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Sniping on ebay...what happens when you snipe at the end and..

J

Jessica69

Senior member
You snipe 5 seconds from the close of the auction and you don't win because the high bidder has a higher max bid in place already and you don't beat it? I've always been fascinated by that....I read over and over that sniping is the way to bid on ebay....almost assures you the item and at a price that'd be a lot lower than if you tried bidding repeatedly over the course of the auction.

Case in point...I needed a complete set (two pairs) of brake pads for a bike I just bought that I'm rebuilding. Found a set of three pairs on ebay, put in a bid for them (I was the only bidder then) at an hour or so before the close, and went to town.

Came back to find the auction had closed two hours ago.....and of course, it got sniped a few seconds before the auction ended. Unfortunately, the sniper missed my max bid I'd put in by a few cents......so I won it and the sniper lost.

So in this case, sniping didn't work and the sniper had no time, due to putting in his bid close close to the end, to up his bid by .50 to beat me.....and a .50 bid would have beaten me. Worse still, the price I paid for all three sets is still below the retail price I'd have paid for one set anywhere else.

I have to chuckle when I see this happen....I've lost a few things to snipers, but I've also outsniped a sniper at the end, too, with a standing bid. Guess it cuts both ways.
 
The sniper has a set price they are willing to pay, and that is what they bid. If your bid was higher, they don't care, they weren't going to pay more anyway.
 
Originally posted by: arkcom
The sniper has a set price they are willing to pay, and that is what they bid. If your bid was higher, they don't care, they weren't going to pay more anyway.
Click to expand...

This.

They're going for a deal. If they're not going to get a deal they don't want it.
 
in that case you were willing to pay more than they were, so they are still satisfied with the outcome. sniping isn't about winning, it's about providing the best possible chance at winning something at the price you want.
 
Originally posted by: rezinn
I always thought ebay should extend auctions 5 minutes for every bid placed near the end.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but who wants to plan their lives around their ebay auctions? A lot of people probably won't have guaranteed internet access in the minutes before their auction ends, and after if the auction is extended. Plus what if the auction ends at an odd time, like Tuesday morning at 4:31 AM?

 
Originally posted by: Jessica69
You snipe 5 seconds from the close of the auction and you don't win because the high bidder has a higher max bid in place already and you don't beat it? I've always been fascinated by that....I read over and over that sniping is the way to bid on ebay....almost assures you the item and at a price that'd be a lot lower than if you tried bidding repeatedly over the course of the auction.

Case in point...I needed a complete set (two pairs) of brake pads for a bike I just bought that I'm rebuilding. Found a set of three pairs on ebay, put in a bid for them (I was the only bidder then) at an hour or so before the close, and went to town.

Came back to find the auction had closed two hours ago.....and of course, it got sniped a few seconds before the auction ended. Unfortunately, the sniper missed my max bid I'd put in by a few cents......so I won it and the sniper lost.

So in this case, sniping didn't work and the sniper had no time, due to putting in his bid close close to the end, to up his bid by .50 to beat me.....and a .50 bid would have beaten me. Worse still, the price I paid for all three sets is still below the retail price I'd have paid for one set anywhere else.

I have to chuckle when I see this happen....I've lost a few things to snipers, but I've also outsniped a sniper at the end, too, with a standing bid. Guess it cuts both ways.
Click to expand...

In the gu... wait, wrong thread.

Shut up Mabis!
 
Sniping allows you to watch, not bid early and therefore not contribute to the price being driven up. But like you said, if someone has a high bid or the same high bid, but sooner, they win. I have been known to do a little sniping with < 10 seconds left, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I never bid until the end, some great deals can be had this way.
 
Originally posted by: rezinn
I always thought ebay should extend auctions 5 minutes for every bid placed near the end.
Click to expand...

Forza 2 does this, though it's 2 minutes 😀
 
I won a sniper today by 12 cents. my last auction, I manually beat the sniper but my auction went from $112 to $137 :/
 
Originally posted by: arkcom
The sniper has a set price they are willing to pay, and that is what they bid. If your bid was higher, they don't care, they weren't going to pay more anyway.
Click to expand...

That, and this.

Originally posted by: dethman
in that case you were willing to pay more than they were, so they are still satisfied with the outcome. sniping isn't about winning, it's about providing the best possible chance at winning something at the price you want.
Click to expand...
 
I usually snipe when I'm bidding. The important rule, like it should be in ALL auctions, is to know exactly what your maximum bid is. You put that in and, with eBay's automatic bidding system behind the scenes, your bid will actually be entered at less than that, just enough to beat the existing high bidder, as long as it does not exceed your max. And yes, you don't get a second chance to raise your max. So you have to be happy to miss out on something that another person was willing to "overbid" on, in your eyes.

This whole thing gets distorted a little with the automatic sniper services you can pay for, but I've never used them. Seems to me, though, that they might be useful for bidding at an impossible time, like in the middle of your boss' promotion party.
 
Originally posted by: rezinn
I always thought ebay should extend auctions 5 minutes for every bid placed near the end.
Click to expand...

What a terrible idea! I insist that you remove your post right this second!:laugh:
Seriously that is a bad idea. Part of what makes the auction fun is the psychology of it all. The truth is that sniping is no sin and shouldn't even be frowned upon. The wise man decides ahead of time the maximum he is willing to pay for the item and that's how much he bids and he doesn't look back. Now if the wise man has time to kill he may refrain from putting the bid in until the last few seconds and this will help to keep the ill-disciplined bidders from chasing up the bid. With this strategy the wise bidder wins regardless of when he tosses in his bid. With the idea you have suggested you remove the tactic of the wise man and always encourage the undisciplined bidder. In the short term this may seem fantastic for the seller but I believe in the long run this would turn off many an experienced buyer as myself.
 
Originally posted by: arkcom
The sniper has a set price they are willing to pay, and that is what they bid. If your bid was higher, they don't care, they weren't going to pay more anyway.
Click to expand...

This is how eBay works in general. I never bid on an item more than once and never more than I am willing to pay. If I get outbid, well that's it, I wouldn't have paid more anyway.
 
winning by sniping prevents someone from placing a bid, seeing that it was lower than yours by proxy, and then deciding to bid again, and again, and again, thereby driving up the price of the item beyond what it might have gone for.

basically, sniping would be worthless if everyone just put their maximum bid into proxy and that way it. but because people will say, 'well, a dollar more won't hurt,' sniping is almost required.
 
Originally posted by: Special K
Originally posted by: rezinn
I always thought ebay should extend auctions 5 minutes for every bid placed near the end.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but who wants to plan their lives around their ebay auctions? A lot of people probably won't have guaranteed internet access in the minutes before their auction ends, and after if the auction is extended. Plus what if the auction ends at an odd time, like Tuesday morning at 4:31 AM?
Click to expand...

Sniping is good for buyers, because they end up getting the item for less than they would have paid at a normal auction. Guess what though - it's at the expense of the seller. Ever stop and wonder how many people have just given up on selling on ebay, because not only do you have to deal with all the fees, but you also have to deal with sniping. Sure, you can set a minimum price - for another fee. With sniping, sellers quite often don't get fair market value. As far as watching an auction that ends at an oddball time - proxy bid the max you're willing to pay and everyone wins.

Personally, I spend far more time on another auction site than on ebay.
 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Originally posted by: Special K
Originally posted by: rezinn
I always thought ebay should extend auctions 5 minutes for every bid placed near the end.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but who wants to plan their lives around their ebay auctions? A lot of people probably won't have guaranteed internet access in the minutes before their auction ends, and after if the auction is extended. Plus what if the auction ends at an odd time, like Tuesday morning at 4:31 AM?
Click to expand...

Sniping is good for buyers, because they end up getting the item for less than they would have paid at a normal auction. Guess what though - it's at the expense of the seller. Ever stop and wonder how many people have just given up on selling on ebay, because not only do you have to deal with all the fees, but you also have to deal with sniping. Sure, you can set a minimum price - for another fee. With sniping, sellers quite often don't get fair market value. As far as watching an auction that ends at an oddball time - proxy bid the max you're willing to pay and everyone wins.

Personally, I spend far more time on another auction site than on ebay.
Click to expand...

The only reason the sellers don't get more money in auctions that have sniping is because the snipers are taking advantage of the stupidity of other bidders. If everyone would make a single proxy bid that represented the true max amount they were willing to pay for the item, then the seller would end up with a "fair" price for the item.

Unfortunately, most people on ebay are not that rational. Instead of bidding the max amount they are willing to pay, they bid the minimum amount needed to lead the auction at that moment. Once they are outbid, they will then place another minimum bet to again take the lead. This process continues until the auction ends. A sniper just prevents them from making a string of $5 bets at the last second.

Also, I'm not sure how you define "fair market value" here. Isn't fair market value in an auction determined by the bidders?
 
Originally posted by: ElFenix
winning by sniping prevents someone from placing a bid, seeing that it was lower than yours by proxy, and then deciding to bid again, and again, and again, thereby driving up the price of the item beyond what it might have gone for.

basically, sniping would be worthless if everyone just put their maximum bid into proxy and that way it. but because people will say, 'well, a dollar more won't hurt,' sniping is almost required.
Click to expand...

Except when the sniping service fails you. 🙁
 
I disagree that "market value" is the value it sells at - particularly because there are too many stupid people who when the auction abruptly ends with a snipe, think to themselves, "wow, if I had more time, I would have bid another dollar."

All E-bay needs to do is extend "auctions" 60 seconds after the last bid - like in a real auction.
 
Everything I've ever wanted to win on ebay I sniped within the last 30 sec. It is enough time for you to put in a couple bids in case. Personal max bid still applies but sniping allows the item to not be bid up over its duration. If you want an item bad enough for the cheapest possible price, this is the only way to go.

Originally posted by: Pale Rider
Originally posted by: arkcom
The sniper has a set price they are willing to pay, and that is what they bid. If your bid was higher, they don't care, they weren't going to pay more anyway.
Click to expand...

This is how eBay works in general. I never bid on an item more than once and never more than I am willing to pay. If I get outbid, well that's it, I wouldn't have paid more anyway.
Click to expand...

If you hadn't set your max bid, someone may have set theirs at a price lower and be content. You, as the sniper, can swoop in at the last few seconds and put in your real intended max price. You are trying keep it at the lowest win price, even if your max price was a lot higher. If you don't have the time to watch it, that's another story, but why let it get bid up otherwise? I can always say "I'll pay another dollar for that" when someone sees someone else's max price so that's why you don't want to show your hand early.
 
Originally posted by: DrPizza
Originally posted by: Special K
Originally posted by: rezinn
I always thought ebay should extend auctions 5 minutes for every bid placed near the end.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but who wants to plan their lives around their ebay auctions? A lot of people probably won't have guaranteed internet access in the minutes before their auction ends, and after if the auction is extended. Plus what if the auction ends at an odd time, like Tuesday morning at 4:31 AM?
Click to expand...

Sniping is good for buyers, because they end up getting the item for less than they would have paid at a normal auction. Guess what though - it's at the expense of the seller. Ever stop and wonder how many people have just given up on selling on ebay, because not only do you have to deal with all the fees, but you also have to deal with sniping. Sure, you can set a minimum price - for another fee. With sniping, sellers quite often don't get fair market value. As far as watching an auction that ends at an oddball time - proxy bid the max you're willing to pay and everyone wins.

Personally, I spend far more time on another auction site than on ebay.
Click to expand...

Then sellers need to quit setting their starting bid at $0.99! If they start their auction that low, then they need to set a reserve bid. Starting bids that low say "hey, I will sell this for whatever you'll give," and it brings out all the crazy bidders because they will only bid enough to take the lead. Plus they do it to screw over ebay(which I don't care) on their already low initial fee, I doubt ebay is going to throw them a line to help.
 
Originally posted by: Jessica69
You snipe 5 seconds from the close of the auction and you don't win because the high bidder has a higher max bid in place already and you don't beat it? I've always been fascinated by that....I read over and over that sniping is the way to bid on ebay....almost assures you the item and at a price that'd be a lot lower than if you tried bidding repeatedly over the course of the auction.

Case in point...I needed a complete set (two pairs) of brake pads for a bike I just bought that I'm rebuilding. Found a set of three pairs on ebay, put in a bid for them (I was the only bidder then) at an hour or so before the close, and went to town.

Came back to find the auction had closed two hours ago.....and of course, it got sniped a few seconds before the auction ended. Unfortunately, the sniper missed my max bid I'd put in by a few cents......so I won it and the sniper lost.

So in this case, sniping didn't work and the sniper had no time, due to putting in his bid close close to the end, to up his bid by .50 to beat me.....and a .50 bid would have beaten me. Worse still, the price I paid for all three sets is still below the retail price I'd have paid for one set anywhere else.

I have to chuckle when I see this happen....I've lost a few things to snipers, but I've also outsniped a sniper at the end, too, with a standing bid. Guess it cuts both ways.
Click to expand...

I know this is sorta an old thread, but c'mon really? You don't know what happens if you snipe and the high bid person has a higher max bid?

You don't win. Is it really that hard to understand?
 
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