]

I always snipe because I want to know right away whether I got the item or not. Nothing like having a bid in on an auction that has days to go, and then realizing you could have gotten it faster or cheaper elsewhere but can't cause you don't know if you even won yet or not.

Bid late
Bid your true max plus a few odd cents

These two strategies have always worked for me.

 

[IwasatWDWforamonth]

I used to buy so much stuff on Ebay, ive had all kinds of stuff sniped, became a pretty darn good sniper myself, best one was 3 seconds, sometimes even sniping myself, i'd place a bid, then to block out other snipers at the last second i'd snipe it, sometimes there would be 2-3 other "snipers" trying to get "my" item lol

I spent so much time doing this, being up at odd hours,staying home just to bid, it became so stressful, i'd sit here with my heart racing and sweating all over something I could'nt live without, thats now probably in a box in the basement.

its been quite awhile since ive done that, recently my bathing suits were lost on a cruise, and ive turned to ebay to hunt down similar suits, luckily most have been buy it now items and thers not much of a rush for swimwear this time of year.

 

[clgwli]

... what I would like to see is eBay be more like a real auction. That is, when someone becomes the high bidder, other folks have a time period where they can raise their bid. As in "going going GONE!". They could extend the ending time to 5-15 minutes after the last high bid. If the item keeps getting bids the time gets extended. Just like a real auction. That would put an end to sniping, and I think it would be fair to the seller too.

I wouldn't want this personally, though the sellers might like it. I see eBay to be more like a silent auction. You go around a room bidding on items and closely watching the ones you like. You up your amount if you like and then at a given time, the auction closes.

So just like a real auction eBay does close at a given time. Not all auctions are done live and loudly

 

[Imzadi]

I just won something last night by sniping. I snipe all my auctions and win about 98% of them. The few that I didn't win were either because I had decided on a set price & the winning bid truly outbid me. Or I would have bid more but I was being cheap. With 3 seconds to go, there wasn't enough time to enter a new bid. That's what I get for being too cheap to enter my highest bid. I learned my lesson from that and don't do that anymore.

I can bid by $40 over the next highest bid, by proxy, and ebay only adds the minimum dollar increment, which is often one dollar. That is why you see that amount.

Mikeeee

That's actually very dangerous to do as you might end up paying the whole $40 and win the auction.

Say, the item is really only worth $10. You really don't think it will come in for more than $12, tops. You're willing to pay $15 at the most. But you want it bad and you want to win. So you enter in $40 as a proxy bid.

Unfortunately, someone else wants that item really badly, too. They figure, to outbid anyone else, they'll enter in $39 as their highest bid.(They are also thinking the item will end up being about $12-$13.)

Since you're the highest bid, you've won the auction at $40 for a $10 item.

 

[FormrCastMbr]

I have not read much since I last posted but I see posts saying to bid whatever you are willing to pay...that is what we do but my husband did some research and does something like bid uneven amounts...he believes he has a better chance this way. Like enter an amount of $47.76 into the sniper software instead of $45.

 

[Wall-E1]

I always snipe when bidding. Bidding early will just drive up the selling price of the item. Early bidding is a losing strategy. Sticking with it will not get you very far on Ebay. There is nothing wrong with sniping. The auction lasts until a set time. So, whether the bid comes in in the last few seconds, or days before - it's all good. When I see an item I want, I add it to my watch list. I then wait until the last fifteen or so seconds and pop a bid in. I always make it an uneven amount (ex. 15.63). That seems to mess people up when the bidding all along has been a whole dollar amount. After winning, I do get this strange feeling of satisfaction (almost a warm feeling inside - it feels good) knowing that I have just swooped in and won someone else's hoped for item and crushed their dream. I don't know if I'm alone in this feeling, or if anyone else would be brave enough to admit that they feel the same.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

I'm a sniper too! I'm also very happy and proud about being so... It's one of the big reasons why I got a BlackBerry Storm and not just some regular ol' phone so that I can last miniute bid pretty much anywhere.

I just simply do not understand why anyone would be BEFORE the last minute or so like PPs said, it just jacks up the price more.

 

[lacrosse_lady72]

I always snipe when bidding. Bidding early will just drive up the selling price of the item. Early bidding is a losing strategy. Sticking with it will not get you very far on Ebay. There is nothing wrong with sniping. The auction lasts until a set time. So, whether the bid comes in in the last few seconds, or days before - it's all good. When I see an item I want, I add it to my watch list. I then wait until the last fifteen or so seconds and pop a bid in. I always make it an uneven amount (ex. 15.63). That seems to mess people up when the bidding all along has been a whole dollar amount. After winning, I do get this strange feeling of satisfaction (almost a warm feeling inside - it feels good) knowing that I have just swooped in and won someone else's hoped for item and crushed their dream. I don't know if I'm alone in this feeling, or if anyone else would be brave enough to admit that they feel the same.

That's my cent amount! I usually go with $xx.63

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

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]

that is what we do but my husband did some research and does something like bid uneven amounts...he believes he has a better chance this way. Like enter an amount of $47.76 into the sniper software instead of $45.

Yes, if 2 people bid $45, the first person bid that will have priority over the second bidder. Plus, you only need to win by ONE penny. You just have to figure out what that amount may be that will be just enough more than the next highest bidder.

That's my cent amount! I usually go with $xx.63

Hmmm, I usually bid $X.58. I guess I'll have to up my cents.

 

[declansdad]

It's called an auction. It happens in live, in-person auctions as well.

 

[Luv2Scrap]

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...

me too! makes me want to go shop!

well after reading the most recent posts, it looks like I will have to raise my .57 cent amount!

 

[carone0318]

Guess I'm a sniper too...

watch out next time you are looking to buy gymnastics leotards...

 

[Hercules10]

For a second there I thought someone took Cat snipe hunting.