What's the best method to bid for coins on EBAY?

SethChandler

Snipe or just throw in your highest bid? Or?

Please explain sniping.....how do you do it?

Seth

cosmos66

Sniping is placing a bid in the last few seconds of the auction so that you cant be overbid. There is a program that I use called Auction Tamer that snipes auctions for me in the last 3 seconds. I dont even have to be online and it still works.

airplanenut

You snipe your max bid- no one has a chance to bid it up... so why bother bid anytime earlier?

auctionsniper (get 3 freebie snipes)

Jeremy

RGL

No need for sniping service/software unless you bid on a lot of coins when you are not home on the PC.

1.) Get a reliable software clock, that includes seconds, and synchronizes with online atomic clocks. I like Chameleon Clock. Make sure you clock is synched.

2.) Using Internet Explorer or Netscape, go to the auction that is of interest. Downsize the window so it fills half the screen. Then, on IE at least, click on File, then New and then Window. A second window will pop up identical to the first. Move it to the opposite half of the screen so both windows are displayed. In the second window, fill in your maximum snipe bid and then leave it alone.

3.) Time your connection, whether dial-up or broadband, to determine the speed of your connection. Do this by refreshing the first window and watching how many seconds have elapsed in time left in auction vs. what your clock shows. Periodically refresh the first window to see if the lot has gone up in price and you need to revise and raise your bid in the second window.

4.) Keep an eye on your clock. Depending on your connection speed, time it so your bid is submitted with 4-5 seconds left ...

That's all there is to it!

Russ

I prefer the manual snipe approach myself, although lately I've been pretty busy so I've set some up through a service. Sometimes, just for grins, I go and manually snipe against the snipe I had setup.

Russ, NCNE

ClausUrch

Russ has been known to snipe his own listings!!!

mintluster

If it is something you REALLY REALLY want I would snipe for it. Otherwise I don't snip often. Some things are worth sniping for and some things are not, I think.

TWQG

Bid in the last 5 seconds the most you are willing to pay.

haletj

You guys all make this more complicated than it is...

Just choose your true max bid,

click refresh and compare the time left with your watch so you know what time on your watch the auction ends. Also watching your watch you get an idea of how many seconds it takes to refresh the screen. So if it seems like 4 seconds to refresh for example, at something like 1:04 (or 1:34 or 2:04) left (on your watch), click refresh and see what time comes up on ebay. If it is <1:00, say .59 you know you need to click a second or two earlier, if it is >1:00 you have a second or two to spare. So say .58 came up, so you need to click 3 seconds earlier. You can double check this too by refreshing at :37 left (on your watch) and :31 should come up. Now you're set to place your bid and click confirm at :07 left and you'll get your true max bid in at :01 left!! Don't even worry what others are bidding. If you get outbid you shouldn't be mad because you choose a true max bid, and if you win it you get it at the lowest possible price you could have.

BTW IMO sniping programs is cheating!

ksteelheader

Sometimes the snipers get sniped also.......Ken

fishcooker

Find an auction

Determine your max price

Get a Snipe service

Give them the information, and forget about it until you get an email saying you won.

flaminio

Snipe your max. Simple as that. If you have a reliable connection and a quick mouse finger, you can do it manually. If you'd rather go out and play, or sleep, than to worry about when an auction ends, get a sniping service. My preference is PhantomBidder.

eagle7

I dont have a need to snipe. I always wait until the last day and then I put in my max bid. Most of the time I get the item I want because almost everyone snipes too low. If I am over bid, I didnt need it anyway.

flaminio

<< <i>I dont have a need to snipe. I always wait until the last day and then I put in my max bid. >>



If you're waiting until the last day, you're still sniping. You're just using a longer lead time than most. Why not bid right away instead of waiting until the last day?

ElectricEye

Depends ~ ask the two snipers who pulled the triggers at the last few seconds if their sniping technique paid off: EBay Auction ~ my max was $113 btw, placed hours before end

Don't most sniping services cost money per transaction?

jdimmick

I snipe manually, and have been pretty succesful. Although, lately very few purchases have come from e-bay because nice quality PCGS key-dates are tradin way too high. Good place to sell though!

I bid on certain pieces all the time, but most are usually token bids or are short of what it will sell for in the end. If there is something I really want, Ill wait til the very end and place my highest price I am willing to pay. If I get it fine, if not who cares!


jim

flaminio

<< <i>Don't most sniping services cost money per transaction? >>



PhantomBidder charges a flat 50c per win -- nothing if you lose. They also have monthly plans if you are a serious sniper.

If you want free sniping, try Cniper. It usually works, although I have had it miss a bid on occasion. PhantomBidder has never failed me, so if it's a "must win", I use that.