[cfhofer]

Sniping exists because of hard close times. There is zero benefit to bid sooner and perfectly legal. Agree with everyone above on those points.

For those stating "Just bid the highest you are willing to pay" - that only works for pieces with an established market value (cards, for example). What about for high-end rare or one-of-a-kind memorabilia? Shouldn't a healthy auction establish that price point? We all have that one piece on our want list we are willing to pay "more than anyone else". That is when sniping is annoying.

However, I think sniping has created a bit of a monster (for these particular pieces). I've seen more eBay auctions for rare sports memorabilia end early now than ever before. Instead of losing to a last second snipe, collectors are contacting sellers directly with their best offer to BIN early on. Since these auctions get very little early action, sellers are enticed to take the sure amount. There was a time when those were just low-ball offers, but not anymore. This practice is technically legal if the BIN transaction is done through eBay.