Sniping services

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

The huge danger with using a sniping service to shill an auction is that putting in a snipe does not allow time for a retraction. We have all seen eBay accounts that have dozens or hundreds of retractions. Last second shill bids are a dangerous game because the bid cannot be retracted. The shill bidder could accidentally win the auction with a last-second snipe.

This is true but why would the shill bidder care if they won. Just another non paying bidder or Seller/shiller just cancel the transaction to avoid fees. Then relist using the same or different account.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by bnorth

This is true but why would the shill bidder care if they won. Just another non paying bidder or Seller/shiller just cancel the transaction to avoid fees. Then relist using the same or different account.

This is true if the shill bidder is shilling their own auction. I was thinking more along the lines of a situation in which someone consigns a card to a third-party seller like PWCC or Probstein.

[sedin26]

The main reason I would use a sniping service is for bidding on a high number of low value cards that end too quickly to be able to do it manually. The stuff I bid on tends to be lower end (for example, 1958 Topps Commons) and will often only attract one or two bidders.

I find under these circumstances that a snipe is effective, as the other bidder is often not going to also snipe...this seems to lower the cost for me as compared to trying to put in a higher bid earlier.

I used to have auctions open on my PC, iPad, and phone and try to manage it that way but it was stressful and sniping makes it a lot easier. I imagine this strategy would not work for higher end/more expensive items that attract more bidders.

[JustinD]

I guess do what you want because to every reply someone says "but what about this?"

Well, I wear my seatbelt everyday because it adds a bit more protection than when I don't. Will it 100% stop me from being killed? Well no, but I was hit at a light by some tweaker on illegal meds at the start of the month crushing me between his van and an SUV at a stoplight and walked away just with a bad attitude and a new lawsuit to file because of the belt keeping my face from going through the windshield that day.

If using a simple free service helps just 5% of the time it's officially better than not using it. If that doesn't make sense then I am the confused one.

[T206Collector]

I can just bid my maximum a few hours before the auction ends and then forget about it.

This I would never do. You are just asking to spend more for an item than you have to in some cases.

If you snipe, you prevent the "Damn, I should've bid $5 more" folks from bidding $5 more. Sniping an auction gives less information to your competitors, real or shill. Bidders are not always rational actors. They do not realize what their actual break point is.

There are some bidders on an ebay auction that will keep bidding up until they are the highest bidder. If you put a max bid in with a few minutes or more to spare then such bidders will have an opportunity to keep bidding in increments until they eclipse you, at a figure they did not realize they were going to have to bid -- and you're giving them time to figure that out by bidding your max early. And even if they don't eclipse you, you're giving them time to react to your ceiling bid and erode what would otherwise have been a much better price for you.

That's why I do it. I don't want the people I'm competing with for a card to have any information about what I am planning to bid until it's too late for them to respond with a higher price than they initially thought they were willing to pay.

Obviously this works to keep prices lower across the board. If sniping was profitable to eBay, they would build it into their software. You can safely assume that they don't encourage sniping because it loses them money. Thus, sniping is bidder friendly.

[Snapolit1]

I understand the idea that bidding hard early is probably not a great idea. It draws attention to the auction and may feed the flames of bidding. (Unless you think you are just going to run others off the track altogether with your exuberance.) I like to throw in early bids just so I get regular reminders. (I know most auctions have some variation of a watch list.) I agree there is little point in pumping the gas too early, but seems to me that if a seller has decided that I won't take less than x for my item, a sniping serving will do nothing to deter that.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I understand the idea that bidding hard early is probably not a great idea. It draws attention to the auction and may feed the flames of bidding. (Unless you think you are just going to run others off the track altogether with your exuberance.) I like to throw in early bids just so I get regular reminders. (I know most auctions have some variation of a watch list.) I agree there is little point in pumping the gas too early, but seems to me that if a seller has decided that I won't take less than x for my item, a sniping serving will do nothing to deter that.

You are pushing on an open door, nobody disputes that. But you seem to think that is the ONLY reason somebody shills, and it isn't. People shill to run you up, for one thing. They can't do that if there is no max bid to run up. And as Paul just said, putting your bid out there gives others more opportunity to outbid you.

[T206Collector]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I agree there is little point in pumping the gas too early, but seems to me that if a seller has decided that I won't take less than x for my item, a sniping serving will do nothing to deter that.

That's true. I treat that behavior like a "hidden reserve." Can't be helped.

[frankbmd]

1. I say long live the snipers, for without them I would likely be living in a house of cardboard eating EBTs for breakfast.

2. No one has mentioned the "double snipe".
Suppose there is a $10000 card that two bidders feel they absolutely positively have to have in their grimy little hands.
Both bidders place snipes well above the $10000 value to "insure" that they will prevail.
Bidder A snipes at $25000 and Bidder B snipes at $30000.
Bidder B wins the card for $26000.
He better not be looking to sell it in the near future.
I'll bet that "Sniper's Remorse" isn't all that uncommon, but seldom confessed.

For these two reasons I refrain from using sniping services.

"In the world of baseball card auctions, if you lose an auction, you break even.
In your favorite casino, if you lose, you are in the red."

And in example #2 above, if you win, you lose.