Sniper software: how do you beat it?
gemtone65
Posts: 901 ✭✭✭
It's bad enough when a human waits to the last few seconds to outbid you. Now we have software that presumably is much more efficient. I'd like to understand the capabilities of this software, how it operates, and how fast it can resubmit a bid.
I don't like to snipe, but admit I have been forced to do so to remain competitive. In the past, one of my bidding strategies was to bid with a minute or so left, thereby affording any interested parties the opportunity to submit one final bid. But, with the sniping software, it seems that even with a few seconds left the mecahnical bidder can submit many consecutive bids. However, presumably, the speed of consecutive bids is limited by the notification process that you are not the high bidder. Are software snipers subject to this same restriction? Is there a way to speed up the human re-bid upon notification that you are still not the high bidder?
The other benefit of software sniping appears to be very accurate timing of bids near the end of the sale, thereby preventing competitors from submitting a counter bid. These software bids appear to be very consistent. In contrast, even with a stopwatch, I find significant variation in when my bids are processed. For example, if I submit my bid 30 seconds before closing, it might "hit" at 15 seconds, 10 seconds, and occasionally it doesn't get hit in time. But, the software sniper bids always seem to end within a second or two of the planned time, i.e., 5 seconds before closing. Can someone explain why this occurs?
In short, what is the best overall ending strategy to deal with sniper bids? Please don't say the answer is to simply submit my maximum bid early on. We all should know by now that that is a risky and often times losing strategy. This is especially the case when the market price is not well-defined, such as for monster toned coins, exotic patterns, low pop pieces, etc.
I don't like to snipe, but admit I have been forced to do so to remain competitive. In the past, one of my bidding strategies was to bid with a minute or so left, thereby affording any interested parties the opportunity to submit one final bid. But, with the sniping software, it seems that even with a few seconds left the mecahnical bidder can submit many consecutive bids. However, presumably, the speed of consecutive bids is limited by the notification process that you are not the high bidder. Are software snipers subject to this same restriction? Is there a way to speed up the human re-bid upon notification that you are still not the high bidder?
The other benefit of software sniping appears to be very accurate timing of bids near the end of the sale, thereby preventing competitors from submitting a counter bid. These software bids appear to be very consistent. In contrast, even with a stopwatch, I find significant variation in when my bids are processed. For example, if I submit my bid 30 seconds before closing, it might "hit" at 15 seconds, 10 seconds, and occasionally it doesn't get hit in time. But, the software sniper bids always seem to end within a second or two of the planned time, i.e., 5 seconds before closing. Can someone explain why this occurs?
In short, what is the best overall ending strategy to deal with sniper bids? Please don't say the answer is to simply submit my maximum bid early on. We all should know by now that that is a risky and often times losing strategy. This is especially the case when the market price is not well-defined, such as for monster toned coins, exotic patterns, low pop pieces, etc.
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Comments
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>We all should know by now that that is a risky and often times losing strategy. This is especially the case when the market price is not well-defined, such as for monster toned coins, exotic patterns, low pop pieces, etc. >>
This is the same thing in a coin show or dealers shop. You pay the money they are asking or give a high bid and you may win (buy) the coin. Give them a lowball offer and you loose the coin. Monster coins, patterns, etc. have their own prices like you said, and if you don't want to bid high outright, you may want to think about not bidding at all.
Cameron Kiefer
You can place a final, maxiumum bid whenever you please. You also set the time before the end that the bid is placed. Preceisely on time, the bid will be placed, and, if high enough, you will become the high bidder and most likely the winning bidder.
Why are they more accurate?
A sniping software's computer is on the fastest possible computer line to the internet and devotes all of its resources to placing bids, not running a computer and internet software like your computer is doing. The faster you connection speed/computer speed the faster your bid will be placed, so long as eBay is not completely bogged down.
How to deal with it?
*Use a sniping program- try the one in my signature- you start out with three free snipes and they work REALLY WELL (never lost if my bid was high enough- ie they were never late in delivering)
*Get a faster connection for sniping... that might not be cost effective, though.
Remember, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em
Jeremy
Anyway, why is everyone so upset/worried/irritated about these last second bids? All you have to do is bid higher then it doesn't make any difference. The time of the bid is NOT important...the AMOUNT is.
Bid the highest amount you are able to stand and do it as late as possible in the bidding process. This provides several advantages:
1) If you lose it's no big deal since you bid as much as you could stand.
2) Your proxy maximum didn't get run-up during the bidding. It wasn't listed until the last few second so there wasn't enough time.
This is really rather simple...
jom
HAS anyone lost to sniping software? Can anyone say they bid with 3 seconds left and lost to a later bidder?? I'd like to know.
An auction with 0 bids with 5 minutes to go theoretically has fewer eyes than an item with 20 bids. Multiple bids create competition and, perhaps, higher prices. Many people start with low asking prices to stimulate more bidding. Software or no software, bid your max yourself - that's the only bid you can control. IMHO
Joe
<< <i>Can anyone say they bid with 3 seconds left and lost to a later bidder?? >>
I can go one better. There's a guy that I do battle with quite frequently on eBay. He wins sometimes, I win sometimes. We drop each other eMails with kudos for good snipes.
In one auction, he and I both hit at exactly the one second mark.
Russ, NCNE
Smae thing has happened to me... drat! I wanted that one but didn't have the funds to go higher
Russ, NCNE
<< <i>You beat sniper software the same way you beat a manual snipe or a proxy bid. By bidding higher than the other guy.
Russ, NCNE >>
Amen to that Russ, that's the bottom line. It's the highest bid, NOT the latest one, that wins the auction.
Joe
Software only makes 1 shot-the price may go higher than your pre-programed proxy before the software takes the shot so your bid isn't even accepted. That's the advantage of real life sniping; you can refresh and if the price goes higher than expected you can raise your proxy before you click "bid." Most software bids between 10-20 seconds before ending; I can refresh @ 5 seconds before closing, see the highest bid and outbid it. I know how long it takes my signal to from my computer through the phone lines to eBay's computer so 1 & 2 second snipes are nothing to me. If it's something really hard to find or unusual and I don't want to take any foolish chances I'll make a 5 second snipe just in case my timing was off or my connection goes slow. Other than bidding for you if you can't be on the computer @ closing sniper software is pretty much useless.
The advantage of a snipe is that by waiting until the last second to bid you may get a lower price.
If a bidding war breaks out between two hardheads the price will keep going up. If there is only 1 party bidding, the late bid doesn't give them an opportunity to come back with a new bid.
The human that is trying to snipe manually is excited and nervous and is worried if they will be too early or too late. Since seconds are a long time in computer world it can hit it exactly at the time you set (when you enter your snipe you set the amount and the number of seconds to wait before the close).
This was a nice swipe. I outbid the other guy by 11 cents!
If you just enter the maximum price you are willing to pay, sniping has no advantage. When you see people bid 1 price, then come back after they are out bid and bid more, they are vulnurable to snipes. The guy who decides he'll pay $300 for a coin and enters $300 will either pay up to $300 or not get it.
My posts viewed
since 8/1/6
<< <i>Well, Jeremy, if there's one thing I've learned it's that if you miss a coin you wanted, another is likely to come along soon enough. Russ, NCNE >>
Yep- waiting for that '33 $20 gold to come around again...
Jeremy
PS- the key is to bid your proxy bid at the last second- that way you still will pay up to the same amount, but there is less time for people who inch up their proxy bids to keep bidding you up.
Another VERY important item is to be absolutely sure that you have set your computer time in synch - to the second - with eBay time -- otherwise, your timing will be off. Be sure to check it regularly, in case it gets 'off.
I am no expert but have tried to be the one with the last second slightly higher bid a few times. Sometimes successully, sometimes not. One trick I have used it to have multiple windows of my browser open at the same time. I use four usually. All on the same page, of course. Three have bids all set, all just slightly above in max. bid. I keep my eyes on one browser and keep it constantly refreshing when I am down to the last two minutes. If I see I am being beaten, I just have to click the 'place bid' bar on the browser than has a price that will take the lead (hopefully), then refresh again and hit the next highest 'place bid' if I still am not high enough. I can still quickly change a bid in time if I haven't reached my maximum comfort price. It sounds like a fuss, I know, but it can be effective and just the attempt can be kinda fun. Sure, you can always be beat on price but you can be very competitive with the bidding bots on speed. Its not fool proof but when you do win, the prize and the rush are better than what you get at MS Solitaire. Give it a shot on something cheap. Kris
"I think I have finally lived long enough to realize that the big man in the sky aint talking" Ogden Nash
"When all you got is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"
I think that the use a snipe program is great because you can set your limit and time then forget about
plus you do not give yourself away as far as what you are bidding on so that another person cannot
follow what you are looking at. so, like the other posters just bid your max andput your time at a level that
your bid gets in and leaves the other person with very little time to react.
Fred
Fred