Sniping services

[CobbSpikedMe]

I use a sniping service when I find an auction that I really want to win and don't want to have to worry about missing the end of the auction for any reason. I set my snipe and can forget it. The sniping service is free too. I just set my snipe at my max amount I'm willing to pay and that's it. It's convenience that I want, and I don't need to remember or put anything on hold just so I can sit there watching an eBay auction end on my phone.

And sniping (whether its a service you're using or you do it yourself) does save you money in some cases. Not all the time, but I'll gladly take the savings when it does.

AndyH

[Snapolit1]

I get the convenience factor! I said that already. Peter told me there have been thousands of posts about how it will protect me from being shilled. That's what I'm not getting.

I like watching auctions end provided it's not 3am.

[nolemmings]

It reduces some shilling, but not all.

It is also convenient when sellers are ending multiple auctions within seconds of one another or at the same time, and you want to get your max bid in on more than could be handled if you tried to do it manually.

It can be a secondary means of getting in a bid that you absolutely do not want to miss even if you are watching---kind of a fail-safe if your Internet fails, your computer hangs, your power goes out, etc.

Justsnipe let's you have a few free snipes each month or so--I forget because I do not use it all that much. I am glad to know that I can use it though, and have done so as recently as in the past 4-6 weeks.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I get the convenience factor! I said that already. Peter told me there have been thousands of posts about how it will protect me from being shilled. That's what I'm not getting.

I like watching auctions end provided it's not 3am.

It won't protect you from all shilling as there are many ways to shill, and different reasons people do it. So if for example someone is intent on essentially establishing a reserve, there isn't anything you can do about it. But if you put your high bid out there during an auction, as opposed to doing it by snipe, people see it and can try to run you up and either outbid you and then retract, or outbid you and hope to push you higher, or if they are good with reading the increments, string bid and stop short and leave you at your max. If your bid isn't out there, they can't do any of this.

Maybe overall it doesn't make much difference, I don't know that anyone has that data, but it seems to make sense not to put a target on your back?

[Snapolit1]

Wouldn't someone who wants to effectively shill their auction just use a sniping service themselves?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Wouldn't someone who wants to effectively shill their auction just use a sniping service themselves?

No because there is a much higher risk, I would think, of winning the auction that way whereas the intent is usually to push the bid as high as it goes without winning. Which, it seems to me, is easier to do with a bid on the books to shoot at.

[botn]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Wouldn't someone who wants to effectively shill their auction just use a sniping service themselves?

If they are simply trying to protect the item they could or might but use a sniping service they could also do that by simply dropping a bid in early. If they are trying to run up the perspective buyers or create false competition they would absolutely not use a sniping service.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Wouldn't someone who wants to effectively shill their auction just use a sniping service themselves?

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.

[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.