Re: [Harp-L] Sniping on Ebay

[Indiana <gdubya@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I know how to beat the snipers every time.

Bid more than their sniping program does.  The last bid taken is from the
person who puts in the highest bid.  Also if two people bid the same amount
and it is the highest bid, the tiebreaker is who bid first.  It's like 
being the first
person seen by the auctioneer at a given bid amount.

Sniping is about timing.  Sniping programs won't (to my knowledge and
the ones I've "reviewed") continue to bid higher than a prescribed amount
the user sets in the snipe program.

Just like in a live auction, the highest price wins the auction.
I've been going to auctions since I was 5 years old and my uncle
was an auctioneer.  Same tactics apply in general, except there
won't be a quick "sold" or gavel that falls on EBay.  With EBay
you know the exact timing.

If you're willing to bid more..... bid more... that simple.
Yes, it is really that easy.  Nothing sells on EBay for more
or less than someone bids.

Here's an example:
If there's a mic on EBay and you want it bad.  If you have a sniping
program, you figure out how much you are willing to pay and you
tell your program (or in live time) you bid -- very, very late in the game.
High bid wins.  Say the bid began at $9.00 and incremented in $5
increments through out.  With 20 seconds left, the price on that
gold plated Astatic biscuit is at 124.00.  You're willing to pay $151.00.
A sniper bids a max of  $150 at the last possible moment.   Who wins?

Well that depends on whether you bid $151.  Or whether you thought
you'd wait and see if you could catch it for less.  Maybe you were the
one at $124.  EBay is different from a normal auction in that it doesn't
increment more than given margins of bucks at each bid.  You could
have bid $151 at the same time you bid $124.  The bid would have
only incremented to $124 if others had their bids in.  You could bid
$151 and if nobody bids, the price could stay $9 and nobody knows
what your upper bid was --- unless you get outbid.  Sniping, whether
with a program or by sitting on your computer screen, guessing the
transfer time of when to hit the "go" button, doesn't make you the winner.

Having the highest bid against the item in the time allowed for the
auction is what wins.

I've been beaten at a live auction where I waited to long to raise
my hand and put my bid in.  I've been beaten on EBay by sniping
programs.  I've never lost an auction where I bid more than the
other person before it was finished.  Chances are, none of you
have either.  I've been beaten by other people putting their bids
in at the last second when I did the same thing.  But only, if I didn't
bid more than they did.

And you're right, you couldn't tell (for sure) if I was doing it manually 
or with
a program.  But you might hear my yelp of agony if I missed the
mic that I wanted (and I have to people on this list.... but I prefer
to lose to people on this list).

And, you'll be happy to know that I've not been out there lately
shopping for mics.... but, hmmmmm, maybe now would be a good
time to look again......

Back to lurking.....

GW

At 07:50 PM 5/9/05, you wrote:
> M, how can you say watch for a snipe program? Seriously, I've used snipe 
> programs and also just placed my bid by counting down to the last second 
> or so. How would you know? I've lost bids at the final second a hundred 
> times. Surely they couldn't all be snipe programs. And if they were? How 
> could you tell. I figure someone has to be the last bid in even if you do 
> it manually, right?
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "M. Erickson"
> > Tell you what, the next couple of auctions you're on, watch for snipe
> > software. If it's there, you tell me if you can get that last bid in. If
> > you can, I'll buy you a beer (maybe a case of beer).
>
>
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--
Gary Warren

"I take my woman on the beach, fellas, and set down in the sand
 and play."  Muddy Waters (Deep Down In Florida)