My sniping backfired yesterday
CharlieB
Posts: 441 ✭
I had my heart set on this beauty. I was already the high bidder but was waiting
until the final 10 minutes to place a last minute max bid so as not to tip off my
competitors. At that time I got a phone call and got distracted. After a short time
I looked up at the clock, dropped the phone and raced to my computer. I hit the
refresh and the auction just ended. I can still that reverse.
item # 8396146457 on eBay completed item
- Charlie B -
until the final 10 minutes to place a last minute max bid so as not to tip off my
competitors. At that time I got a phone call and got distracted. After a short time
I looked up at the clock, dropped the phone and raced to my computer. I hit the
refresh and the auction just ended. I can still that reverse.
item # 8396146457 on eBay completed item
- Charlie B -
"location, location, location...eye appeal, eye appeal, eye appeal"
My website
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Comments
PCGS, ANACS, & NGC Certified Coins on My Website.
It has not failed me yet and I can do as I please while an auction closes
<< <i>Try Auction Sniper
It has not failed me yet and I can do as I please while an auction closes >>
I'll second the motion for auctionsniper.
<< <i>What happens if there are multiple bidders sniping with the same software ? Can they upgrade you to the "super" sniper version ? >>
Highest bid will win. The Auction Sniper site has a list of FAQ that helped me when I was a new user.
<< <i>Try Auction Sniper
It has not failed me yet and I can do as I please while an auction closes >>
I agree... why try and do it yourself and rely on your own reaction time, and on your internet not going down, or getting distracted...
42/92
<< <i>Try Auction Sniper >>
Or, if you want all the same features and want to pay less per successful snipe, try PhantomBidder.
Example: The OP's link closed at $894.50. A successful snipe with AuctionSniper would cost you $8.95. A snipe with PhantomBidder costs about 50c, and possibly less if you are a frequent sniper and sign up for one of their unlimited plans.
I've had auctionsniper fail on me before. I had it set for 3 seconds and an auction closed at a time when eBay was too busy that auctionsniper couldn't get the bid in. I lost out on a $100 savings on a coin, but they gave me 1 free snipe
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since 8/1/6
<< <i>I've had auctionsniper fail on me before. >>
The only time PhantomBidder failed on me was once when eBay changed their UI and didn't tell anybody. It took a couple hours for the PB programmers to reverse engineer the changes and update their programs. But that was years ago -- and it wasn't PB's fault.
Brian
I LOVE
KR
Put in what you are willing to pay for it when you see the auction the first time
<< <i>I have a novel idea
Put in what you are willing to pay for it when you see the auction the first time
That is what eBay tells you to do -- and that is what I did for a long time. But when you lose almost every auction by only the bid increment (or less) - you have to resort to sniping. Plus - there are always those who tend to bid up your items - then stop when they figure out what you bid. So you either win it at the highest amount you are willing to pay -- or you lose it at the end to a sniper. If you want any chance at a good deal, you have to put in the most you are willing to pay at the last possible moment. That is, unless eBay hangs and you don't get the chance.
KR
<< <i>
<< <i>I have a novel idea
Put in what you are willing to pay for it when you see the auction the first time
That is what eBay tells you to do -- and that is what I did for a long time. But when you lose almost every auction by only the bid increment (or less) - you have to resort to sniping. Plus - there are always those who tend to bid up your items - then stop when they figure out what you bid. So you either win it at the highest amount you are willing to pay -- or you lose it at the end to a sniper. If you want any chance at a good deal, you have to put in the most you are willing to pay at the last possible moment. That is, unless eBay hangs and you don't get the chance. >>
That is what I do on an item. Bid what I am willing to pay and so be it. I can feel no pain for a sniper. I just hate you can't shoot at them if they light 3 cigarettes to a match.
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>
<< <i>Try Auction Sniper >>
Or, if you want all the same features and want to pay less per successful snipe, try PhantomBidder.
Example: The OP's link closed at $894.50. A successful snipe with AuctionSniper would cost you $8.95. A snipe with PhantomBidder costs about 50c, and possibly less if you are a frequent sniper and sign up for one of their unlimited plans. >>
Bob is right, if you snipe a lot, or snipe a good number of items over $100 in value, Phantombidder can save you a lot of money over the cost of Auctionsniper. I like the Phantombidder interface as well.
<< <i>I snipe without any artificial aides. I would not give up the 'thrill of the kill' for anything. I have never lost an item I really wanted. Sniping is great fun, and my record is one second. Never had a hang-up of the system. Cheers, RickO >>
i agree.
sniping is like being at the drug dealers apt when he gets home from
picking up.
place your max you are willing to spend and forget about it.
must every coin be a MUST HAVE event?
<< <i>I have a novel idea
Put in what you are willing to pay for it when you see the auction the first time
That's a novel way of either losing a lot of auctions or overpaying for them.
<< <i>No need to buy a snipe program, vrane will allow you to use thier snipe system free if you do one snipe at a time. >>
I currently have over 20 snipes programmed to go off. I put a lot of super lowball snipes in; every so often one hits and I get a deal. Most of them don't.
<< <i>I snipe without any artificial aides. I would not give up the 'thrill of the kill' for anything. >>
I'll gladly trade the "thrill of the kill" for an extra hour of sleep (many east coasters list their auctions when they get up in the morning, which means it's like 5am out here in Kah-lee-for-nee-ah. Pay 50c or sleep? The choice is easy. Then there's all those auctions that end during work hours. I have internet access at work, but somehow I don't think my boss would appreciate it if I had to step out of a meeting to place a bid on eBay. Plus, my children. Do I spend the evening playing with my children or hunched over a computer, watching the countdown? I'm hard pressed to determine a situation where I would not want to use a robo-sniper.
<< <i>must every coin be a MUST HAVE event? >>
You haven't been collecting very long, have you
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars • Variety Attribution
<< <i>
<< <i>Try Auction Sniper
It has not failed me yet and I can do as I please while an auction closes >>
I'll second the motion for auctionsniper. >>
For Auction Sniper, how many seconds before the auction ends should I set it for? Is 5 seconds enough?
<< <i>how many seconds before the auction ends should I set it for? Is 5 seconds enough? >>
Five seconds is plenty -- Phantombidder can take it down to 3 seconds and not miss reliably. However, there is a school of thought that suggests the optimal snipe time is more like 7 to 13 or so seconds. Reason being, by eBay rules if there is a tie, the earlier bid wins it. So if both you and some other dude bid $100, and that's enough to win, the earlier timestamp will get it. So, you want to get your bid in after all the humans, but before the robots -- and 7 seconds is just about in that window.
<< <i>
<< <i>how many seconds before the auction ends should I set it for? Is 5 seconds enough? >>
Five seconds is plenty -- Phantombidder can take it down to 3 seconds and not miss reliably. However, there is a school of thought that suggests the optimal snipe time is more like 7 to 13 or so seconds. Reason being, by eBay rules if there is a tie, the earlier bid wins it. So if both you and some other dude bid $100, and that's enough to win, the earlier timestamp will get it. So, you want to get your bid in after all the humans, but before the robots -- and 7 seconds is just about in that window. >>
Thanks, I just set it to 7 seconds.
<< <i>
<< <i>I have a novel idea
Put in what you are willing to pay for it when you see the auction the first time
That's a novel way of either losing a lot of auctions or overpaying for them. >>
People have been telling me this for years, but I have yet to see how this is a novel way to lose a lot of auctions. (Admittedly, I may be a little hardheaded.
<< <i>I wonder why eBay hasn't started offering the possibility for buyers to place "sealed bids" (for a per-use or subscription fee) that would be reconciled at the end of the auction, given their propensity for finding stuff that will bring in fees. >>
Exactly! The item in question should still show the sealed bid count (so people - including the seller- know there is interest in the listing) - and perhaps - if the reserve is met, that should be noted as well. But the actual bid price should not reflect any sealed bids until the auction ends. That would take away the need for sniping and give you a fair shot at getting the coin you are after.
KR
If the same scenario happens in the last 5 seconds of the auction, there is no time to think about increasing the bid by a few bucks. Sniping works because there is no time for the previous high bidder to think about it.
When 2 snipers go at each other, then it is about who is willing to pay more.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>I have a novel idea
Put in what you are willing to pay for it when you see the auction the first time
That's a novel way of either losing a lot of auctions or overpaying for them. >>
People have been telling me this for years, but I have yet to see how this is a novel way to lose a lot of auctions. (Admittedly, I may be a little hardheaded.
Here is an example: I wanted to get a few 1999 SBA Proof dollars to go with my 1999 proof sets (which does not have the SBA proof). Including s/h, a fair price for one is in the neighborhood of $22 to $25 on eBay. But every so often, they sell for under $20. I like a good deal as much as anyone - so I am willing to pay $21.50 for the coin. If I bid early and bid what I'm willing to pay, I may have to bid on 50 items to get one at the price I'm willing to pay. If I snipe for one, I may get it in 5 or 6 tries. Either way, I am bound to get one for the price I want to pay. And the sniping method will get me there faster and with less time involved. This is a real-life example -- I tried both methods going after this coin. After the 100th time of being the 2nd highest bidder, I feel I have to change my tactics to get what I'm after.
I think for these types of everyday auction items (volume items - not coins that are high ticket, rare, or one-of-kind, items) - sniping is a perfectly reasonable and least time consuming method of getting what you want at the price you are willing to pay. The truth is that many bidders don't know how much they are willing to pay when they bid - they go after the current high bidder until they knock them off. And most bidders would be willing to pay the amount of the bid increment over their max bid to get a coin they really want.
So when in Rome...
KR
<< <i>People have been telling me this for years, but I have yet to see how this is a novel way to lose a lot of auctions. (Admittedly, I may be a little hardheaded.
If everyone bid rationally, then you would be correct. However, it has been demonstrated over and over that this is not the case. eBay would like you to think that people proxy-bid their max, but the truth is that people tend to bid just a small increment over the current high bidder, and will keep bidding small increments until they are either the leader or run out of steam.
Example: A coin has a current high bid of $50. You are willing to pay $100 for it.
Scenario 1: You proxy bid your $100. You are now the high bidder at $51. The next day, eBay user "numbnutz" comes along and starts nibbling. He bids $55; your proxy outbids him. He bids $60. He bids $70. He bids $80. He bids $90. He bids $100. He bids $110. Huzzah! He is now the high bidder, and you are out of the race. YOU LOSE.
Scenario 2: You proxy bid your $100. You are now the high bidder at $51. The next day, eBay user "numbnutz" comes along and starts nibbling. He bids $55; your proxy outbids him. He bids $60. He bids $70. He bids $80. Exasperated, he gives up. You win the coin for $81, happy to have it at a reasonable price. But what if...
Scenario 3: You program your robosniper to snipe $100 with 5 seconds to go. The next day, eBay user "numbnutz" comes along and bids $55. He is now the high bidder at $51, and doesn't bid again, secure that his bid will hold. And it does -- right up to the point where your snipe comes in. numbnutz screams at his computer and curses you, the sniper. But the bottom line is that you have won the coin at $56 -- $25 less than Scenario 2. If you are playing by Scenario 2's rules, you have overpaid by $25, or the cost of a nice steak dinner. I'd rather eat the steak.
Scenario 4: You proxy bid your $100. The next day, you see a better coin on eBay with a BIN of $40. But you're already on the hook for the other coin, so you can do nothing with this one. (Assuming you are honorable about bid retractions, and have a set, limited budget.) If you had programmed a snipe instead, it would be a simple matter to BIN the $40 coin and cancel the snipe. No harm done; no one's the wiser.
Scenario 5: You proxy bid your $100. The next day, someone posts to the CU forum that your seller is a rip-off artists. Sure enough, over the next couple days the negs start piling up. Yea, you win. Or did you? Do you send the scammer your money, with little chance to receive the coin? Or do you not pay, and eat a neg? A sniper has a way out of this situation; you do not.
<< <i>
<< <i>People have been telling me this for years, but I have yet to see how this is a novel way to lose a lot of auctions. (Admittedly, I may be a little hardheaded.
If everyone bid rationally, then you would be correct. However, it has been demonstrated over and over that this is not the case. eBay would like you to think that people proxy-bid their max, but the truth is that people tend to bid just a small increment over the current high bidder, and will keep bidding small increments until they are either the leader or run out of steam.
Example: A coin has a current high bid of $50. You are willing to pay $100 for it.
Scenario 1: You proxy bid your $100. You are now the high bidder at $51. The next day, eBay user "numbnutz" comes along and starts nibbling. He bids $55; your proxy outbids him. He bids $60. He bids $70. He bids $80. He bids $90. He bids $100. He bids $110. Huzzah! He is now the high bidder, and you are out of the race. YOU LOSE.
Scenario 2: You proxy bid your $100. You are now the high bidder at $51. The next day, eBay user "numbnutz" comes along and starts nibbling. He bids $55; your proxy outbids him. He bids $60. He bids $70. He bids $80. Exasperated, he gives up. You win the coin for $81, happy to have it at a reasonable price. But what if...
Scenario 3: You program your robosniper to snipe $100 with 5 seconds to go. The next day, eBay user "numbnutz" comes along and bids $55. He is now the high bidder at $51, and doesn't bid again, secure that his bid will hold. And it does -- right up to the point where your snipe comes in. numbnutz screams at his computer and curses you, the sniper. But the bottom line is that you have won the coin at $56 -- $25 less than Scenario 2. If you are playing by Scenario 2's rules, you have overpaid by $25, or the cost of a nice steak dinner. I'd rather eat the steak.
Scenario 4: You proxy bid your $100. The next day, you see a better coin on eBay with a BIN of $40. But you're already on the hook for the other coin, so you can do nothing with this one. (Assuming you are honorable about bid retractions, and have a set, limited budget.) If you had programmed a snipe instead, it would be a simple matter to BIN the $40 coin and cancel the snipe. No harm done; no one's the wiser. >>
Scenario 1...Someone outbid me. It happens. End of story. Whether it is 2 days before the end of the auction or 2 seconds is irrelevant...the other bidder wanted it more than me. Even if he were only trying to run me up to my max (ie shilling) he would have simply canceled his last bid once my max had been uncovered.
Scenario 2...Works. I got is for (actually less) the amount I was willing to pay.
Scenario 3...If I wanted the steak dinner more than I wanted the coin I would only have bid 75.00 in the first place. Again, ANY amount at (or under) my max bid if fine with me. I end up with the coin I wanted at a price I was willing to pay.
Scenario 4...Actually seems to be a logical reason for sniping...the first one I have seen.
<< <i>Scenario 3...If I wanted the steak dinner more than I wanted the coin I would only have bid 75.00 in the first place. Again, ANY amount at (or under) my max bid if fine with me. I end up with the coin I wanted at a price I was willing to pay. >>
But with the sniping solution, you can have both the coin and the steak. Yes, any amount under your max is fine -- but within that there are degrees of fineness. Most people feel that the lower the price they pay, the better.
On the other hand, with sniping, no one will know your high bid until the very end... until there's nothing left to do about it, other than curse the computer screen.
If you know what your max is, what sense does it make to telegraph it to the world days before the auction ends, rather than sniping?
Joe
Stealthbid
<< <i>I have used Stealthbid and never a problem.
Joe
Stealthbid >>
Nonetheless, it still costs potentially 10x as much as PhantomBidder.
I'm not a shill for PB, just a satisfied customer. It just pains me to see money tossed away that could otherwise be spent on coins.
1. People can watch what you are bidding on on Ebay. SO if Joe Numbnutz decides to check what you are bidding on and snipes you at the last possible moment (and this happens alot on Ebay)-he either bids you up or takes the coin from you. If you snipe it at the last minute he does not have this oppurtunity.
2.Alerting bidders to a possible bargain. Here is an example that i watched a few weeks ago. A dime listed as an 1885 vg.The seller did not know what he had.. a vg 1885 dime draws little attention-but it got my attention after two days when two bidders bid it up to $240 ?? SO i looked at it and of course it was an 1885-S.But the cover was blown and a lot of people who would not normally look at a 1885 dime in VG all saw the high bid and bid it over $870 and the winning bidder was not on of the first two bidders-in fact the high bid between them was only about $340.. But suppose the first two bidders had not given this away and sniped it at the last second? I would not have even known about it and one of them may have gotten a real bargain.
Poker lesson learned here-->> Don't reveal your hand until the showdown.
I have lost too many bids to nip-it-up-a-dollar-at-a-time bidders searching out my bid and then nip me out at the last second to not snipe myself. I have won a lot more coins sniping than not-same bids.
One bozo placed 19 of the 21 bids placed, he literally sat there and bid 19 times in a row raising his bid by a few dollars each time until he was finally high bidder. That is the biggest reason why I only snipe, it saves lots of money on some items when the guy who will bid over and over until he wins only gets one or two shots instead of 10 or 15.