It's a cruel world out there and I am not proud of using a sniping service (one that enters a bid in the last seconds of an auction) but I am competing against other people who do.
I have used vrane.com for years, but it is not available. I see comments on the Ebay forum that they might have blocked snipers, but I'm not sure that's true, looking at the bidding of auctions I have followed.
Any recommendations for a new sniper service.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Henry,
I've used eSnipe for 10 or so years and have had good success with them. Any item(s) that I've lost out on I've been outbid.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
Sniping........................................
"I like my Pullman Standards & Budds in Stainless Steel flavors, thank you!"
Fair comment, but Ebay could easily prevent others from using this technique.
In a well known auction site, that sells things that cannot be mentioned in this forum; if there is a last minute bid, the auction automatically extends for 15 minutes.
Ebay has the programmers to make that happen in the time it took you to read this post.
BigDaddy In a well known auction site, that sells things that cannot be mentioned in this forum; if there is a last minute bid, the auction automatically extends for 15 minutes. Ebay has the programmers to make that happen in the time it took you to read this post.
I have never used a snipign service in I don't even remember how many years of using ebay.
Things I've lost to last second snipers - almost always go for more than I was willing to pay anyway.
Thing is, there's nothing I want THAT bad that I can't just wait for the next one. And there is nothign that is actually and truly one of a kind that I would want, I don't collect trains, I run trains.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I joined eBay on 09/SEP/1999 (9/9/99), and have enjoyed it a lot.
.
The code for eBay and all the terms of service were written in a hurry in the mid 1990s. The rigid end time for eBay auctions will stay. It is not simply a matter of changing the code, it effects a lot of other things.
There have been articles written about it.
Back to original subject... I snipe the old fashioned way. I have never used a sniping service.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I don't use a service, I do as Kevin does. Watching and waiting. I'll getcha'
Mike.
My You Tube
I decide how much I'm willing to pay.
I bid that and either win it or not.
Disclaimer: This post may contain humor, sarcasm, and/or flatulence.
Michael Mornard
Bringing the North Woods to South Dakota!
Bayfield Transfer RailwayI decide how much I'm willing to pay. I bid that and either win it or not.
I do the same, but that's not "sniping".
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
When I really want to win, I do win. There are other bidding strategies as well. And I also snipe the old fashioned way sometimes.
John
I have never become a victim of auction fever. When bidding, I just enter the maximum amount I am willing to pay for the object and that´s it. If someone outbids me it´s just fine.
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
I decide how much I'm willing to pay place my bid and let the chips (bids?) fall where they may.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
For all of the above reasons, I rarely participate in auctions, preferring the Buy It Now format instead. In the very few instances, when something that I really wanted was in the auction format, I have participated and never lost. I use my own brand of proprietary sniping. It is called, I won't be outbid.
Rich
Alton Junction
I'm with Rich, given a choice I will use "buy it now" or "best offer" first. With auctions, there are two choices, set it and forget it, or decide not to be out bid.
This may upset someone, but sniping is for those who think they are going to "get over" on someone and get a lower price by beating someone to the trigger.
Fact is, if that other person was really prepared to pay more, they would have bid more in the first place.
Remember, the winning bid is driven by the next lowest bid, not your max bid.
You either want it or you don't. Concerns about proxies driving up prices are overblown......
Sheldon
Look, if it's hard to find and I really want it, one can use a little psychology on other would-be bidders. Placing an early bid that is absolutely the highest I'm willing to pay sometimes seems to psyche people out. They keep bidding and realize that one has put in a high bid, and at some point they just give up and then sometimes I actually get the items at a good price.
Some items are hard to find and may only show up once a year or so...
PRR8259 Look, if it's hard to find and I really want it, one can use a little psychology on other would-be bidders. Placing an early bid that is absolutely the highest I'm willing to pay sometimes seems to psyche people out. They keep bidding and realize that one has put in a high bid, and at some point they just give up and then sometimes I actually get the items at a good price.
My decision to use a sniping proxy is generally one of convenience in the event that I cannot be at my computer to place my max bid during the waning seconds before an auction ends. I do think that sniping does sometimes help in keeping the bid low as long as possible to avoid the "stupid" bidders from jacking the price up prematurely.
What I don't understand are bidders that will bid close to the asking price 6 days and 23 hrs into a 7-day auction. I prefer to place my max bid - either directly on eBay or indirectly via a sniping proxy - and let it go. If it is an item I REALLY want then I might go back and change the max bid later on to compensate for the anticipated trend in bidding. However, i I get outbid; I get outbid and move on. More often and not the item will show up again - maybe even at a lower final bid or Buy It Now price than the one that I was outbid on.
Patience is definitely a virtue when it comes to bidding and finding bargains on eBay. They are out there and I've gotten some pretty sweet deals over the years on the majority of my locomotive stock.
tstage I do think that sniping does sometimes help in keeping the bid low as long as possible to avoid the "stupid" bidders from jacking the price up prematurely.
Yes, if you can't bid low lust to add the item to your active list, sniping will help keep the price low.
That is unless two other bidders put in fair price bids 6 days and 23 hours to go... then the seller wins.
tstageWhat I don't understand are bidders that will bid close to the asking price 6 days and 23 hrs into a 7-day auction.
They think the price is fair, are willing to pay it, are reluctant to have to pay it, and want to ensure that the auction process produces what eBay designed it to: their automatic bid just one bidding increment higher than 'anyone else' who expressed an interest ... including any late snipers who set a lower 'ceiling' on their bidding.
Often accompanied by a last-minute higher bid (or sniping bid) "just in case" demand for the item goes above the asking price. I've seen this happen a couple of times when the seller initially provided a BIN that turned out to be 'under market' but early bidders were stupid or got greedy -- here, too, "the seller wins" if the bids get sniped up late.
Many times, I don;t have the time to sit around and stare at the ayction timer, or an auction ends at an odd time for me. So I may very well go put in my best offier well before the end. The only reason the bid would jump up to that level is if others have already bid. If the opening bid is 99 cents and I put in 2 dollars, the bid is standing at 99 cents unless someone else has bid say $1.50.
I've won plenty like that, too, rather than waiting to the last few seconds and sniping.
People tend to want to buy things for as low a price as they can get them rather than paying the maximum price they are willing to pay.
I think there are enough auctions where bidders are bidding because the price is low enough, not because they really want the item that badly. They stop bidding once it shows they are in the lead, but they are willing to step back in as long as the next winning bid is still low.
I wouldn't just want to put up my big bid early, because the guys who want it for a low price will keep bidding until they are leading. They will eventually get tired when they can never outbid my existing bid, but they would have run up the price in the mean time.
I let those guys keep the bidding low, then snipe my big bid near the end and get it for a dollar more than they bid, rather than bidding early and giving them 6 days to fiddle around with running up the bids while never truly leading.
That's why as a seller, I never start my bid at 99 cents. I start it with what I think market value is for the item. Most of the time, I sell things with only one bid, but I have been surprised when something does sell for much more than that.
- Douglas
For me, this past year, if I start the bid or buy it now price at a level that approximates the actual value of the item, it invariably gets no bids or no offers at all. I had to ship out some high value merchandise to those dealers who still handle consignments, because my fair opening bids on Ebay received no bids despite my very nearly perfect rating and very fast shipping.
In the past, I have had success with $1 minimum bids on brass models, and I have also been burned. However, if you cancel late a second time Ebay charges you a 10% fee for their having done nothing. Also the minimum reserve price fee is now very painful.
PRR8259 For me, this past year, if I start the bid or buy it now price at a level that approximates the actual value of the item, it invariably gets no bids or no offers at all. I had to ship out some high value merchandise to those dealers who still handle consignments, because my fair opening bids on Ebay received no bids despite my very nearly perfect rating and very fast shipping. In the past, I have had success with $1 minimum bids on brass models, and I have also been burned. However, if you cancel late a second time Ebay charges you a 10% fee for their having done nothing. Also the minimum reserve price fee is now very painful.
Selling things at BIN price isn't working as well. Ebay has a feature where a seller can offer discounts to watchers of the items. I've noticed that I get a bunch of watchers for my BIN items, but never any transaction. It like they are just waiting for me to offer ten percent off.
It becomes a bit like an auction, except in reverse.
So to offset, I suppose a seller should set a BIN now price higher than they really want, then send out discounts to the watchers at the real price.
mbinsewi Bayfield Transfer Railway I decide how much I'm willing to pay. I bid that and either win it or not. I do the same, but that's not "sniping". Mike.
Bayfield Transfer Railway I decide how much I'm willing to pay. I bid that and either win it or not.
Which was pretty much my implied point.
DoughlessThey stop bidding once it shows they are in the lead, but they are willing to step back in as long as the next winning bid is still low.
I think that is exactly the way an auction is supposed to work. Get two bidders bidding against one another, and you should get close to a fair price.
Auctions are not supposed to get all the way up to a fair retail price. They are intended to sell (liquidate) everything as quickly as possible.
I love auctions, I prefer real life to eBay, but I spend more on eBay.
DoughlessSo to offset, I suppose a seller should set a BIN now price higher than they really want, then send out discounts to the watchers at the real price.
That's called "marketing". Online and b&m stores, as well as "infomercial" stuff that is sold on TV have used this tactic to sell merchanise for years. They tell you what the MSRP or going price is for an item then discount it to give you the [false] notion (aka "the hook") that you're getting a bargin. Asking price and "worth" are two totally separate things. You also have to watch out for S&H cost that a seller might use to recoup some of the loss they are taking for selling an item or items at lower cost.
I think the automotive and residential services (window replacement, carpet cleaning, etc.) use marketing tactics the most often. Ask 10 people on the street which offer sounds better:
25% off all tires
or
Purchase 3 tires and get the 4th one FREE
I'd be willing to guess that more than 50% would say the latter. (In fact, they're both exactly the same.) It's just a numbers game. Folks hear the word "free" and they lose all sense of reasoning. And there's "the hook" for selling someone four new tires for their car, or replacement windows for their house.
Seems to me that the people who get red in the face about sniping on Ebay are those who do not regularly attend "real" live auctions for art or other high value things.
As a former boss of mine once said (and he did this to the English language on a regular basis): "Dave, it's a dog eat world out there."
Dave Nelson