dacreson
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:08:55 PM
I am sure there have been threads on this before but I never saw them. Usually bidding on eBay is fun but this last one was not. 5 Sec before the auction closed I was outbid by .25 cents or some such and with no opportunity to raise my bid the lot was closed. Ebay claims to be an auction but it isn’t really. Snipers do not bid, to keep sellers lots low; they wait for days and rush in at the last second to beat out the real bidder(s) by pennies. Sure I could bid 200 percent more to begin with, which would probably drive the winning bid up to where the sniper would move on. I could buy sniper software but I refuse to because I feel it is unethical. In my view real bidding is great and fun. Snipping hurts everyone but the sniper. Ebay gets less revenue. The seller gets less for his/her lot and normal bidders are left with a feeling of being cheated and might not return. In real auctions the lot is not closed until the bidding is ended. Ebay should put a time delay on all auctions after a bid. I know Ebay was once urged to do this but it never did. Do others who are not snipers feel like me or have I lost it somewhere? Comments?
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kiawok
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:15:16 PM
The seller got more with the sniper's bid, than they would have without it.
Get with the program.
I attend HUNDREDS of RL auctions every year, and I've seen hundreds of bidders lose out because they hesitated, if for only a moment.
If you don't want to play the last second bidding game, then place your MAXIMUM bid in advance. If you would have been willing to bid 25 cents more, then BID 25 cents more [or whatever] and accept the final outcome.
Lots of shoulda/coulda/woulda at RL auctions as well.
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skeetypete
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:22:24 PM
all i can say is HEHEHEHEHEHE.......
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jumpinjacko
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:23:00 PM
To dacreson
You must keep in mind that ..not all SNIPPERS win auctions....If you were willing to pay more why didn’t you sett your proxy
bid higher.....at the very least you would make the snipper pay for their actions..
.EBAY ID
JUMPIN*JACK
[ edited by jumpinjacko on Jul 21, 2001 02:23 PM ]
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kiara
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:28:23 PM
In my view real bidding is great and fun.
In my view sniping is real bidding. 
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kiawok
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:33:40 PM
Off the eBay Buyer Tutorials:
Did You Know?
You may be able to avoid last minute
competition by finding listings that end in the middle of the night. For an example listings that ends at 2:00AM will likely have fewer last minute bidders than one that ends at 8:00PM
http://pages.ebay.com/education/tutorial/course1/bidding_1.html
Hope that helps.
[ edited by kiawok on Jul 21, 2001 02:34 PM ]
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sweetboo
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:34:13 PM
vrane.com is the only way I will bid. I am a seller and I know that there is a good posibility that the auctions could go for more during the duration of the auction if people would bid when they find the auction. But we are all looking for a way to get things for a deal. Sniping is the best way to do that. I have even told a couple of good bidders about vrane so I know that they will at least get their bids in. They sometimes forget to get to the auction before it ends and then whine because they didn't get to bid. Snipe software is the best. I love seeing my bids go...up..up..up at the end!
There's no danger of developing eyestrain from looking at the bright side of things!
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jumpinjacko
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:38:21 PM
dacreson said
“Snipping hurts everyone but the sniper”
It never hurt me......I love it ......mo bids = mo money...
And I know what some people think ..If you had more time to counter bid
the snipper that would also mean mo money for the sellers...
Yes but we cant always count those chickens....they haven’t hatched...
Hey sweet boo boo..
.
EBAY ID
JUMPIN*JACK
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Microbes
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:38:38 PM
I just sniped an auction this afternoon, and did it with less than 5 seconds left
The High bid wins, not the last bid. Just because you've had mental ownership for 5 days doesn't make a last second bid unethical. The sniper did it for just the reason you are complaining... You didn't bid your maximum. If you had bid your max, you wouldn't be whining.
The sniper (or high proxie bidder for that matter) always gets the auction for 25 cents (or a dollar, or what ever the increment is) over the second bidders max.
As for time delays, not a good idea. Deadbeats that have no intent of buying, but just like to screw up auctions, could have a feild day this way.... keep your auction going for weeks, without a sale when it's over.
Who Need's a stink'n Sig. File?
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kiara
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:40:33 PM
Also it may look like the sniper outbid you by a quarter but he may have put in a bid much higher than that.
Sometimes my final bid is a huge amount because I want the item really bad. I am always hoping that another sniper isn't doing the same thing as me but you never know. Now that's fun!
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deichen
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:41:06 PM
I see nothing wrong with sniping. This happens at live auctions as well. If you think for a split-second, someone may bid higher and it is sold! Snipers are real bidders also! They pay the same as you do. As a seller, I want the highest bid! As a buyer, I understand this happens and I either watch the auction, or I put my upmost maximum in my initial bid.
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doormat
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:45:13 PM
I was annoyed only one time by a sniper... the first time. 
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gs4
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posted on July 21, 2001 02:49:14 PM
 Boo Hoo
Snipers are cool 
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gravid
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posted on July 21, 2001 03:31:27 PM
Gee - You mean you would have paid 25¢ more but you did not bid that high?
Next time bid your max.
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railside
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posted on July 21, 2001 03:37:33 PM
I sniped five auctions last night.
Result = one win, four losses.
That's the way it happens a lot of the time, but I have no complaints. I wait until the last day of the auction and see how the bids are panning out. If I think I can score at a reasonable bid, I'll try.
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whizzo
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posted on July 21, 2001 03:48:52 PM
I have been both the "Sniper" and the "Sniped On". I, too just recently lost out to a last minute Sniper on an auction I really wanted.
My consolation was that I had bid the highest amount that I wanted to pay.If you bid the most you are willing to spend..."Snipers" don't hurt nearly as much!
I have had more "Snipers" miss out on things that I won by bidding my maximum. You might try it.
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GreetingsfromUK
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posted on July 21, 2001 03:58:45 PM
I know of bidders in USA and Canada who have got up at 6 a.m. to snipe on UK Auctions. Good luck to them. If you want a lot then bid the maximum amount you are prepared to pay. The market will then decide.
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tomwiii
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posted on July 21, 2001 04:06:29 PM
Where's the CHEESE???? 
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Capriole
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posted on July 21, 2001 04:31:31 PM
Boo-freakin'-hoo!
I like thatMental ownership comment.
Snipers keep that ownership to themselves until the last second.
To be honest...a 5 second snipe is still able to be beaten if you were prepared.
Go get yourself an atomic clock and get busy practicing with 2, 1, and zero second snipes.
You learned the way we all did: you got your shorts ate by the big dog.
When I sell, I love snipers. I love money too. Either have a muscular proxy or learn to snipe.
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LAIOCHKA
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posted on July 21, 2001 04:40:48 PM
I sniped 4 auctions in past two days,
Won one by a $1.05
The I got angry at some other sniper,
I lost gucci shoes by $0.50 well, it's life,
As a seller I love it,
One of my action went from $79.99
To $104.97 in matter of 12 seconds.
So I welcome any sniper, sorry, bidder,
No matter what , it's still a bid,
Use proxy if you dont like it
(and you still might get outbid
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tjbrocean
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posted on July 21, 2001 04:41:47 PM
I am also a professional sniper and very proud of it!!!!!! I like to imagine th face of the high bidder :eek:
At Home helps me snipe within 2 seconds of auction close.
Boy do I hate when I am sniped though :confused:
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GreetingsfromUK
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posted on July 21, 2001 04:49:53 PM
Thanks to snipers I hold a World Auction Record. They bid $750 instead of $75.00 and too late to retract the bid. The auction was cancelled by mutual consent!
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upriver
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posted on July 21, 2001 05:00:38 PM
Ok, my 2 bits as well:
First, sniping is no different than any other kind of bidding. A bid is a bid is a bid.
Often at "real world" auctions, I have raised my hand while the auctioneer is saying "Going, going..." in the hope that a last second new bidder will frustrate the other people bidding, and sometimes it works.
On eBay I have often left "proxy" bids, and when I do, I place them at the maximum I figure I want to spend on the item -- and I would say at least 75% of the time I got those items for less than I was willing to pay, so I don't believe proxy bidding "drives up the price", what drives up any price is someone else wanting the item, pure and simple.
There is nothing unethical about any of it, sniping is fair game. Only things like shill bidding to drive prices up are unethical.
You can't always get what you want. Move on, millions of other things to bid on. If you had absolutely 100% had to get the thing in the first place, you would never have risked cheaping yourself out with a low bid, you would have left a high proxy to ensure you got it.
Sniping does not mean the seller sells for less. It depends solely on the item & people involved, their determination to get it.
As a seller, I have items that end with 1 opening bid. I have items that end with several bids & never get sniped. I have items that end with several bids & get last minute sniped for 50 cents above the prior bidder. And I have those items from time to time that get sniped by more than 1 person in the last 2-3 minute time-frame, and sometimes jump by up to hundreds of dollars.
It's all fair. It's (shhhh) an auction, and that's how they work.
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GreetingsfromUK
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posted on July 21, 2001 05:15:27 PM
Upriver. I endorse you comments. My current listings on eBay were bought in a real life, live UK auction house on Thursday. I sniped the auction. What I find amazing is that the lots I bought are on sale to The World in six hours. Only delayed for time differences. This is not my trading name.
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CleverGirl
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posted on July 21, 2001 05:35:09 PM
Yup. I wised up the day 3 of my high bids got sniped. THREE, in one day! I was steamed. So, in self-defense, I became a sniper myself. I wouldn't bid now in any other way, tho in truth Vrane has lost a few for me by not being there on time (only once was it ebay's fault, as I recall).
You still have to place your snipe bid at the highest you're willing to pay, tho, because there are other snipers out there. And who knows how high someone's proxy bid is?
Frankly, I'm secretly pleased when my losing snipe runs up another bidder's proxy (or snipe) bid -- more money for the seller and I gave it my best shot. The other person may win, but has to pay more than they probably thought they would.
You too can learn to love sniping.
CG
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sadie999
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posted on July 21, 2001 05:45:28 PM
I'm not fond of sniping, and unlike many posters, I think sellers would make more money with auto-extensions on auction times. It would give bidders another couple of minutes to get cranked up psychologically and bid a bit more.
But I don't think it's unethical. It's working within the system that's set up. Lose a couple of auctions in the last few minutes, and you'll either learn to be a good sniper, or you'll do a lot of BIN bids.
We could debate all day on the good/bad of sniper vs. "fair warning," and it's not going to change a thing on eBay. It is what it is.
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sonsie
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posted on July 21, 2001 05:48:12 PM
"Muscular proxy" and "mental ownership" will enter the eBay Hall of Fame as GREAT new terms to describe bidding situations! Thank you both. Love 'em.
I'm not a particularly adept sniper; I consider myself lucky if I can babysit an auction during the last ten minutes or so and get my final bid in within the last 30-60 seconds. And I have been beaten by the best...a few at what appeared to be 0 seconds left! I've lost a few heartbreakers, but when I think about it realistically, I realize that either I didn't really want the item bad enough, or if I did, I had no business paying X dollars for it under the circumstances. So all in all, it seems to work out.
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jumpinjacko
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posted on July 21, 2001 05:55:42 PM
In the end......I have been grateful
Most of the auctions that I have sniped and LOST..
...I really didn’t want it after all..
Thanks all you proxy bidders
.
EBAY ID
JUMPIN*JACK
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GreetingsfromUK
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posted on July 21, 2001 05:59:44 PM
I have a lot listed at $1.00 It is now at $35 and I know I will get a frenzy in the last 5 minutes from the number of views. And it still has 7 days to go! This is not my trading name.
[ edited by GreetingsfromUK on Jul 21, 2001 06:05 PM ]
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margaretc
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posted on July 21, 2001 06:18:50 PM
OH!OH! A sniping / snipping (??) thread. Haven't noticed one of these in awhile. Still the same arguments and rationale, I see.
I simply fail to see the "unethical" argument.
I love and admire the sniper. I have never used sniping software and rarely try for the snipe, but as a seller, I love 'em! As a buyer, when determined I once in awhile "indulge" -- but I am no expert -- no, no -- not like some and you know who I mean if you have been around here awhile, she said before fading back into the shadows of lurking land. Have a little time to lurk tonight!
Sell it all! I SAID SELL IT ALL!
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