Is sniper bidding fair and legal?

[tjls007]

Is sniper bidding fair and legal? if it is what is the best program?,

if you can't beat 'um, Join 'um.

[chameleon54]

Everyone knows the rules. Bids are accepted up to the last second. everyone knows that snipes regularly occur. There has to be some system in place that everyone works too, so it is fair and legal. Personally I dont bother with them very often. I just place my highest bid and if someone else wants it more they will bid a higher price, either during the auction or with a snipe. The only time I snipe is if it is a very rare item that I am unlikely to see again and I want every last chance of securing it.

[curraone · Accepted solution]

if you google sniper programs you will see that there are several available.

I have used goofbid

[putney32]

yes of course its legal.  any bid placed within the timeframe of the auction is OK

[cq_tech]

I find them most useful for international auctions which end at inconvenient times for us locals (like 3am for example).

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

if the ability to snipe was restricted to some but not all members then I would say it was not fair, but there are no restrictions on who can snipe so the answer is YES, it is fair and it is legal.

I don't use snipe services, I just bid as late as I can on items.  If it is ending past my bedtime then I bid just before going to bed.

The way to beat a snipe bid is to bid as late as you can, not necessarily in the last seconds or minutes, and bid your maximum.  The reason for this is that many eBayers set their snipe bid early in an auction or with a just a day to go.  If bidding has been taking place in the early days they will know that they might need to bid higher if they were going to if they want to win.  Bidding later deprives them of the opportunity to reassess their bid.

The other way to beat a snipe bid is to find items you like that end on a Friday (between 4pm and 7pm AEST) and bid your maximum on Thursday night or Friday morning.  Because of eBay's regular Friday maintenance access can be difficult on a Friday afternoon, so getting in earlier can beat a snipe bid if the snipe service is unable to complete the bid.

Seasoned eBayers will know all this, and when they snipe they will snipe their maximum early in the auction and not even check until the auction is over.

[lane-ends]

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@k1ooo-slr-sales wrote:

The way to beat a snipe bid is to bid as late as you can, not necessarily in the last seconds or minutes, and bid your maximum.  The reason for this is that many eBayers set their snipe bid early in an auction or with a just a day to go.  If bidding has been taking place in the early days they will know that they might need to bid higher if they were going to if they want to win.  Bidding later deprives them of the opportunity to reassess their bid.

The other way to beat a snipe bid is to find items you like that end on a Friday (between 4pm and 7pm AEST) and bid your maximum on Thursday night or Friday morning.  Because of eBay's regular Friday maintenance access can be difficult on a Friday afternoon, so getting in earlier can beat a snipe bid if the snipe service is unable to complete the bid.

Seasoned eBayers will know all this, and when they snipe they will snipe their maximum early in the auction and not even check until the auction is over.

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What you are saying is the way to beat a snipe is to snipe it. Then highest snipe wins.

What most novices don't relise is that these snipe bids are not one bid more than theirs, and often if programmed, the sniper is not even watching but out having a life instead.

Apart from the benefits of increasing the odds of a better price i also use program snipe programs so that I dont watch the auction, dont get sucked into one more bid in the moment, dont forget to bid or miss the auction. The advantage also over placing early high proxy bids, means I have up until it is placed to change my mind and cancel it.

I am surprised ebay still continue with the bid and counterbid platform as most users are over that novelty. Either use Buy Now or introduce a fixed period tender submission without dressing it up as an auction, and be done with it.

Is it unfair? Only by way of the lesser informed being at a disadvantage until they know the system.

[*crikey*mate*]

[imastawka]

  

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@lane-ends wrote:

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k1ooo-slr-sales wrote: 

The way to beat a snipe bid is to bid as late as you can, not necessarily in the last seconds or minutes, and bid your maximum.  The reason for this is that many eBayers set their snipe bid early in an auction or with a just a day to go.  If bidding has been taking place in the early days they will know that they might need to bid higher if they were going to if they want to win.  Bidding later deprives them of the opportunity to reassess their bid.

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What you are saying is the way to beat a snipe is to snipe it. Then highest snipe wins.

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you don't have to snipe to beat a programmed snipe bid.  You can bid an hour before the item ends and beat a snipe.  I don't consider a bid an hour out from the end to be a snipe.