A desperate person could place a high bid, then initiate a massive DDoS
attack on eBay's servers so nobody could bid. Hehe...

Seriously though, I wonder how much the eBay world would change if they
implemented anti-sniping measures like so many other auction sites. I could
just see a mob of fanatic bidders outside of eBay's corporate offices in the
middle of the night with pitchforks and torches ready to storm the castle.
eBay has stated though that "sniping is part of the auction experience", and
I guess as long as the sellers don't complain too much why should they
bother?

One thing I like is when someone ends an auction a little early and sells to
the current high-bidder (rare, but I've seen it). It just makes me feel all
warm and fuzzy inside knowing all those people that wanted to snipe at the
last second missed out.

For really hot items that I know there are going to be a ton of snipe bids,
I usually don't even bother with since I know it will go past my price
range. But they are always fun to watch and see how the bidding turned out.
Quite often you know there is some person swearing because they squeezed in
the last bid at the last second, but unfortunately were not the highest bid.
It's a double-edged sword.

Jason

As far as I am concerned, I had given up on eBay (I am not a gambler by
nature) when I found out about sniping services. I am now a regular
user, buyer and seller.
I absolutely have no interest in bidding on eBay without sniping, unless
it's BIN.

With sniping, I decide how much I am willing to pay for something, I put
my bid in bidnip and forget about it. If I win, great, if I don't, I
look for something else. All I need to do is check my mail in the
morning to find out if I won. I don't have to subject myself to the
anxiety of seeing my bid being surpassed and the temptation of bidding
more that I should.

Another advantage, if I actually change my mind at the last minute, I
cancel the bid in bidnip and I am done. I typically set my bid to 3
seconds before the end, so I have plenty of time to change my mind.

I don't need to be in front of the computer, it takes the emotion out of
buying stuff, which is good for me. I feel no rush in the last seconds.

The seller is free to remove his item at the last minute, or sell it to
someone else at any time, and that's fine with me, would be the same
outcome if my bid is not the highest. As the prospective buyer, I have
no right until I won something.

On hot items, I sometimes bid on a dozen or more items until one happens
to end up in my price range and I get it. And that's fine with me. If I
really, really NEED something, I go to the store or find one that has
BIN on eBay.

The only downside is when the item has a reserve and I am the only
bidder. I have "won" a number of items which I did not get because they
were below the reserve.  By the way, it has nothing to do with sniping,
you have the same problem if you bid by hand. Reserve prices really get
me fuming and should be abolished. If you want to make sure you get no
less than a certain amount or not sell your item, set the starting price
there and at least everyone knows where you stand. As a result, I
typically do not bid on reserve items.

No pain, all gain :-)

Didier

Jason Rabel wrote:

Didier Juges wrote:

As I understand it, if your proxy bid is below the reserve, it will
get recorded at the usual bid increment.  If your proxy bid is above
the reserve, it will get recorded at the reserve amount... at least
that is they way it has worked for me.

-Chuck Harris

Yep, if your bid meets or exceeds the reserve, then the price bumps to the
reserve price.

However, I've often discovered people that set reserves usually want way too
much for their item. Even people that go in a bidding frenzy often end up
below the reserve price.

I think it is just another way for eBay to make money, since I've often seen
people list an item with a minimum price, and a reserve. Another odd combo
is when you see them list a high minimum price, but also a BIN with the same
price (or a dollar more)... They are just flushing money down the drain when
they do that. shrug

Jason Rabel wrote:

And I would join them.  Who has time to sit in front of the browser
watching bids?  If you do,  get a life.  Auction Sniping FOREVER.

Bob

--
AMSAT Director and VP Engineering. Member: ARRL, AMSAT-DL,
TAPR, Packrats, NJQRP, QRP ARCI, QCWA, FRC. ARRL SDR WG Chair
"If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or
else you're going to be locked up." Hunter S. Thompson

I believe this is correct, that is where sniping does not work too well
(manually or automatically). If you wait for the last second, and your
bid is below the reserve, you may not even realize until after the
auction is over. It actually still works the way I want it to. I bid as
high as I am willing to pay, and if it's too low, I don't get the item.
Pretty simple. Frustrating, but simple :-)

It means simply that when there is a reserve and I am the only bidder,
and my bid is below the reserve, I win the auction but don't get the
goods. That's the way the seller wants it, so that's fine with me.

Honestly, the other reason I don't bid on items with a reserve is that
usually the reserve is above what I am willing to pay, so it would be a
waste of time to bid on it, sniping or not. I am not cheap, just thrifty...

Didier

Chuck Harris wrote: