How Can You Defeat Ebay Snipers?

If you're bidding for items on eBay, sooner or later you'll end up having your bid beaten at the very last second by a "sniper". This can be a frustrating experience. In theory sniping is against the rules and you can report it to eBay. In practice, however, they never do anything about it.

The best way to beat the sniper is to become the sniper. Once you understand the process of sniping, you can use it to win more auctions, more often, and at a lower price than you would otherwise pay.

Sniping Manually

If you have a lot of time to spare and a reasonably fast Internet connection, sniping manually is not all that difficult. Make a note of the time when the auction you are bidding on will end. Then make sure you're sitting in front of the page at that vital last minute. Then just outbid the current winning bidder, or defend your own winning bid.

Here's a valuable tip to remember for manual sniping: make sure you set your maximum bid quite high. Otherwise you risk being automatically outbid, and the auction will have ended before you can bid again.

It's not worth your time to compete against someone who is using an automated sniping service. If their service is any good, they will always manage to outbid you. In the sniping arms race, you need to find a sniper on full auto.

Sniping In The Age Of Automation

If you enter "ebay sniping" into your favorite search engine, you'll find a long list of online services that will snipe on your behalf for a small fee. They usually offer a free trial, so give it a go.

If you don't want to pay each time for an online service, then you can buy sniping software outright -- for example, SnipeRight or ISnipeIt (just add a ".com" to the name to find them on the internet). You pay once and use them as much as you want.

After 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 then places your bid in the last few seconds of bidding. One drawback to this method 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.

An Alternative To Sniping

If you're reluctant to lower yourself to "playing dirty," then there 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 unit to sell, chances are they'll agree to sell it to you for the price at which the auction closed.

Good luck, good sniping, and good shopping.

Visit http://www.shop-ebay-now.com to learn more. Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer, visit his website at http://www.ronxking.com

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact and the links live.

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Comments on this article:

» left by Anonymous (1 year 207 days ago.)

Sniping is not forbidden, not even in theory. In fact, "it's a part of ebay experience" as stated on ebay web site. As for the automated tools, author forgot to mention online sniping services (e.g. Gixen, Auctionsniper, Bidnapper etc). This is way more reliable sniping than software that relies on your computer being on and home internet connection being undisturbed.
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» left by Gary from Leesburg, VA (1 year 180 days ago.)

Sniping is not "playing dirty" - eBay explicitly allows it. It's just a bidding behavior. What's more, there is good evidence (search Google for "cruentidei", who wrote the analysis) that sniping is not only not bad for anybody, but any other system you could come up with is more unfair and can easily be abused such that the result is worse than sniping.

Also, your alternative to sniping is far worse, and eBay DOES specifically discourage that type of off-eBay transaction: partly because eBay does not make any money on them, of course ... but also because you have no protection.

I'll take my chances with the snipers and snipe myself. I see nothing illegal or immoral about it. After all, snipers go to eBay for the same reason you do: to get items I want at the best prices I can get. Their technique is just different and works for them.
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» left by Anonymous (357 days 18 hours ago.)
well gary if you see nothing wrong with it why do you people always have to defend sniping
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» left by ruepreckt (304 days 12 hours ago.)

There is absolutely, positively, nothing 'wrong' with sniping on Ebay. The sniper bid higher than you, correct? If you wanted the item more, BID MORE, you'll win then.....Sincerely, Seasoned Sniper, Counter-Sniper, Death by Sniper, Lost Item by Sniper
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» left by Anonymous (222 days 4 hours ago.)
If ebay really wanted they could discourage the practice by doing what live auctions do, You extend the auction say 5 minutes after each bid, Then the person willing to pay more for the item would get it. But where's the fun in that, says ebay, then most buyers would not buy at all, and since I really don't give a rat ass that the seller gets the maximum price, I'll allow sniping...more buyer more money...muahahah.
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» left by Anonymous (144 days 10 hours ago.)

I have had to result to sniping just to beat the snipers. I do not agree with it. And I do not agree with the "highest Price" theory. If I am willing to pay $20 for an item, and that is "about" the highest I figure I'll go, then how is it fair that item gets sniped at the last second for $20.50. I think I would have been willing to add the extra $.50! IF that person was willing to pay $50 and I was not, then THAT would be fair. Lets face it, sniping is done by those who want the item for the cheapest possible. Wanting a good bargain is GREAT, but not when you sneakily prevent others from having a chance to get what you want. This is unfair to the seller and to those who would be willing to pay a bit more as I previously mentioned. I would like to be fair, and wait and see what bidder is willing to eventually pay more than I ( like auctions in PERSON) but I have had to result to this technique to fight all those who do it. I just think it is rude and bad etiquette and selfish and cheap, but hey, I guess in cyber auctions, you fight fire with fire. Happy sniping, I'll be sniping ya right back.

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» left by Jason (112 days 15 hours ago.)

I think sniping is BS and eBay CAN put in measures in place to stop it: How? Well real live auctions use a "going once, going twice" technique and do not end at an arbitrary point in time. If a bid comes in at the very last second, it should extend the length of the auction (within limits). Some sellers might not like this because it extends the time until they get paid BUT it will lead to higher sale prices. Ebay snipers artificially surpress prices because they are preventing another bidder from winning who was ready and willing to pay more for the item than what the item was won for.

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» left by DexX from Australia (101 days ago.)

Sniping hurts the seller. If two or more bidders are willing to go higher, sniping prevents them from bidding against each other and therefore suppresses the maximum price the item could go for. Anyone who says it's hurting nobody is delusional. If I'm happy to pay $50 for an item but some sniping p---k snipes me at the last second and gets the item for $40, then I miss out on the item I wanted and the seller misses out on money. Snipers suck.

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» left by Glen Morrah from Portland, Orgeon (53 days 4 hours ago.)

If you are happy to pay $50 for an item, then why don't you put down $50 as your maximum bid?  Why do you complain because someone got it for $40 when you "were happy to pay $50?"  You too want the best price you can get.  The seller missed out on getting the higher price because you were too cheap to enter it.  Not because of sniping.  Snipers will only put the maximum they will pay.  Do the same and you might win.
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» left by Anonymous (95 days 11 hours ago.)

I love sniping, it is an adrenelin rush and pure fun. It is matching wits with other bidders and taking an item away from them at the last seconds. And what;s wrong with that, afterall I want the item just as bad. If I couldn't snipe, I probably would quit bidding. So go suck a lemon yourself spoilsport.

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» left by Anonymous (79 days 9 hours ago.)

The thing about sniping is that you have been waiting for an item for a very long time, that you have really been preparing to get it, that you have waited your time and outbid everyone else and at the last second, some person decides to snipe and you lose your item. It isn't fair, it isn't fun, and I've lost a lot of items to it. There is not a good way to beat this act of extreme annoyance. The best way is when you know the time is approaching when sniping will occur, be near your computer and your phone, and make sure that you et automatic updates as to when it is bid on. if you are sniped, then bid as fast as you can and hope for the best. My only other words are don't snipe unless it's something you've been bidding on. Don't be the fag who suddenly appears and takes away someone's item.

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» left by Anonymous (73 days 16 hours ago.)

EBay’s definition of sniping:

 

Sniping

 

Placing a bid in the closing minutes or seconds of an auction-style listing. Any bid, placed before the listing ends, is allowed on eBay. To protect yourself from being outbid at the last moment, enter the maximum amount you're willing to pay for an item up front, and eBay will bid automatically for you, making sure you're the high bidder until your maximum is reached. This system is sometimes called proxy bidding.

 

Proxy Bidding

 

The feature of an auction-style listing in which eBay automatically bids on the buyer's behalf, up to the maximum amount they set. Enter the maximum amount you're willing to spend on an item, and eBay will continue to bid incrementally for you until either you're the high bidder or your maximum is reached. This means you don't have to keep coming back to bid every time someone else places a bid.

 

eBay likes sniping, so if you don't like being sniped buy your items elsewhere. I don't like being sniped so I don't use eBay. I go to Amazon.

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