I love sniping. As a buyer I do not spend as much because I am not "inchwormed." As a seller I love it because the price escalates fast at the end!
<< <i>I bid a coin up from $20 to $200 with a max bid of $405 on a coin that some wins on a snipe of $406 that just sucks >>
Would you rather lose the coin to a bid of $420? Would that make you feel better? The winning bidder's bid could have been 100K but since your max was $405 the winning bidder gets the coin at $406. If you arent bidding high enough you will be outbid at your max. All it means is that someone was willing to pay more than you.
The great advantage of sniping is that you don't price the coin for anybody else. Nobody ever has a chance to know what you actually think the coin is worth.
Snipers are like shopoholics....it is a mad dash to spend cash. People think they are saving money cuz it says 30% off Book Value or Retail. The facts are: YOU ARE SPENDING MONEY whether you snipe or BUY IT NOW Win it now or win it later..........just WIN it !!!
Don't misunderstand me, the issue really is if everyone is going to snipe and after reading all the comments on this post it appears a lot more people are doing it than I figured, what is the point of anyone bidding? Why not everyone just load up the snipe programs and let the chips fall.
My bigger question is the program I got is really good but is there a better one because it looks like this way ebay auctions are won.
I seldom check PM's but do check emails often jason@seated.org
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
I think the question should be who's snipe program is better?
I have sniped a couple of auctions where someone's snipe is better than mine. That is when I dislike sniping myself. Otherwise I think it is great and also might prevent any schill bidding.,
<< <i>My bigger question is the program I got is really good but is there a better one because it looks like this way ebay auctions are won. >>
I use PhantomBidder. They have kind of an ugly website, but match feature for feature any other snipe service, and are much cheaper to use. I've never had it fail to place a bid for me.
<< <i>Why bid on anything unless there is a minute? Have been outbid on 100 coins by $1 or less by snipers. Now I feel like a cheat since I got a snipe program and I started to actually win coins. >>
Actually it sounds like you finally decided to wiseup!!
<< <i>oh did I get the message: I purchased the program for $30 and won 9 coin in 2 days! I will praise onbidder for the job they are doing for me. >>
If you think about how the eBay model works, combined with human nature, there's no reason NOT to snipe if you don't want to pay more than you have to.
One can wonder whether this is the best model for selling coins, but that's the eBay model, and if you're gonna play in that space, you might as well swim with the sharks.
When I really want an coin I bid early and high. A last second sniper may beat me that way but they are stuck paying retail. Astute bidders learn your style after a while. If you and your competitors are frequently after the same types of coins they will realize that winning won't be a bargain when you're the leader with 10 seconds to go.
When I sell off extra coins I look forward to following the last 15 seconds sniping and countersniping.
<< <i>Not sniping is throwing money away. (It gives the others plenty of time to rethink their bid, and up yours). >>
Exactly. Sniping is the only way to go.
.....GOD
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." -Deut. 6:4-5
"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." -Isaiah 33:22
I don't understand why anyone complains about sniping!! Bid your max, and if you win great if you lose...someone must have wanted it more. People get pissed because they cant get great bargains?
<< <i>I love sniping. As a buyer I do not spend as much because I am not "inchwormed." As a seller I love it because the price escalates fast at the end!
<< <i>I bid a coin up from $20 to $200 with a max bid of $405 on a coin that some wins on a snipe of $406 that just sucks >>
Would you rather lose the coin to a bid of $420? Would that make you feel better? The winning bidder's bid could have been 100K but since your max was $405 the winning bidder gets the coin at $406. If you arent bidding high enough you will be outbid at your max. All it means is that someone was willing to pay more than you. >>
actually, the winning bidders bid , in this case, WAS $406.
<< <i>Why would anyone bid anything before the last minute? >>
There's a few reasons. One obvious one is to BIN-stomp it. Another might be to scope out the reserve (although I prefer to just ask the seller what it is in advance of my snipe).
Placing a bid locks down the auction -- once a bid has been entered, the seller can no longer change the title or description; they can only add to it. I once had a snipe programmed for an auction that had no bids. When the snipe went off, I was horrified to discover that the seller had changed everything about the auction, so that I was bidding on something entirely different from what I thought it was ! Luckily, my winning bid was only one cent .
Sometimes I'll place low-ball bids early just to take a chance and see if I can win something for cheap. In rare cases, when I know someone is watching my bids, I'll place low bids on stuff I have no interest in, to throw them off the trail.
But if I really want something, and I want it for the best possible price, I will always snipe.
I agree that snipping sucks, but what are you going to do? It's one of many things that make Ebay suck.
I much prefer buying at a bourse where the prices are set, you get to see the item IN PERSON, and you can decide up or down.
I'd never buy coins on ebay because I can do much better elsewhere. The only thing I do bid on is political items because I can't get to any political item shows. I'd love to have a good relationship with a few political item dealers, but that's just about impossible. I’ve found one guy who has been decent and honest. Most of them use trumped up auctions where they don't break back their bids the way legitimate coin auction houses do, and they don't sell anything that is decent via "private treaty."
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?
What I usually do is wait for auctions ending that day. (Not necessarily < 1 minute.) Then I look to see what's getting lowballed, and start bidding. I drop out whenever I think the price is getting too high. I commonly don't get the coins in the auctions, but I don't consider that "losing". In an auction, the only contest is who can spend the most money. That's not necessarily a contest I always want to win. Now, if I was bidding on a Brasher dubloon, I might care. But if I'm going after a Morgan or a Flying Eagle or something, there's no reason I have to get that particular one.
If you haven't noticed, I'm single and miserable and I've got four albums of bitching about it that I would offer as proof.
OK, here's a reason to bid early. Check out this auction. The starting price was $9.99, and at the moment there are three bids, all from the same bidder, and all show as $9.99 because eBay doesn't let you bid against yourself under normal circumstances. I'm not very interested in this piece, but I'm interested enough to look at it, and if there were no bids going into the last minute I'd be happy to try a snipe at $11 or $12 just to see what happened.
But there are bids. Looking at the bidder's history, it seems that he probably knows what he's doing, and wants the item. So if I'm the generous sort I might just skip bidding, and let him have it without competition. In that case he's done himself a favor by bidding early -- in essence, he's 'put his thumb' on this item, and announced to the world that you'd have to fight him if you want it more.
Of course, if I'm the spiteful sort I could also bid anyway, knowing that I was costing him more money without putting myself at much risk for being stuck with it.
There are plenty of reasons not to bid early, but there are also some reasons to get your bids in as soon as you can...
Isnt it true that snipes only work if they are higher than your max bid? Can someone snipe below your max bid? if not, then i dont see what all the whining is all about.
<< <i>I don't understand why anyone complains about sniping!! Bid your max, and if you win great if you lose...someone must have wanted it more. People get pissed because they cant get great bargains? >>
The problem is, when I bid or even snipe for that matter, I dont bid to what it's actually worth, I bid to get a deal. Period. End of story. If I bid on something to what it's actually worth, I would rather go to a dealer and see the coin, or item first hand. Why bid on a whitman folder that has a BIN of 1.99 with a dollar shiping, when I can drive 3 minutes uptown and get one for 2.99
People get on ebay for deals, I dont get pissed if I cant get a great deal because theres always next time.
Theres nothing wrong with sniping, it's how people get great deals.
<< <i>Isnt it true that snipes only work if they are higher than your max bid? Can someone snipe below your max bid? if not, then i dont see what all the whining is all about. >>
Yup!! A snipe has has to be higher then a bidder's highest maximum bid. If you want a guaranteed win then you need to bid really high.
No one seems to have mentioned Auction Sentry yet.
It's a program that runs on your computer rather than a web based sniping program. Since I have broadband and always leave my computer on it works great for me. In about 3 years of use it has never messed up and not placed a bid.
Yes, you have to pay for it but it's a one time charge.
<< <i>OK, here's a reason to bid early. Check out this auction. The starting price was $9.99, and at the moment there are three bids, all from the same bidder, and all show as $9.99 because eBay doesn't let you bid against yourself under normal circumstances. I'm not very interested in this piece, but I'm interested enough to look at it, and if there were no bids going into the last minute I'd be happy to try a snipe at $11 or $12 just to see what happened.
But there are bids. Looking at the bidder's history, it seems that he probably knows what he's doing, and wants the item. So if I'm the generous sort I might just skip bidding, and let him have it without competition. In that case he's done himself a favor by bidding early -- in essence, he's 'put his thumb' on this item, and announced to the world that you'd have to fight him if you want it more.
Of course, if I'm the spiteful sort I could also bid anyway, knowing that I was costing him more money without putting myself at much risk for being stuck with it.
There are plenty of reasons not to bid early, but there are also some reasons to get your bids in as soon as you can...
jonathan >>
Then again the guy might have bid a mid-way bid with the second bid and went up maybe 2 bucks on the 3rd bid to throw people off. To make them think he really wants this item and hopefully they won'tbother to bid on it.
"Im not young enough to know everything." Oscar Wilde
Collect for the love of the hobby, the beauty of the coins, and enjoy the ride.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Forgive me for posting a second post on this topic. I bid on a coin what i am willing to pay. Every once in a while you think you might get a bargain and the snipers hit you and although you still win, it costs you 40 or 50 dollars more.
"Im not young enough to know everything." Oscar Wilde
Collect for the love of the hobby, the beauty of the coins, and enjoy the ride.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
<< <i>Forgive me for posting a second post on this topic. I bid on a coin what i am willing to pay. Every once in a while you think you might get a bargain and the snipers hit you and although you still win, it costs you 40 or 50 dollars more. >>
There is risk in overpaying if you snipe, esp if you are up against someone who wants the item as badly as you do.
There's one scenario where I could see people being annoyed at being sniped: If I bid, for example, $500 on a coin, that's presumably the most I'm planning on bidding. However, if someone's bidding $500, and gets sniped for $501.02, I can understand that being annoying. Obviously, it wouldn't have killed the person to go to $502, but they never got the chance. In that sense, I think, "Bid whatever you're willing to pay" is a good rule of thumb, but it doesn't mean you won't feel cheated if you're sniped. It's almost impossible to say what you're willing to pay down to the last penny.
If you haven't noticed, I'm single and miserable and I've got four albums of bitching about it that I would offer as proof.
I waited about 2 years for a particular items to show up on ebay - valued at about $50. I was thrilled and entered my snipe at $55.
Then two doofuses out-sniped me and it sold at roughly $150.
Apparently, they hadn't planned on each other, because about 2 months later the same item from the same seller was auctioned again. It was a nice $55 addition to the collection.
I'll let you in on a little secret - sniping has been around on eBay as long as eBay has been around, and nothing has changed. I have been a member on eBay for ten years - I bid on and won my first lot in April of 1996. I was lucky with that one because I lost a few after that until I realized that people waited until the last minute to bid. Since then I have waited until the last minute to bid, if I bid at all...I think I've bid on auctions two times during 2005 - eBay just isn't what it used to be.
Sniping really is great for sellers but not for buyers. All it takes are 2 people to turn a bargin into overpaying. I just snagged a au58 73 with arrows for $50, why no one else tried to bid.
The idea behind sniping is to save money by winning for the lowest amount above the highest bid, right?
I seldom check PM's but do check emails often jason@seated.org
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
<< <i>Sniping really is great for sellers but not for buyers. All it takes are 2 people to turn a bargin into overpaying. >>
If you snipe your max, how can you ever overpay?
There is danger when two people try "nuclear" snipes -- sniping outrageously high amounts in an attempt to win by one bid increment over the underbidder, who presumably has bid rationally. I once saw a $50 memory stick sell for over a thousand dollars thanks to two dweebs sniping huge amounts. My guess is that the high bidder never paid, and hopefully ate a neg for his efforts.
Sniping really is great for sellers but not for buyers. All it takes are 2 people to turn a bargin into overpaying. I just snagged a au58 73 with arrows for $50, why no one else tried to bid.
Quit being so obnoxious please.
My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable !
Don't get me wrong, I am a seller and snipers have raised the prices for me a lot of times.
If you goto a Heritage auction on the floor and bid you don't stand up a yell out the most you will pay. You either bid higher or not but no one is going to grab a lot from you because time ran out. I think sellers would get better results if the auctions did not end until all the bids were in and out bid buyers had a chance to bid again.
I seldom check PM's but do check emails often jason@seated.org
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
All the sniping talk is quite amusing though I fall to see any issues with it. Whether I place a bid three days before the auction closes or the within the last three seconds, I am placing a bid calculated on the most I am willing to pay.
Sniping is the only way I really bid on ebay, unless I choose a buy it now item. I place my maximum bid, the time I want to make the bid and thats it.
It is almost like a silent bid in this case as an item that has multiple bidders ready to snipe, never tip there hand until the last second!
Occasionally you run into a sniper outbidding you on all the auctions you bid on. You know he/she is monitoring your bidding list. You start to learn thier sniping habits. One particular sniper would bid outrageous prices to ENSURE he would win. Not the typical 2-50 dollars over (depending on the value of the auction), but, sometimes he/she would bid say 50 dollars on a 25 dollar item....and therefore win at around 27-28. He/she would do the same on a 1000 item, the bid would be placed in the final seconds for 1200 and win at say 1035. I gained particular enjoyment by bidding a HUGE premium just before he sniped, I never got burned (I thought I might, but it never happened).....and in my example above on the 1000 item - I would bid 1150, pushing him to overpay at 1175. Well, the guy writes me a note - saying that I shouldn't bid just to make him pay more!!!! Can you believe this guys attitude?!!! I responded by saying my maximum bids had to increase due to his sniping at the last few seconds, and he shouldnt bid so high if he is not willing to pay that much for the item. Needless to say, I havent seen or heard much about that guy afterwards.
<< <i>Occasionally you run into a sniper outbidding you on all the auctions you bid on. You know he/she is monitoring your bidding list. You start to learn thier sniping habits. One particular sniper would bid outrageous prices to ENSURE he would win. Not the typical 2-50 dollars over (depending on the value of the auction), but, sometimes he/she would bid say 50 dollars on a 25 dollar item....and therefore win at around 27-28. He/she would do the same on a 1000 item, the bid would be placed in the final seconds for 1200 and win at say 1035. I gained particular enjoyment by bidding a HUGE premium just before he sniped, I never got burned (I thought I might, but it never happened).....and in my example above on the 1000 item - I would bid 1150, pushing him to overpay at 1175. Well, the guy writes me a note - saying that I shouldn't bid just to make him pay more!!!! Can you believe this guys attitude?!!! I responded by saying my maximum bids had to increase due to his sniping at the last few seconds, and he shouldnt bid so high if he is not willing to pay that much for the item. Needless to say, I havent seen or heard much about that guy afterwards. >>
HOW did you find out his snips were so outrageous???
<< <i>If I throw out max bid and loose by a lot I don't care . . . but when I bid a coin up from $20 to $200 with a max bid of $405 on a coin that some wins on a snipe of $406 that just sucks. >>
You're missing the nature of an EBay-style auction. That guy may have bid $406, but more likely he bid $425, $450, or even more. They system only uses enough of his bid to surpass the back bidder by one increment.
Live auctions work differently in a couple of ways. First of all, when you overbid by more than one bidding increment, your full increase is out there. Secondly, the auction ends when a back bidder surrenders and stops overbidding, not when the second hand hits 12 at the pre-specified minute.
If I were bidding against you at a live auction, with $1 increments, I wouldn't say $406 to your $405, because you're almost certain to go $407. I would make a meaningful increase, hoping it would make you quit. In an internet auction I'd make that same increased bid, but if I do it too close to hammer fall for you to react, I'm going to win at just a buck over you.
I attended my first live auction in the late '50s, and participated in my first EBay auction 40 years later. I learned very quickly that the techniques suitable for one format don't do the best job in another. Sniping is here to stay, so learn to live with it.
I love this thread, I have had a guy sniping me for a set I was after, I checked out his past purchases, and they were all around $60-75. Seems he buys the set, gets the coins slabbed and resells. Nothing wrong with that, but he wants every set on ebay. I figured he might do the high bid game and figure most guys would leave at $80-90, but when he went after the set I wanted, I went high and burned him twice when he won and hit high bid at $130 on 2 auctions. I have not seen him since, and have won 3 sets at $68-75, and I am loving it. I might even send them off for slabbing and sell them too. What the heck, right?
Comments
<< <i>I bid a coin up from $20 to $200 with a max bid of $405 on a coin that some wins on a snipe of $406 that just sucks >>
Would you rather lose the coin to a bid of $420? Would that make you feel better? The winning bidder's bid could have been 100K but since your max was $405 the winning bidder gets the coin at $406. If you arent bidding high enough you will be outbid at your max. All it means is that someone was willing to pay more than you.
Snipers are like shopoholics....it is a mad dash to spend cash. People think they are saving money cuz it says 30% off Book Value or Retail. The facts are: YOU ARE SPENDING MONEY whether you snipe or BUY IT NOW
My bigger question is the program I got is really good but is there a better one because it looks like this way ebay auctions are won.
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.
I think the question should be who's snipe program is better?
I have sniped a couple of auctions where someone's snipe is better than mine. That is when I dislike sniping myself. Otherwise I think it is great and also might prevent any schill bidding.,
see the snipe poll
http://forums.collectors.com/messageview.cfm?catid=26&threadid=478032
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.
<< <i>My bigger question is the program I got is really good but is there a better one because it looks like this way ebay auctions are won. >>
I use PhantomBidder. They have kind of an ugly website, but match feature for feature any other snipe service, and are much cheaper to use. I've never had it fail to place a bid for me.
<< <i>Why bid on anything unless there is a minute? Have been outbid on 100 coins by $1 or less by snipers. Now I feel like a cheat since I got a snipe program and I started to actually win coins. >>
Actually it sounds like you finally decided to wiseup!!
MY COINS FOR SALE AT https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/other/bajjerfans-coins-sale/3876
It is so out of control that it can't be controlled
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since 8/1/6
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.
<< <i>oh did I get the message: I purchased the program for $30 and won 9 coin in 2 days! I will praise onbidder for the job they are doing for me. >>
If you think about how the eBay model works, combined with human nature, there's no reason NOT to snipe if you don't want to pay more than you have to.
One can wonder whether this is the best model for selling coins, but that's the eBay model, and if you're gonna play in that space, you might as well swim with the sharks.
Why would anyone bid anything before the last minute?
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.
<< <i>My on question on sniping (now that I feel I sold out totally) is
Why would anyone bid anything before the last minute? >>
Quit being so obnoxious please.
Self Indulgence | Holey Coins | Flickr Photostream
When I really want an coin I bid early and high. A last second sniper may beat me that way but they are stuck paying retail. Astute bidders learn your style after a while. If you and your competitors are frequently after the same types of coins they will realize that winning won't be a bargain when you're the leader with 10 seconds to go.
When I sell off extra coins I look forward to following the last 15 seconds sniping and countersniping.
Mark
<< <i>Not sniping is throwing money away. (It gives the others plenty of time to rethink their bid, and up yours). >>
Exactly. Sniping is the only way to go.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." -Deut. 6:4-5
"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." -Isaiah 33:22
<< <i>I love sniping. As a buyer I do not spend as much because I am not "inchwormed." As a seller I love it because the price escalates fast at the end!
<< <i>I bid a coin up from $20 to $200 with a max bid of $405 on a coin that some wins on a snipe of $406 that just sucks >>
Would you rather lose the coin to a bid of $420? Would that make you feel better? The winning bidder's bid could have been 100K but since your max was $405 the winning bidder gets the coin at $406. If you arent bidding high enough you will be outbid at your max. All it means is that someone was willing to pay more than you. >>
actually, the winning bidders bid , in this case, WAS $406.
<< <i>Why would anyone bid anything before the last minute? >>
There's a few reasons. One obvious one is to BIN-stomp it. Another might be to scope out the reserve (although I prefer to just ask the seller what it is in advance of my snipe).
Placing a bid locks down the auction -- once a bid has been entered, the seller can no longer change the title or description; they can only add to it. I once had a snipe programmed for an auction that had no bids. When the snipe went off, I was horrified to discover that the seller had changed everything about the auction, so that I was bidding on something entirely different from what I thought it was
Sometimes I'll place low-ball bids early just to take a chance and see if I can win something for cheap. In rare cases, when I know someone is watching my bids, I'll place low bids on stuff I have no interest in, to throw them off the trail.
But if I really want something, and I want it for the best possible price, I will always snipe.
Put your thinking cap on. There are several good reasons.
Why would I snipe if I very correctly estimate your bid?
I much prefer buying at a bourse where the prices are set, you get to see the item IN PERSON, and you can decide up or down.
I'd never buy coins on ebay because I can do much better elsewhere. The only thing I do bid on is political items because I can't get to any political item shows. I'd love to have a good relationship with a few political item dealers, but that's just about impossible. I’ve found one guy who has been decent and honest. Most of them use trumped up auctions where they don't break back their bids the way legitimate coin auction houses do, and they don't sell anything that is decent via "private treaty."
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
But there are bids. Looking at the bidder's history, it seems that he probably knows what he's doing, and wants the item. So if I'm the generous sort I might just skip bidding, and let him have it without competition. In that case he's done himself a favor by bidding early -- in essence, he's 'put his thumb' on this item, and announced to the world that you'd have to fight him if you want it more.
Of course, if I'm the spiteful sort I could also bid anyway, knowing that I was costing him more money without putting myself at much risk for being stuck with it.
There are plenty of reasons not to bid early, but there are also some reasons to get your bids in as soon as you can...
jonathan
<< <i>"Since i discovered "sniper" software i place all my bids that way, 6-7 days in advance.
I always place my max bid with sniper software."
What do you use? >>
Itchy Trigger Finger...
U.S. Nickels Complete Set with Major Varieties, Circulation Strikes
U.S. Dimes Complete Set with Major Varieties, Circulation Strikes
<< <i>I don't understand why anyone complains about sniping!! Bid your max, and if you win great if you lose...someone must have wanted it more. People get pissed because they cant get great bargains? >>
The problem is, when I bid or even snipe for that matter, I dont bid to what it's actually worth, I bid to get a deal. Period. End of story. If I bid on something to what it's actually worth, I would rather go to a dealer and see the coin, or item first hand. Why bid on a whitman folder that has a BIN of 1.99 with a dollar shiping, when I can drive 3 minutes uptown and get one for 2.99
People get on ebay for deals, I dont get pissed if I cant get a great deal because theres always next time.
Theres nothing wrong with sniping, it's how people get great deals.
<< <i>Isnt it true that snipes only work if they are higher than your max bid? Can someone snipe below your max bid? if not, then i dont see what all the whining is all about. >>
Yup!! A snipe has has to be higher then a bidder's highest maximum bid. If you want a guaranteed win then you need to bid really high.
MY COINS FOR SALE AT https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/other/bajjerfans-coins-sale/3876
It's a program that runs on your computer rather than a web based sniping program. Since I have broadband and always leave my computer on it works great for me. In about 3 years of use it has never messed up and not placed a bid.
Yes, you have to pay for it but it's a one time charge.
http://www.shieldnickels.net
<< <i>OK, here's a reason to bid early. Check out this auction. The starting price was $9.99, and at the moment there are three bids, all from the same bidder, and all show as $9.99 because eBay doesn't let you bid against yourself under normal circumstances. I'm not very interested in this piece, but I'm interested enough to look at it, and if there were no bids going into the last minute I'd be happy to try a snipe at $11 or $12 just to see what happened.
But there are bids. Looking at the bidder's history, it seems that he probably knows what he's doing, and wants the item. So if I'm the generous sort I might just skip bidding, and let him have it without competition. In that case he's done himself a favor by bidding early -- in essence, he's 'put his thumb' on this item, and announced to the world that you'd have to fight him if you want it more.
Of course, if I'm the spiteful sort I could also bid anyway, knowing that I was costing him more money without putting myself at much risk for being stuck with it.
There are plenty of reasons not to bid early, but there are also some reasons to get your bids in as soon as you can...
jonathan >>
Then again the guy might have bid a mid-way bid with the second bid and went up maybe 2 bucks on the 3rd bid to throw people off. To make them think he really wants this item and hopefully they won'tbother to bid on it.
Oscar Wilde
Collect for the love of the hobby, the beauty of the coins, and enjoy the ride.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
Oscar Wilde
Collect for the love of the hobby, the beauty of the coins, and enjoy the ride.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
<< <i>Forgive me for posting a second post on this topic. I bid on a coin what i am willing to pay. Every once in a while you think you might get a bargain and the snipers hit you and although you still win, it costs you 40 or 50 dollars more. >>
There is risk in overpaying if you snipe, esp if you are up against someone who wants the item as badly as you do.
MY COINS FOR SALE AT https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/other/bajjerfans-coins-sale/3876
-- Adam Duritz, of Counting Crows
My Ebay Auctions
I waited about 2 years for a particular items to show up on ebay - valued at about $50. I was thrilled and entered my snipe at $55.
Then two doofuses out-sniped me and it sold at roughly $150.
Apparently, they hadn't planned on each other, because about 2 months later the same item from the same seller was auctioned again. It was a nice $55 addition to the collection.
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The idea behind sniping is to save money by winning for the lowest amount above the highest bid, right?
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.
<< <i>Sniping really is great for sellers but not for buyers. All it takes are 2 people to turn a bargin into overpaying. >>
If you snipe your max, how can you ever overpay?
There is danger when two people try "nuclear" snipes -- sniping outrageously high amounts in an attempt to win by one bid increment over the underbidder, who presumably has bid rationally. I once saw a $50 memory stick sell for over a thousand dollars thanks to two dweebs sniping huge amounts. My guess is that the high bidder never paid, and hopefully ate a neg for his efforts.
Quit being so obnoxious please.
If you goto a Heritage auction on the floor and bid you don't stand up a yell out the most you will pay. You either bid higher or not but no one is going to grab a lot from you because time ran out. I think sellers would get better results if the auctions did not end until all the bids were in and out bid buyers had a chance to bid again.
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.
Sniping is the only way I really bid on ebay, unless I choose a buy it now item. I place my maximum bid, the time I want to make the bid and thats it.
It is almost like a silent bid in this case as an item that has multiple bidders ready to snipe, never tip there hand until the last second!
Snipe away...
<< <i>Occasionally you run into a sniper outbidding you on all the auctions you bid on. You know he/she is monitoring your bidding list. You start to learn thier sniping habits. One particular sniper would bid outrageous prices to ENSURE he would win. Not the typical 2-50 dollars over (depending on the value of the auction), but, sometimes he/she would bid say 50 dollars on a 25 dollar item....and therefore win at around 27-28. He/she would do the same on a 1000 item, the bid would be placed in the final seconds for 1200 and win at say 1035. I gained particular enjoyment by bidding a HUGE premium just before he sniped, I never got burned (I thought I might, but it never happened).....and in my example above on the 1000 item - I would bid 1150, pushing him to overpay at 1175. Well, the guy writes me a note - saying that I shouldn't bid just to make him pay more!!!! Can you believe this guys attitude?!!! I responded by saying my maximum bids had to increase due to his sniping at the last few seconds, and he shouldnt bid so high if he is not willing to pay that much for the item. Needless to say, I havent seen or heard much about that guy afterwards. >>
HOW did you find out his snips were so outrageous???
<< <i>If I throw out max bid and loose by a lot I don't care . . . but when I bid a coin up from $20 to $200 with a max bid of $405 on a coin that some wins on a snipe of $406 that just sucks. >>
You're missing the nature of an EBay-style auction. That guy may have bid $406, but more likely he bid $425, $450, or even more. They system only uses enough of his bid to surpass the back bidder by one increment.
Live auctions work differently in a couple of ways. First of all, when you overbid by more than one bidding increment, your full increase is out there. Secondly, the auction ends when a back bidder surrenders and stops overbidding, not when the second hand hits 12 at the pre-specified minute.
If I were bidding against you at a live auction, with $1 increments, I wouldn't say $406 to your $405, because you're almost certain to go $407. I would make a meaningful increase, hoping it would make you quit. In an internet auction I'd make that same increased bid, but if I do it too close to hammer fall for you to react, I'm going to win at just a buck over you.
I attended my first live auction in the late '50s, and participated in my first EBay auction 40 years later. I learned very quickly that the techniques suitable for one format don't do the best job in another. Sniping is here to stay, so learn to live with it.
<< <i>
<< <i> Sniping is here to stay, so learn to live with it.
Buying top quality Seated Dimes in Gem BU and Proof.
Buying great coins - monster eye appeal only.