Some nice person has just sniped something I was after on ebay - obviously in the last few seconds.

I don't want it to happen again, so I want to set up my own 'snipe' on any future bids.

Any recommendations?

David

ezsniper.com
works for me

I've always just done it manually - set your alarm for 5 minutes before the end of the auction so you don't forget, then syncronise your watch so you know the exact second the auction is going to end (sit there hitting F5 to refresh the page). Then enter your bid details and sit there with your mouse over the 'confirm bid' button and click it about 5-10 seconds before the end.

Pete

This happened to me just before I bought my INdy kit - I bid on a Westfield that was going for about £2,500 that needed some work (I figured it would be easiest to buy a new starter kit as the running gear was good but the chassis and wishbones were very much worse for wear).

Got outbid with 12 secs to go, too late to do anything about it.

It's a bloody nightmare when it happens to you - I say ban all such programmes.

But until they're banned and people are using them, you might as well join them!

[Edited on 12/9/07 by StevieB]

quote:

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Originally posted by scoobyis2cool
I've always just done it manually - set your alarm for 5 minutes before the end of the auction so you don't forget, then syncronise your watch so you know the exact second the auction is going to end (sit there hitting F5 to refresh the page). Then enter your bid details and sit there with your mouse over the 'confirm bid' button and click it about 5-10 seconds before the end.

Pete

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Buyertools reminder.
Free and autosnipe function.
You can set it up for 5 seconds or less......

I won an auction today with an equal bid which I'd never done before. I manually posted a bid with 20secs to go and someone sniped at around 5 seconds with a bid identical to my top price. I won due to having the earlier bid. If I'd waited until 5 seconds myself I'd have saved myself 40p, 10 seconds earlier and I'd have lost the item

I've found if you don't bid within 20seconds of the end you'll rarely win on a popular type of item. There's always someone who has a 'must win at all costs' mentality even to the extent of paying more than they could get it for in a local shop.

Linky

I use Autionsleuth as I bid using different usernames and it's a bit more complex but jbid using the link above is free and works very well.

Don't think ebay will ever ban them as they get more revenue because the sell price is increased.

Regards

R

I have used Auctionsnper.com for a long time now - sniping is the only way to go

Cheers

Mark

At the end of the day, no matter how late a 'sniper' gets their bid in, they wont beat you if you've put a higher bid in. If you would have paid more for the item, you should have had your maximum in some time before the end.

That said, it is good to wait till the end to put your maximum in. I've never seen the need for sniping programs though - always do it manual - it's part of the fun. Split second timing doesnt really matter - as i said highest bid always wins.

Liam

I have used auctionstealer in the past....works for me

I always put in a token bid at the beginning and then put in a reasonable (bargain) bid close to the auction end. with a few seconds to go, I place another bid which is the highest I'm willing to pay.

Putting your maximum bid in early invites muppets to out bid you. I've seen things on there go for silly money. If you snipe it at the end, you win for a reasonable price. Sniping isn't wrong but it can feel that way if you put in a bid lower than you're willing to pay then get out bid late on.

it depends how you use your bids.

the idea is it that as soon as you place your bid - it should be your maximum.

If you would go higher, then you should put that higher value in to start with.

I use sniping tools to control the "wild" spending that a bid war can inspire. That way I never pay more than I think I should, so if I win I'm happy and if I loose I'm happy.

Each to there own.

Bid ONCE - you are only raising the price for yourself if you out bid others before time is called.
Bid With the MAXIMUM you want to pay - so you dont pay more than you want to. If it goes for more then it was beyond your limit anyway.

Bid at the very last possible moment (and only ONCE)

This will not guarantee you winning. However its an Auction, and the higest bid wins. Its that simple.

Auction sniper does it for me. Also very useful for bidding on things that end at awkward times (my main use).

I dunno. I've lost a few too, but I felt that in the end, I didn't need the part that badly and went on to something else... there's always some little thing you need for your car!

Thanks for all the advice - I've made notes...

In the end, I got what I wanted on a 'buy it now' - not the cheapest way to do it, but the price was fair and I've got it without any hassle (hopefully - I only won it last night, so I'm now waiting for it to arrive).

cheers,
David

Just put in a higher bid that you did!!

but don't worry about it, the way ebay seems to work is that no matter what obscure item of crap you bid on, you always get out bid but if you try to sell some useful item with a stupidly low starting price, you don't get a single bid.