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What is the benefit of sniping vs bidding early?

OnlyThe10sOnlyThe10s Posts: 1,850
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
You all probably know by now, there's a Rackie I want to bid on that's currently on the Bay.

What's the benefit of sniping or just throwing in my max bid now?

I'm only willing to spend $1,000.00 on this card. Why not just throw in the $1,000.00 bid now? (auction ends in 6 days)

I've never used a snipe program, but I might start depending on the opinions here.

Thanks for any input.

Comments

  • TNP777TNP777 Posts: 5,710 ✭✭✭
    Only two situations where I'll bid early. One is to kill a BIN that is more than I want to spend, but maybe at a price someone else would be willing to grab it for. The other is for a low dollar card, usually a .99 opening bid. Usually when I see someone else has hit that opening bid, I'll pass on by - I'm thinking it has won a few auctions for me by doing the same. Other than that, it's always a snipe.

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  • 1123581311235813 Posts: 610
    Sniping doesn't give the people bidding against you any time to try and top your bid. On the other hand, you do not give yourself any time to bid again if your first bid is not high enough. If your $1000 limit is firm, then snipe. If you might be willing to go up to $1025 or $1050, then plan to be online for the end of the auction. There is no real advantage to bidding early except that if you place a bid much higher than the current high bid you might frustrate and/or scare off other potential bidders.
  • OnlyThe10sOnlyThe10s Posts: 1,850
    I'm not willing to spend a penny more than $1000.00 on this.

    VCP avg is $824.02.

    I think my $1,000.00 will take it.

    Dos this make a difference? If I'm willing to spend more than it's selling for?

  • hofautoshofautos Posts: 1,934
    it would be stupid to bid early. If someone else wants it, they may try and overbid you. say they would like to try and win it but think the most they want to spend is $700. If you bid $1000 now, then they will see that $700 will not win it....they may decide well maybe they will try $800 since they couldn't get it for $800. If you don't bid until the end, they may think they will win it for $700. Also if they bid $700, and now you are high bidder at $725, someone else comes along, they will know they have to go at LEAST $750, where if the current high bid is only $500, they may only snipe for $550. Also, the more bids on an item, the more enticing the item looks...it's psycological. No matter what, it never makes sense to bid early...think about it, it's not rocket science.
  • OnlyThe10sOnlyThe10s Posts: 1,850
    Wow, geez, I know it's not rocket science...

    I guess I thought I'd be okay because my max would be way over VCP, I'd be in good shape.

    I guess I'll wait.

    Thanks.
  • dontippetdontippet Posts: 2,609 ✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Wow, geez, I know it's not rocket science...

    I guess I thought I'd be okay because my max would be way over VCP, I'd be in good shape.

    I guess I'll wait.

    Thanks. >>



    You might be in good shape, but you may end up spending more than you had to. A lot of people don't bid to win, they bid to have the highest bid at the time. That way, they think they are winning. You jump in at the very end with your snipe, and it's yours. Although, if someone else has a snipe set, the price may skyrocket at the very end. By sniping you also take away the threat of snipe bids.
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  • EchoCanyonEchoCanyon Posts: 2,288 ✭✭✭
    sniping will save you money in the end.
  • Bosox1976Bosox1976 Posts: 8,557 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Biggest reason is to avoid shilling. I snipe anything over $50, and quite a bit under $50 too.
    Mike
    Bosox1976
  • thenavarrothenavarro Posts: 7,497 ✭✭✭
    Only the 10's,

    If I were you, I wouldn't disclose what I'd be willing to pay on the board. I've sat and watched some thread battles from the sidelines, and I know you have some past baggage from a prior id, and I wouldn't want to risk that someone whom I had gotten into past jawing matches with, would see my plans and they would bid one bid lower than you, just to insure that you pay your maximum, and in their mind, would get them the satisfaction of "getting even." And no, I'm not painting anyone in particular that you battle with with that brush, it's just an observation from a disinterested person (but observor) in the battles.

    Mike
    Buying US Presidential autographs
  • AkbarCloneAkbarClone Posts: 2,476 ✭✭✭
    You should go ahead and bid the $1,000.00---heck, be safe and bid $1,005.00.

    Be sure not to even check back on the auction until it's over.

    Sleep well.
    I collect Vintage Cards, Commemorative Sets, and way too many vintage and modern player collections in Baseball (180 players), Football (175 players), and Basketball (87 players). Also have a Dallas Cowboy team collection.
  • nightcrawlernightcrawler Posts: 5,110 ✭✭
    Somtimes starting another thread is less beneficial than using the search feature the forum offers. Between SNIPE and SNIPING, a combined four pages of relative info is at your service.
  • christopherkingchristopherking Posts: 73
    I would place the bid now. If the seller thinks there isn't enough interest and the bids stay low until the last day, they might close the auction down.
  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,427 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>I would place the bid now. If the seller thinks there isn't enough interest and the bids stay low until the last day, they might close the auction down. >>

    Chris

    I would rather risk that than get in an early bidding contest if ya know what I mean.

    Saavy ebayers know there's snipes set and don't pull cards IMO - I was watching a 63F BB common with no bids to speak of and in the end, since it was well centered, it would above SMR.

    mike
    Mike
  • TheVonTheVon Posts: 2,725 ✭


    << <i>Biggest reason is to avoid shilling. I snipe anything over $50, and quite a bit under $50 too. >>



    Bingo!
  • LeiascardsLeiascards Posts: 3,233


    << <i>it would be stupid to bid early. If someone else wants it, they may try and overbid you. say they would like to try and win it but think the most they want to spend is $700. If you bid $1000 now, then they will see that $700 will not win it....they may decide well maybe they will try $800 since they couldn't get it for $800. If you don't bid until the end, they may think they will win it for $700. Also if they bid $700, and now you are high bidder at $725, someone else comes along, they will know they have to go at LEAST $750, where if the current high bid is only $500, they may only snipe for $550. Also, the more bids on an item, the more enticing the item looks...it's psycological. No matter what, it never makes sense to bid early...think about it, it's not rocket science. >>



    Why would you bid more than once anyway.. Bid one time and bid your max. The biggest for sniping is it gives you some protection against shill bidding, now previous bids could have already been shilled to false levels, but if the card is still below your max that simply means at least one legitimate bidder is also interested in the item at the same price level you are at therefore neutralizing the shill.
  • LeiascardsLeiascards Posts: 3,233
    If there are bids on the item a seller cannot cancel the bids and end the item with less than 12 hours to go so there is no worry about them pulling the item. All they can do is cancel the bids at that point.
  • Pete14RosePete14Rose Posts: 461
    Just to add my two cents. If I can be there for the auction, I never bid with more than 3 mins left. Other than that I set a snipe. Personally, I like the satisfaction of watching the last few seconds tick off the clock. But I never, ever place a bid early. That just leaves room for the price to be bumped up.
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  • VitoCo1972VitoCo1972 Posts: 6,130 ✭✭✭
    Also, and I'm sure there are some horror stories like mine, but if your internet fails at the wrong time or (if you're on a desktop) your power goes out. Set a snipe the day before just to be sure your bid gets in.
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  • OnlyThe10sOnlyThe10s Posts: 1,850


    << <i>Only the 10's,

    If I were you, I wouldn't disclose what I'd be willing to pay on the board. I've sat and watched some thread battles from the sidelines, and I know you have some past baggage from a prior id, and I wouldn't want to risk that someone whom I had gotten into past jawing matches with, would see my plans and they would bid one bid lower than you, just to insure that you pay your maximum, and in their mind, would get them the satisfaction of "getting even." And no, I'm not painting anyone in particular that you battle with with that brush, it's just an observation from a disinterested person (but observor) in the battles.

    Mike >>



    Sound advice Mike. However, if someone wants to do that, just to be an ass, let them. I'm willing to pay $1k. If I dont win it at that price, then so be it, I'll bid on the next one and they'll be stuck paying the bid at the end or risk a neg. No biggie.

  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    t therefore neutralizing the shill.


    A shill is never neutralized and Mike Navvarro that was a pretty lame thing to say.


    Once an auction is shilled it is never the same just because someone else has been shilled too.

    Alan, bid at the end of an auction, especially one where hundreds of dollars are at stake.

    Steve

    edited to add: you can get free snipes at just snipe .com



    Good for you.
  • DavidPuddyDavidPuddy Posts: 3,485 ✭✭✭
    IMO
    sniping helps avoid shilling, and it keeps other people from second guessing their highest bids. I set my highest bid days before the action ends and forget about it.
    I would not even consider bidding early on a high dollar card like that Rackie.
    If you snipe your auctions you will save a ton of money in the long run.
    "The Sipe market is ridiculous right now"
    CDsNuts, 1/9/15
  • blaze42blaze42 Posts: 166
    never bid early....just invites bumps in price
    snipe....for all the reasons previously posted
    contact seller and ask for BIN price...usually won't be successful but worth a try.image
  • LeiascardsLeiascards Posts: 3,233
    What I meant by neautralizing a shill is this.

    Lets say an item starts at 99 cents a bidder bids early with a 100.00 bid. The seller then uses a shill to raise the item to 75.00. You come along in the last few minutes and bid 125.00 that will raise the price to 101.00. Now take the shill out of the equation the final price would still be 101.00. Had the second bidder not sniped the shill bidder coulr re-enter the fray and raise the price to 115.00. Not condoneing shill bidding in fact I report it faster than anything jus pointing out in the situation I gave the shill bidder becomes irrelevant to the final price of the item.
  • Ladder7Ladder7 Posts: 1,221 ✭
    image
    some cards
  • thenavarrothenavarro Posts: 7,497 ✭✭✭


    << <i>A shill is never neutralized and Mike Navvarro that was a pretty lame thing to say. >>



    I do not believe it was. I was simply providing the original poster some advice. I am definitely NOT recommending that someone does this to him, to do that would be both cowardly and childish, but I doubt seriously that anyone here can deny that "retribution" takes place on message boards. It definitely takes place in every other area of life, I can't imagine that it does not on message boards. Winpitcher, I typically enjoy the wide majority of your posts as being insightful, helpful and in goodwill, and I've gathered from your posts that you are well spoken (or well written) and not naive, so I'm sure you are aware that retribution takes place.

    Hhhhhmmmmm, I believe I have even read on these same boards others who brought up allegations of retribution, including such things as speculating as to whether other members had them spammed with mass emails, so I do not think that providing someone sound advice is lame.

    Take care,

    Mike



    Buying US Presidential autographs
  • TheHunTheHun Posts: 1,690
    Chris,

    Good luck. I hope you win the Jackie Robinson you desire !

    I'm pulling for ya.



  • TreetopTreetop Posts: 1,474 ✭
    One reason for me and that's $$$$.

    Look at bidding like a good poker hand. Don't want to play it, until I absolutely have to
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  • 1989FleerBillRipkencollector1989FleerBillRipkencollector Posts: 4,590
    I bid to "feel" the auction. I'll bid it to a semi normal amount to hopefully "scare" other bargain hunters. Then sometimes I'll set a snipe. Esp on ones that are rare or mispelled. On the mispelled I only snipe so others think they are "alone" and keep the bid down.

    I started sniping when I found a auto card. /4 buyback. I offered the guy $200 for it. He never responded. Then some bidder who bid out of his normal buying habits (and would buy vintage lots, exactally like the seller sold) bid it up in $10 increments until it reached $200. Hmm coincidence? I would of got it for $80 if it wasnt for that guy. Lesson learned.
    imageimageimage
  • otwcardsotwcards Posts: 5,291 ✭✭✭
    Something tha I typically do in the case of higher dollar cards is put in a bid at about half of what I want to pay. This usually gets the dollar amount to a level that the seller won't get neverous and cancel the auction. Then I put my snipe in to be placed in the last few seconds of the auction.

    The benefit of sniping is that many bidders still bid manually during the last few minutes and when their bid is topped (if I had entered my proxy earlier) they might extend beyond their anticipated budget and either outbid me or cause me to spend more than I may have needed to. This example has been explained previously.

    The drawback is that I won't have a chance to extend beyond my anticipated ceiling on the item should I be outbid.

    In the long run, I tend to save money winning items at potentially lower prices AND I save money by not overbidding in an effort to win an item that I'll probably find again in the near future.

    One exception would be an item that is a one-of-a-kind or something that I've been searching for and waiting for over a long period of time. In such cases, I'll usually still snipe but watch and have a manual "top all" type bid queued up for the final second to two.
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