I've been outbid twice tonight in the final second on some Penton items...I hate Auction Sniper! To me it seems like doing steroids to hit a home run.
Completely Frustrated Chakka
I too have been hit by the Auction Sniper and it is really unfair. Either we have to live with it or start using it too!
Donny Smith
Yeah, it is sorta like getting passed in the last turn when you think you have won the race. Where in the h--- did he come from?
Tony
I refuse to use a sniper service. I kind of like the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. It makes me feel like I've actually earned it, to say the least. I only have dial up in my area, and I have to count down the final seconds while taking into consideration the computer being slower than usual more often than not. Mike
Michael R. Winter
1974 250 Harescrambler
1975 250 HS Project
1977 250 MC5 Project
1978 250 MX6
1979 250 KTM Project
1980 250 MX KTM
I usualy put in a high bid on something early on in the game. This has worked well when I bid at auction for art. It tends to intimdate the other bidders. This when other bidders in the comunity know you will pay above market they tend to not bid. The only exception is Zundapp stuff which sells for crazy prices. I only real bid on stuff I need now and that list has been getting a lot shorter.
I feel your pain Chakka. I've been beaten numerous times in the final seconds, but if I'm bidding on something I really want, I'll usually put my highest bid down early in the auction. Then at the end nears, I sit down and evaluate the price and see how badly I really want it. If I think I want it worse than the price I've already posted, I'll up my maximum to a level that I'm comfortable with. If I lose the item, so be it, they'll be another one some other time, and maybe I'll be ready to pay more for it then or maybe (and this has happened a number of times) the next time, the item won't go as high as it did this time. Beyond that, I've got a lot of patience.
I don't suppose that this method is what E-bay was created for, but that's how I use it. Sorry to hear of your frustration and I hope you find what you're looking for, next time for less.
Dane
I couldn't agree more with the comments of Desmond and Dane. You have to seriously evaluate just exactly how much you want something. If you're not dead set, put in a low-ball bid and let it ride. If you are, go big or go home.
I was outbid at the 11th hour recently, but it was OK because I had set a limit, and that was it.
Having said that, could someone explain "sniper service". Was I outbid in the example above because someone was using some kind of automated program? I kind of assumed that it was someone just a little more savvy than me...and with slightly more motivation/deeper pockets.
A little enlightment on that point would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
If ebay would run a auction like an auction that would fix snipers. What I have in mind is if someone bids on something at the last minute the auction is extended for another minute and so on, just like the real deal.