Sniping services

[Snapolit1]

I've never used one and am not sure of the benefits.
If there is an item closing on eBay, why can't I just wait till 3 seconds is left and then bid my maximum and see what happens?
Does a sniping service do anything different that this? Just trying to understand the allure.
Or, if I don't want to bother being at my computer when the auction ends, I can just bid my maximum a few hours before the auction ends and then forget about it. Wait for an email from eBay.
Is there something else a sniping service does that I'm missing?

[calvindog]

Lol

Nope, you've got it covered.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I've never used one and am not sure of the benefits.
If there is an item closing on eBay, why can't I just wait till 3 seconds is left and then bid my maximum and see what happens?
Does a sniping service do anything different that this? Just trying to understand the allure.
Or, if I don't want to bother being at my computer when the auction ends, I can just bid my maximum a few hours before the auction ends and then forget about it. Wait for an email from eBay.
Is there something else a sniping service does that I'm missing?

You can bid manually with a couple seconds remaining in an auction, but a snipe means that you don't have be watching the auction to put in a last-second bid; that is the allure vs. manually putting in a last-second bid.

[Peter_Spaeth]

You might want to read one of the 2000 threads on shill and string bidding.

[botn]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

You might want to read one of the 2000 threads on shill and string bidding.

Why is that even important is they ship quickly?

[JustinD]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Is there something else a sniping service does that I'm missing?

Well if I have nothing else to do, then yes I can do this like I did years ago and do the two things you stated. Spend my whole day waiting for the auction to end or putting some max bid in and hoping for the best.

What really has happened when I did that over the past 20 years on eBay is a massive about of frustration as I forgot about an auction till a couple minutes after it ended because I lost track of time or I paid an absolute crap ton more than I would have on a last second bid. Reason being that either a legit bidder nickel and dime bid me to near my max till they decided they did not want it or a Shiller did it dishonestly. Sniping kills those opportunities for shills and non snipers to add bids.

Gavelsnipe is free and takes no effort, working for wasted money by not sniping is effort.

[Snapolit1]

If you really want something and want to sniff out fraud, seems to me the best thing you can do it watch an auction in the closing minute and see if the action passes the smell test. If it does jump in. If not just let it go.

Originally Posted by JustinD

Well if I have nothing else to do, then yes I can do this like I did years ago and do the two things you stated. Spend my whole day waiting for the auction to end or putting some max bid in and hoping for the best.

What really has happened when I did that over the past 20 years on eBay is a massive about of frustration as I forgot about an auction till a couple minutes after it ended because I lost track of time or I paid an absolute crap ton more than I would have on a last second bid. Reason being that either a legit bidder nickel and dime bid me to near my max till they decided they did not want it or a Shiller did it dishonestly. Sniping kills those opportunities for shills and non snipers to add bids.

Gavelsnipe is free and takes no effort, working for wasted money by not sniping is effort.

[Snapolit1]

And how much does this service cost?

I mean if I had a wedding or some event that was going to keep me from the computer on a must get item I sort of get it. But it seems like I can do the same thing for free and be watching the action.

How does a sniping service keep me from shill bidding if the shill bidder realizes most of you are using sniping services and with 5 seconds to go just bids thousands higher on eBay to drag all of you up with him.

I'm just not as smart as you guys but trying desperately to learn.

If I was a shill bidder I'd step on the gas in the last 10 seconds. Rising tide
lifts all snipes as someone once said.

[Peter_Spaeth]

$5 a month for unlimited snipes on JustSnipe. Free for up to 2 at any given time, I believe.

[Snapolit1]

If I was shilling something and thought to myself "under no circumstances am I going to let this go for under $20,000" I have no clue how a sniping service is going to act as some kind of deterrence to me. If it is sitting at $18,000 with ten seconds to go I enter a bid for $20,000. I must be missing something.

[RedsFan1941]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

How does a sniping service keep me from shill bidding if the shill bidder realizes most of you are using sniping services and with 5 seconds to go just bids thousands higher on eBay to drag all of you up with him.

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

If I was shilling something and thought to myself "under no circumstances am I going to let this go for under $20,000" I have no clue how a sniping service is going to act as some kind of deterrence to me. If it is sitting at $18,000 with ten seconds to go I enter a bid for $20,000. I must be missing something.

Your post on April 24:

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Bid what a card is worth to you and not above that and you will never be defrauded.

[Snapolit1]

Ronnie -flattered that you spend so much time studying my past posts. Maybe I will publish them in a bound volume to save you time and effort.

I'm just trying to understand how a service works that I've never used and can't seem to understand what others see in it.

[swarmee]

Yeah, odd post from the OP. There are a bunch of reasons for and against using a sniping service.
Pros: Auction can close at 4am and you can still bid with seconds to go while you're sleeping.
Single bid at the end *reduces* the likelihood of being raised either by the consignor/owner or other bidders. Many only bid when they get the email from eBay saying "You're no longer the high bidder..."
If you get stressed out watching the end of auctions, it can reduce your blood pressure.

Cons: Sometimes snipes don't go through because eBay turns on their Captcha software to root out bots from bidding, and sniping services are by definition, bots. (Strong passwords can reduce the odds of your getting the captcha block, but this mainly seems to happen on Sunday nights which is when a lot of big cards get sold.)
You have to remember to change your password in the sniping service whenever you change it on eBay, or else they won't go through.
Some sniping services have had their own network outages and didn't make bids.

I have never signed up for one, since I prefer to watch the end of auctions, and if it's important enough, I'll even wake up in the middle of the night to bid. Bidding your max hours before the end time is just costing you more money.

[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

[Beastmode]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

I've never used one and am not sure of the benefits.
If there is an item closing on eBay, why can't I just wait till 3 seconds is left and then bid my maximum and see what happens?
Does a sniping service do anything different that this? Just trying to understand the allure.
Or, if I don't want to bother being at my computer when the auction ends, I can just bid my maximum a few hours before the auction ends and then forget about it. Wait for an email from eBay.
Is there something else a sniping service does that I'm missing?

Shillers and Manipulators feast off non-snipers. Letting your bid sit out early is what they love. Seems clear to me that sniping is major time-savor and helps eliminate fraud. At the same time, snipe what you think is a fair price and nothing more. Stay within your budget and you'll never be a "victim".