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FREE eBay sniping software

T

Tweakmeister

Senior member
I've been searching for (free) sniping software for some time and came upon BidNobble.

At first it wasn't working right, but the person writing the software was extremely open helping me out, and has released a pretty stable beta version.

www.bidnobble.com

To get it to work:

1.) Copy the downloaded file to the C:\ drive (where the Windows, etc.. folders are located).

2.) Launch the Command Prompt

3.) Type in "cd\" (no quotes) to get the prompt to "C:\"

4.) Type in "rename bidnobble.zip bidnobble.jar" (again, don't use quotes)

5.) Then type in "javaw -jar bidnobble.jar" (no quotes) and press Enter

-- Java Instructions --

Uninstall through the Control Panel any old installations.

Download the latest copy from here: http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.jsp

Go here and click on "Download JRE 5.0 Update 3".
Accept the license agreement
Find the right download for you. For Windows, I suggest the offline installation version, but it doesn't really matter which one you choose.
 
So is this it's own software using the internet to access eBay or does is it a plugin for your web-browser and make you use IE/FireFox to do the actual sniping. Personally, I'm still using AuctionSniper.com The 25cents or so they take is well worth it....but FREE is always better if this works.

You said "pretty stable"....what kind of bugs are still in it. I'd hate for a snipe to fail for something I really want due to a bug.
 
Interesting.. I was using Bidwatcher for a while, but last November Ebay made some changes to their site and they have had alot of problems getting it working right. (Mainly the sniping part.) I'll have to check this one out...
 
This is a seperate "program" that is still in beta, BUT it's been working beautifully for me after working through some bugs with the programmer.

Give it a shot!

I should clarify---I haven't lost an auction since using the newest version.
 
I guess I never have understood sniping. Can someone explain to me how sniping helps? If on eBay I bid the maximum I am willing to pay, how does sniping software help? If someone out bids me with sniping software vs using regular old eBay I still loose. If I am willing to pay more than them, sniping or not, I still win. I have never lost an eBay auction to anyone that wasn't willing to pay more than I was.

Surr
 
Sniping helps by letting you beat other snipers who snipe a second before you do. Personally, I bid my max early just to screw the snipers over.
 
lol I don't understand the point of this... unless you're willing to spare no expense on whatever it is you're bidding on and it'll automatically set like an $8 million max bid. Anyone who really wants the item isn't just gonna put the next incremental bid on it, they're gonna set a max of w/e they're willing to pay. Thats what I do...
 
Originally posted by: Inappropriate4AT
lol I don't understand the point of this... unless you're willing to spare no expense on whatever it is you're bidding on and it'll automatically set like an $8 million max bid. Anyone who really wants the item isn't just gonna put the next incremental bid on it, they're gonna set a max of w/e they're willing to pay. Thats what I do...
Click to expand...

I was wondering this myself.
 
usually people dont put in their true "max bid" they put it at a value a little above/below the current auction price. Just when they think they have won and dont need to put any higher bid in you can use an auction sniper to come along with 10 seconds left and put in a bid a bit above, thus inning the auction at a possibly cheaper price then if you went into a bidding war with the guy
 
Sniping works because the vast majority of bidders don't use the proxy bidding system and enter their max bid: most buyers just enter the next highest increment. I had an auction today that I was bidding on, and I wasn't going to be there at the end, so I entered a max bid. Came home to find that someone had bid me up over $80... all in minimum increments.

No guarantee, but had I not entered a max bid early, I may have been able to get that item for nearly $80 less, because a less-savvy bidder didn't enter his max bid.

I've been buying on eBay since 12-15-98, and regularly get very good deals by sniping. How do I know? A quick search through closed auctions confirms it.

Edited to note that Drakkon beat me to it... You sniped my post, man! 😉
 
The main point of using something like this is to bid the max amount you want to pay for something right before the auction ends. If you bid early then you are just driving up the price on yourself b/c someone else will try to outbid you. When you snipe, you don't give them the chance to outbid you.

I never understood why ppl bid on auctions several days before they end... They are just driving up the price. But I don't mind when I'm the seller. 😛
 
Originally posted by: Surr
I guess I never have understood sniping. Can someone explain to me how sniping helps? If on eBay I bid the maximum I am willing to pay, how does sniping software help? If someone out bids me with sniping software vs using regular old eBay I still loose. If I am willing to pay more than them, sniping or not, I still win. I have never lost an eBay auction to anyone that wasn't willing to pay more than I was.

Surr
Click to expand...
Sir (no pun intended), you are one of the few smart eBayers I've ever encountered in a forum setting. I'm not being funny either. Cookie for you. :cookie:

You'd be surprised how many people don't realize this for themselves, and continue to bitch and moan about snipers when it's their own damn fault that they don't properly use the proxy bidding system by bidding the max they are willing to spend in the first place.
 
Yeah sniping only works if people dont use the system as its intended lol. As multiple ppl said above, bid the max you are willing to pay, and then it doesn't matter.
 
The most you're willing to pay for something isn't black and white. If you want to buy an item (like an MP3 player) and many other people are bidding on them, then you may decide, after a few auctions go by without winning, that you would like to win the auction, even at a higher price, and move on to something new. That's when sniping becomes useful.

Let's say you've decided that you are willing to pay $18 for an item and the current bid is below $18. With 45 seconds left, you put in a bid for $18 and you find that someone else has put in a bid for $19. Now, with only 15 seconds left, you put in a bid for $20 and you win the auction because they don't have time to respond to your bid. Yes, you paid $2 more than you wanted to, but you bought the item, and you don't have to keep bidding on auction after auction. This is an example of manual bid-sniping.

Bid sniping software is nice because it allows you to conceal your highest bid (so someone can't outbid you by a dollar), and you can use it while you are away from your computer. It also lets you change your mind and lower your highest bid, or even cancel it, things that you can't do on eBay.

Thanks OP.

In my opinion, automated bid-sniping should be available as an ordinary eBay feature.
 
Once you have downloaded bidnobble.jar, you can just double-click it to run the program.
If that doesn't work, then you can use the method given by the OP.
 
Originally posted by: TheSource
what would happen if everyone had this?
Click to expand...

Then it wouldn't matter. See above posts, the only reason why this works is because no one puts in thier true maximum they will pay when they do a normal bid.

IMHO ebay should do something like extend the bidding by 5 or 10 mins everytime someone bids. Then this kinda thing wouldn't happen nearly as much and it would still accomodate the ppl who dont bid the max.
 
Originally posted by: Devistater
Originally posted by: TheSource
what would happen if everyone had this?
Click to expand...

Then it wouldn't matter. See above posts, the only reason why this works is because no one puts in thier true maximum they will pay when they do a normal bid.

IMHO ebay should do something like extend the bidding by 5 or 10 mins everytime someone bids. Then this kinda thing wouldn't happen nearly as much and it would still accomodate the ppl who dont bid the max.
Click to expand...

I used to work for eBay. Meg *hates* sniping programs. I expect sometime in the future they will rollout a plan to nix them.
 
When you bid on an item, you increase it's perceived value. Increasing perceived value causes other people to be more interested in an item that they would otherwise not been interested in. Also, people get possessive over their auctions and bid more than they were prepared to bid in the first place just to beat someone else who is competing with them. This is one reason that auctions (local and online) tend to be popular ways to sell stuff. On average, you get more than something is really worth. I've sold some stuff on ebay for over MSRP just because people got into a bidding war.

Yes, I know, if you've half a brain, then this should not have any effect on you. Evidently, many ebayers are not in possession of the minimum half-brain requirement. I've always wondered why ebay didn't have the anti-sniping "5 minute rule" that yahoo does. That would fix a lot. Then again, I sell more often then I buy on ebay, so I suppose I should just be happy.
 
Why don't we just make a new thread in HD for each "FREE SOFTWARE!" out there on the internet...... We can start with all of sourceforge first!!!
 
I've used auctionsniper for some time and have been very pleased with the results:
auctionsniper
I believe that the first 3 winning bids are free; then, they charge a fee based on the final bid amount. If all sellers were honest, sniping would be unnecessary. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
 
Originally posted by: Richard98
I've used auctionsniper for some time and have been very pleased with the results:
auctionsniper
I believe that the first 3 winning bids are free; then, they charge a fee based on the final bid amount. If all sellers were honest, sniping would be unnecessary. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Click to expand...


What does your method of bidding have to do with a seller's honesty? I see absolutely no correlation.

I'm an honest seller (700+fb in 7 yrs on eBay, with only 2 retaliatory negs) and I see sniping activity on my auctions.

I'm also a frequent bidder, and I usually snipe, though I don't use software for it. Seller honesty has never been a factor in whether I would snipe or not.
 
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