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How does eBay coin “sniping” actually help or work???

Aspie_RoccoAspie_Rocco Posts: 3,259 ✭✭✭✭✭

I understand that people use sniping programs.
Why?
How is this better than just placing your max bid?
Edumistmacate me
(I hope that is not a real word, that I just made up, edumistmacate)

Comments

  • GRANDAMGRANDAM Posts: 8,353 ✭✭✭✭✭

    People snipe because:

    Sometimes they don't want to bid their maxium bid early and pay more than they have to if they snipe in the last seconds.
    Sometimes they can't be in front of the computer when the auction ends.
    Sometimes they might forget about the auction.
    Sometimes they just want to set a snipe and forget about it.
    Sniping can get you a coin at a lower price than bidding early by avoiding bidding wars.

    GrandAm :)
  • BillDugan1959BillDugan1959 Posts: 3,821 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 12, 2019 2:01AM

    People feel a single last minute bid helps keep the price down - people don't get emotionally invested in winning the thingie.

    Back in the days when you had a full bidder "name" of the person you were bidding against, some people would develop great animosity against another and bid vindictively. This was especially true if you were often shut out by the same person. This was one of the origins of 'sniping'. Also, a few bidders would follow along with another bidder who seemed knowledgeable and who had a good eye. If the lead bidder bid on something, so would they. Another older reason for sniping. When e Bay eliminated showing the bidder IDs in full, some of this friction was reduced.

  • davewesendavewesen Posts: 5,759 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My auctionstealer will place a bid for me in last 3 seconds. Here is an auction I won but didn't snipe or wait until the end to manually snipe. The newby competition inched it up and cost me $5 more.

    https://ebay.com/bfl/viewbids/163457590416?item=163457590416&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2565

  • logger7logger7 Posts: 8,017 ✭✭✭✭✭

    As a seller if I were running a real auction I would not want to be subject to sharp snipers with hard found and certified collectibles going for under real market or even cost. One reason I don't run listings like that, lost too much money. And whether coins or currency it was usually the same sharp buyers. When buying gavelsnipe is useful; but expect that sellers often will employ allies to shill their stuff, especially if they do the "bidders identities protected" option. How would you know who is bidding these days anyway with scrambled ids? And you have to love the "snipe" word as if the bidders are like sharpshooters taking out a target.

  • davewesendavewesen Posts: 5,759 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @logger7 said:
    As a seller if I were running a real auction I would not want to be subject to sharp snipers with hard found and certified collectibles going for under real market or even cost. One reason I don't run listings like that, lost too much money. And whether coins or currency it was usually the same sharp buyers. When buying gavelsnipe is useful; but expect that sellers often will employ allies to shill their stuff, especially if they do the "bidders identities protected" option. How would you know who is bidding these days anyway with scrambled ids? And you have to love the "snipe" word as if the bidders are like sharpshooters taking out a target.

    One disadvantage is a few sellers will cancel all bids and listing if the bids are too low before the 12 hour cut-off. The sellers know who the bidder is, but more important how many are watching.

  • mannie graymannie gray Posts: 7,259 ✭✭✭✭✭

    The almost exclusive use of sniping by eBay bidders has hurt auction results and overall bidding activity (from a seller's perspective.)

  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 33,811 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @davewesen said:

    @logger7 said:
    As a seller if I were running a real auction I would not want to be subject to sharp snipers with hard found and certified collectibles going for under real market or even cost. One reason I don't run listings like that, lost too much money. And whether coins or currency it was usually the same sharp buyers. When buying gavelsnipe is useful; but expect that sellers often will employ allies to shill their stuff, especially if they do the "bidders identities protected" option. How would you know who is bidding these days anyway with scrambled ids? And you have to love the "snipe" word as if the bidders are like sharpshooters taking out a target.

    One disadvantage is a few sellers will cancel all bids and listing if the bids are too low before the 12 hour cut-off. The sellers know who the bidder is, but more important how many are watching.

    Who are some sellers that do this? I’ve never come across this.

  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 33,811 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 12, 2019 2:40PM

    @mannie gray said:
    The almost exclusive use of sniping by eBay bidders has hurt auction results and overall bidding activity (from a seller's perspective.)

    Sniping is a defense against shilling and chiseling, both of which hurt buyers.

  • BillDugan1959BillDugan1959 Posts: 3,821 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Actually, CU/PCGS might get a better forum here if they scrambled our IDs.

  • cameonut2011cameonut2011 Posts: 10,060 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BillDugan1959 said:
    Actually, CU/PCGS might get a better forum here if they scrambled our IDs.

    I think it would be easy to figure out who is who based on content and writing style.

  • BillDugan1959BillDugan1959 Posts: 3,821 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @cameonut2011 said:

    @BillDugan1959 said:
    Actually, CU/PCGS might get a better forum here if they scrambled our IDs.

    I think it would be easy to figure out who is who based on content and writing style.

    That might be true at first, but after a while individual identities would be lost.

    I am thinking that some of the extreme egoistes here might lose interest.

  • sellitstoresellitstore Posts: 2,413 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If you are bidding on any substantial number of different listings, a bidding program will prevent you from missing any bids and save the time of having to bid on each item. So it saves times and makes one more effective and efficient.

    Collector and dealer in obsolete currency. Always buying all obsolete bank notes and scrip.
  • davewesendavewesen Posts: 5,759 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Zoins said:

    @davewesen said:

    @logger7 said:
    As a seller if I were running a real auction I would not want to be subject to sharp snipers with hard found and certified collectibles going for under real market or even cost. One reason I don't run listings like that, lost too much money. And whether coins or currency it was usually the same sharp buyers. When buying gavelsnipe is useful; but expect that sellers often will employ allies to shill their stuff, especially if they do the "bidders identities protected" option. How would you know who is bidding these days anyway with scrambled ids? And you have to love the "snipe" word as if the bidders are like sharpshooters taking out a target.

    One disadvantage is a few sellers will cancel all bids and listing if the bids are too low before the 12 hour cut-off. The sellers know who the bidder is, but more important how many are watching.

    Who are some sellers that do this? I’ve never come across this.

    It used to happen all the time. Then eBay started charging final value fees for cancelled auctions. Then eBay made it so you couldn't close in last 12 hours.

    There is no need in listing sellers. This is what I did the last time it happened to me.
    The item was at $20 in auction and they closed it in last 15 hours and put a BIN for $50 which someone bought.
    I pm'd the seller and asked why they closed it as I had a $300 snipe set on item. A couple days later I pm'd seller and said I would give them $200 if the got item back, they answered and said they would try, but were unsuccessful.

  • BillDugan1959BillDugan1959 Posts: 3,821 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @davewesen Very admirable! Hat tip to you!

  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 45,296 ✭✭✭✭✭

    What's the best sniping program or are they all pretty much the same? Are they free or is there a charge to use them?

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.

  • logger7logger7 Posts: 8,017 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Gavel snipe is free, esnipe was ok until they changed around their software or something requiring you to put it in your browser or something.

  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I always have preferred to snipe in person..... counting down to the last five seconds with two screens opened..... Never lost an item I really wanted... Nuclear bid as it closes. Great fun... Cheers, RickO

  • mustangmanbobmustangmanbob Posts: 1,890 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Here is a listing that recently ended. Several Inch-worms in the batch.

  • ZoinsZoins Posts: 33,811 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @ricko said:
    I always have preferred to snipe in person..... counting down to the last five seconds with two screens opened..... Never lost an item I really wanted... Nuclear bid as it closes. Great fun... Cheers, RickO

    I’ve lost an in-person snipe a few times. Once I bid high and EBay disqualified my bid. Very sad situation. Another time, I tried to stay up but with less than 10 minutes to go, I fell asleep!

  • Cougar1978Cougar1978 Posts: 7,541 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited January 13, 2019 9:00AM

    It allows me to withdraw bids near the end plus has worked well for me. I wonder why anyone would ask this question. I dont want competing bidders know I am there. I believe many eBay sellers use shills.

    My goal get below bid not get in a bid war. I retailed a coin for $100 the other day I won via AS for $65.

    So Cali Area - Coins & Currency
  • jt88jt88 Posts: 2,794 ✭✭✭✭✭

    not as much as before because there are not many true auction out there any more.

  • AotearoaAotearoa Posts: 1,355 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @PerryHall said:
    What's the best sniping program or are they all pretty much the same? Are they free or is there a charge to use them?

    I've also been using GavelSnipe (free) for the past couple of years. Never had an issue.

    Smitten with DBLCs.

  • CoinstartledCoinstartled Posts: 10,135 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @mannie gray said:
    The almost exclusive use of sniping by eBay bidders has hurt auction results and overall bidding activity (from a seller's perspective.)

    Absolutely. Sunday nights on Ebay, a massive number of higher dollar no reserve auctions would end within a span of a couple of hours. Now it is a trickle.

    Much can be attributed to higher Ebay fees, but sellers fed up with sniping is certainly a contributor.

  • thefinnthefinn Posts: 2,653 ✭✭✭✭✭

    It used to be important for sellers to list all of their items on a Sunday night, so it would end a week later at that time. Now they can have the auction start whenever they tell it too, so no need to do that all at once. And with sniping, it isn't as important when an auction ends, other than having eyeballs that want to see something in the last 24 hours.

    thefinn
  • thefinnthefinn Posts: 2,653 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @PerryHall said:
    What's the best sniping program or are they all pretty much the same? Are they free or is there a charge to use them?

    I like Gixen. I pay an annual fee so that I have two servers that will send in my bid - just in case something goes down or is jammed up on the other. Very easy to use. I used the free one for a while, and liked it so much I paid to use the service. Set it and forget it.

    thefinn
  • davewesendavewesen Posts: 5,759 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @PerryHall said:
    What's the best sniping program or are they all pretty much the same? Are they free or is there a charge to use them?

    I like auctionstealer - it used to have a free section (think they still do) which allows 3 snipes per week at 10 seconds, and it also has a pay section with unlimited and allows you set 3,5, or 7 seconds. I use the pay with yearly fees and it will email if my snipe bid is too low.

    Anyone using any program needs to realize that they have your ebay password, and it could be a security issue if they are hacked.

  • ConnecticoinConnecticoin Posts: 12,470 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Coinstartled said:

    @mannie gray said:
    The almost exclusive use of sniping by eBay bidders has hurt auction results and overall bidding activity (from a seller's perspective.)

    Absolutely. Sunday nights on Ebay, a massive number of higher dollar no reserve auctions would end within a span of a couple of hours. Now it is a trickle.

    Much can be attributed to higher Ebay fees, but sellers fed up with sniping is certainly a contributor.

    I disagree. Sniping programs result in more bidders - I would bid far less or not at all without sniping programs - they allow me to bid without sitting at the computer. I have been selling a lot lately as well, and it it were not for snipers I would have a lot less bidders.

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