If you bid for a few things on eBay, the chances are that sooner or
later you'll end up getting your bid beaten at the very last second by
a 'sniper'. This can be a frustrating experience, and while in theory
sniping is against the rules and you can report it to eBay, in practice
they never do anything about it.
The bad news is that there's only one way to beat the sniper - and
that's to become the sniper. The good news, though, is that once you
understand sniping you can use it to win auctions at a far lower price
than you would otherwise.
Manual Sniping.
Manual sniping isn't that hard, if you have a lot of time to
spare and a reasonably fast Internet connection. Write down when each
auction that are bidding on ends, and then make sure that you're
sitting there in front of the page for that vital last minute. You can
then outbid the current winning bidder, or defend your own winning bid.
The only tip you really need to remember for manual sniping is
to make sure that you set your maximum bid quite high - otherwise you
might be automatically outbid, and the auction will have ended before
you can bid again.
Also, it's not worth your time to compete against someone who
is using an automated sniping service - if it's any good, then they
will always manage to outbid you. In the sniping arms race, you need to
find a sniper of your own.
Automatic Sniping.
If you type 'ebay sniping' into your favourite search engine,
you'll come up with plenty of online services that will snipe on your
behalf for a small fee. They usually let you have a free trial, so give
it a go.
If you don't want to pay each time for an online service, then you might be better off getting a piece of software like
Power Snipe.
You can pay for these once and use them for as long as you want. Once
you've installed the software on your computer, you tell it which
auctions you want sniped and the maximum amount you're willing to pay.
The software will then place the bid with only a few seconds left. The
only disadvantage is that you need to be able to leave your computer on
nearly all the time, or you might miss the end of some auctions.
A Sniping Alternative.
If this all sounds a bit too much like playing dirty for you,
then is another, more low-tech way to get around sniping. You can just
email the seller and say that you were sniped at the last minute but
would really like the item. If they have another to sell, the chances
are they'll agree to sell it to you for the price the auction closed
at.
Resources Box:
Jason James is a 10 year Internet marketing veteran
and an eBay Power Seller of 4 years. His website "The Auction
Resource Network" reveals his inside secrets, tips, and sources
that help him pocket over $10,000 per month on eBay. His proven step-by-step
system shows even users with little or no business experience how they
too can make huge profits selling products at online auctions.
Claim your FREE 14 Day "Learn How to Sell on eBay" e-Course Here:
http://www.auctionresourcenetwork.info
tweet this!