eBay snipe site

Speedy's thread

http://www.cointalk.org/showthread.php?t=18748

 

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Like I said... If you bid on ebay and don't like sniping you probably haven't tried it. Once you do, I doubt you'd have anything bad to say about it.

I don't know what everyone else uses it for, but I use it to bid on items for myself, not to, "bid on half of the coins on ebay with the purpose of getting a low price to resale." Yes, *you* can sit there and wait until the auction ends, but *I* can't sit around all day by a computer when every auction ends, so it's no laziness, it's just that I would like to bid on things that sometimes end when I'm not near a computer.

There's no "ripping off." If you were interested in the same coin I am interested in, you enter your maximum bid (be it 7 days before the auction ends or 7 seconds), while I do the same. If my maximum bid is higher... I win it, if yours is... you win. How's that ripping anyone off? The only thing I can conceive is that the bid is placed in the final seconds but with timed auctions, every submitted bid counts (be it placed 7 days or 7 seconds before the auction ends). If you (anyone) doesn't like this, then bid in live auctions (fair warning.. going once.. going twice...), not timed auctions.

I pay to have the system submit my maximum bid in the final seconds of an auction. Same thing you've probably done manually. Only difference is that I can set it up a week earlier and not have to be by the computer when the auction ends. I can also place a maximum bid for several similar items and if I win any of them, the other bids are cancelled (something you can't do manually as Ebay won't permit this reason for retraction).

To me... it's a hobby. To others... it's a business. Regardless, if you don't want to see these "profiteers" outbid you, bid higher than they do.

I'm often there when it ends as well, and often I'm not. My "wife" would be the snipe system I suppose, as my real wife wouldn't hang around for coin auctions (not an insult, I wish she would ).

You probably don't need it as you choose to manually do it. The difference isn't, "caring about what you are buying and not just blanket purchasing things to resale" -it's manual verses automation. That's about the whole of it.

Yes, you enter the max, as if you are on the Ebay site bidding, same exact thing. When you submit your max on Ebay, it gets entered immeditately, verses a snipe where it will be entered within the last few seconds. You can increase or decrease your bid, or even cancel your bid if you decide you don't want it (up to a certain time). Obviously it won't (can't) submit your snipe for $10 if the bidding has gone over that. All regular Ebay rules and policies apply, there's nothing different.

I've sniped things and watched it and the auction went over my snipe and I decided (as you said) that I cared enough to pay a bit more and submitted a manual bid and won. Honestly it's such a great thing that I'm not trying to sell it, rather than share that it is a great thing. Personally I don't care if anyone uses it or does it manually or submits bids 7 days in advance. Doesn't matter.

 

I think the sniping programs give the illusion of doing something when they really do nothing. If you just enter the maximum amount you are willing to bid, time doesn't matter whether it is 5 minutes or 5 seconds before the auction ends. It sounds to me as if there are people here overpaying through the use of sniping programs and calling it "winning" when they are really losing. Nothing is accomplished by paying more than you think something is worth.

 

Hypothetically, the 'enter your max bid, whether it's seven days or seven seconds before auction close' is correct. If you bid on an item, and somebody snipes you and wins the auction, and you think to yourself 'Darn, I should have sniped', well then you didn't enter the absolute highest amount you were willing to pay. If you had entered your max., then you would not feel like you could have bid a little higher and still gotten a good deal, whether the winning bid was 1 cent or 100 dollars higher than your bid. Does that make sense?

I believe this sums it up: Anyone who snipes is looking for a cheap deal.

 

As opposed to... ??? You looking to pay the most for an item? I ain't (as they say). I'm not looking for a cheap deal, I just don't want to submit the max I'll bid until the auction is nearly over. Same as the billions of people who wait until the auction is over and manually submit their bids. Why do *they* do that? Again, this is a timed auction, and all that counts is the highest bid by the end of the auction.

I think you've never used a sniping program, nor have you read up on them, nor read what's been posted in this thread. I'm not trying to sell it to you (don't run a service, etc.) nor convince you. If anyone else reads this, it does do *something* (which I've already explained, or you can read the multitude of web sites that run the service or pages about sniping, etc.). There's no smoke and mirrors.

So why have you waited until the last few seconds to submit a bid? Please don't tell me you haven't, as everyone who has ever bid on things on Ebay has. You don't want "show your hand" so to speak.

Sounds to me that you have no idea how it works and refuse to take the time to understand (and really, it's not that complicated).

Sheeezums, don't use it people... it's evil. You're lazy if you use it. If you use it, you lose. You'll pay more than it's worth.

:rolling: :headbang:

 

I know what it does...I just dont need it...I dont show my hand by bidding my max and if I change my mind and am willing to bid more I will do it without paying someone else and giving them my info. If someone is willing to pay to to have autobids and willing to trust someone to do this for them, thats fine. I simply dont like playing the 'game' and just bid what I am willing to pay whether it be 2 days or 2 seconds before the close...I'll save my money and just bid myself. They just arent worth it to me...The only time sniping (whether by program or manual) ****es me off is when I think I have it and someone snipes 2 seconds before the end at takes it from me and I later regret not putting in a bit higher bid...In the end I just like buy the dang coin at a fair fixed price...there is nothing 'fun' about bidding (more so bidding and having it sniped away from me in the last 2 seconds after thinking it will be mine). If I want something, I just want it and I dont want to compete for it...but I use ebay simply because I find things I want there that I cant find easily elsewhere so I put up with it....and often get it...if I dont I just start looking again and hope for the best.

 

That's fine (and I understand that) but that's not the same thing as saying, "sniping is for people who bid on half of the coins on ebay with the purpose of getting a low price to resale" or "its for people who are just trying to eek a few bucks off of coins" or "it just seems like a lazy thing to do" or for people who don't care what they are bidding on. I (a people) don't use it for that purpose, and although some might, it's probably not the majority or even a high percentage (though I honestly haven't asked anyone, let alone everyone who snipes so I really can't speak for them).

It's $5 a month, and while I feel it's worth it, I completely understand that others may not feel that it is.

Well, what you are describing is the nature of the beast for timed auctions. I think you'd be happier searchign for "buy it now" items. Fixed price, no one "taking it from you." You may pay more, but you will get the item. To me, paying that extra isn't worth it (but like I said, some may feel that the $5/mo. I spend isn't worth it).

People get hung up on the time with timed auctions, but you have to realize that if there was another winning bid, and you submitted a higher bid and are now winning the auction (regardless of how much time is left) then you "took it from someone else." I've found that for the most part, even if you bid high, you still stand a good chance at winning the auction for less than the fixed buy it now listings, or coin shop prices. Even so, there is always the chance that someone will be willing to pay more than you.

 

All this fuss! It's an auction! The item goes to the highest bidder, simple! If your tired of being sniped, and your losing a lot of auctions to snipers, then it's obvious you aren't bidding high enough.

 

I have found some of the sniping going on for model railroading items (not coins) to be amusing. The usual suspects bid up an item far beyond what I'm willing to pay, and often compete with each other. Many of these items do wind up being listed on eBay stores for resale.

Example: My bid is $10
Someone comes in late for $20 (way over my maximum valuation)
Someone else tries to snipe for $50
A third someone else out-snipes the first sniper for $51
It winds up in an eBay store for $75

However: if the non-store owners weren't willing to bid up to the sale price to begin with, why would anyone think that they would pay the even higher price for it in an eBay store? Well, it's a free country.

I just bid what I think it's worth, sometimes that's early and sometimes late, depending on when I see it. If I get it, I get it, if I don't, I don't. I don't spend a lot of time on eBay so I'm sure I'm not aware of many things I would be interested in.

99.999 percent of the time, there will be another one. I think that's an important thing to remember.

For example: a fairly scarce book I wanted wound up in a snipe fest and went for over $50. The next time it came up, I was the only bidder and I got it for $8. I'm really glad I didn't get the first one!

All this assumes that the item and the seller have passed the "sniff test" which, as we all know, is another subject entirely...

 

Oh yes...and I believe all those things I have said are true as well...please dont ever think I am so black and white that I attribute a statement to ALL people who snipe...like I said, I will often find myself sniping for various reasons as well (find the bid late...dont rebid until the last seconds in the hope to avoid a further bidding war) I have studied and searched ebay tracking ancients and quite often I find a coin that was sniped away being flipped at a buy now price or a minimum set higher than what they bought it for...I cannot even count how many times this has happened it happens so much and to me this is just a crappy thing to do but what can one do? As I have said people will try to eek a profit off coins however they can...I am buying it because I love the coin, many are buying because they want to get 5-10 extra bucks off the coin and are mass buying to flip coins...I guess its their right to do so, but I think its crappy and these people use these sniping programs, I have even had a person tell me exactly how they do exactly what I just described.


It fits along with my general theme that this is my hobby and I dislike people profiteering and this is a tool to help with that since to me the 2 main bonus about the program is that it doesnt require your presence (and if you have a thousand bids open this is a big help) and it delays bumps until the last second and quickly bumps to max at the last second to avoid bidding wars (nothing wrong with that as I dont like price hiking bidding wars) opinion...

Also I am cheap ad dont trust people on the internet...I dont want to expend any more money on my hobby than I have to and dont want to spend any extra money on something I can do myself or give my info to someone I dont know. But then again, I only buying coins I care about and plan on putting in my collection and I dont have to juggle a huge amount of bids thus it takes nothing to see to my own bids.

Again...I am not saying that every person who uses this service is doing what I am saing they do, I am saying that there are a large number out there that do and this is a tool that makes it easier for them to do it with which is why I wish people HAD to bid themselves....it would cut these people ability to mass bid for flipping and profiteering if they had to follow a thousand bids and snipe each one manualy.

Its my personal opinion, you can call it whining but dont in turn whine about my whining

 

That is worth repeating!

In fact, it's worth repeating a couple of times.

 

I tend to agree of course but I also dont think people should be able to use third party programs to automate the process...again, just an opinion.

 

Funny thing. I just happened to catch an antique auction on TV ("At the Auction", Leslie H.). If you can't be present, you contact an auction broker/service concerning the item you want and they do the bidding for you. Sounds familiar doesn't it. Looks like "third party" bidding is an accepted age-old practice with ALL auctions, live or on-line.

 

You are mistaken as to my point, let me help...just to show you the part of the third party I object to see the word that is bolded...if you want to give your account info to a PERSON who will do it using the tools ebay gives you to bid with...I see no problem with that...

 

I have only used the JustSnipe a couple of times. what happens is: an item is going for 10 dollars. I put 12.01 in justsnipe. At 10 seconds to go someone bids 11.00, justsnipe bids +12.01 at 4 seconds to go, I win. If I had bid 12.00 at 30 seconds +to go, the other bidder would have bid 13. I lose.