# Sniper bidding



## SC pontil collector (Oct 27, 2011)

I have been skunked on various auctions (including auction houses) by sniper bidding. I hate when it happens (who does).
 However, I understand why bidders use it. If your away from your computer, you can still bid on an auction.
 I am not against it or for it. Sure, I could use it as well. I guess you could sniper the sniper.
 Personally as I said before I hate it.
 How do you fellow members feel about this bidding tool (sniper bidding?)
 SCPC


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## Bixel (Oct 27, 2011)

I didn't use to agree with it, but I think that it is just the way auctions online have gone. If you are at a live auction, tactics are far different. Once computers, technology, etc are involved, auctions take on a different look and feel to them. I think its something you cant stop, and for the seller, it can mean a last minute payday sometimes.


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## Wheelah23 (Oct 27, 2011)

Never used it, never had it used against me. Seems like a good idea, all though I'd be frustrated if I lost to someone using it.


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## carobran (Oct 28, 2011)

ok,you might think im stupid for asking this................but what is sniper bidding??[8|]


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## glass man (Oct 28, 2011)

CAR DUDE: it is where you wait till almost the last second to put in a bid on something and hopefully it will be higher then the other person has bidded and also the other person will not have time to bid against you again.JAMIE


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## carobran (Oct 28, 2011)

ohhh,the way they were talking i thought i didnt know what they were talkng about.................doesnt everybody sniper bid??[8|][8|]...........i do[8|]


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## tigue710 (Oct 28, 2011)

The only times I don't snipe is to test the water.  I've had way to many idiots bid something to the sky just to beat a bid...  Competitive bidding always makes the price higher then it needs to be I think.  

 Basically I look at it like this, I want a bottle currently at 100, I want it ideally for 10 bucks, , but I'll spend 150, even though it's worth 130.  If I bid 150 3 days before the auction ends some dummy who can't wait for the next one and will bid whatever just to get it will out bid me and buy it for 160, now I have to spend 170 or wait like the dummy should have.... Now if I snipe it for 130 1 second before the auction ends I'll get it for 105,
 (assuming for the sake of this explanation no one else bids).  Although even if someone else bids I'll probably still get it for 120 or they'll get it for 135...  

 It's so much nicer then having some dummy place 20 2 dollar increment bids to outbid you for something!


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## cookie (Oct 28, 2011)

I used to get frustrated by sniper bidding but I've just changed my approach...I pick out a price I'm comfortable at and I hope it works out...you never know who's bidding against you  and if any funny business is going on....


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## SC pontil collector (Oct 28, 2011)

I briefly looked at a couple of websites that offer sniper bidding.
 Its a software that you use on an auction that you want to win. 
 An example would be that you tell the software that at the last second or two of the auction that you will automatically bid a dollar or whatever amount you tell it bid higher than the last bid. Its automatic and in less you have outbid their highest bid you will never beat them.
 If you just bid your highest amount for the item and are satisfied with your bid, then its not really a problem for you as a bidder.
 It bothers me when I lose an auction for a $1.00 more than my highest bid. It just means that I never had a chance at winning that auction.
 I agree that what I bid is the price that I am willing to pay for the item. However, its really gets old when auction after auction you lose by a dollar.
 Ebay encourages the use of this software (no surprise there) As far the auction houses , I don't know if its used by bidders.
 There is the chance that if you tell the software to bid an amount higher than the the highest bid, you could end up paying a lot for the auction. However, bidders usually enter a price range and a maximum amount to bid on the auction.
 Yes, this the age of the online shopping world as we know it. Its good and bad. Personally, I liked things before all this computer stuff.
 SCPC
 .


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## AntiqueMeds (Oct 28, 2011)

Its sort of like the nuclear arms race.
 No one likes to do it but if you want to be a serious collector you need to do it.

 I dont do it.


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## LtlBtl (Oct 28, 2011)

SCPC,
 You can't be sure that you are losing by a dollar. That is just the next increment in bidding, it is no way a gauge to how much moxie is in someones proxy(or snipe).
 I completely agree with Mike(AntiqueMeds)- if you want to be a Serious collector, you gotta use them. And I don't either.
 To me it really doesn't matter. I bid what I am going to bid depending in duration of listing. I may pop an  early bid below my max just to make sure listing isn't pulled by either "no interest" or someone offering to do a BIN. I'll then drop my 2nd w/a few hours to go at my max. If I win, great. If I don't someone with deeper pockets(not tough to have) or more interest(again not tough to have) gets it.
 That's is why i am not a serious collector. I don't get in bidding wars, there is no Holy Grail, and I'll get another chance. Everything eventually comes up for sale again and you just gotta outlive some people to do it. Based on what i see at hobby shows, that won't be too hard.
 From a sellers pov, sniping takes some of the drama out of it. We all love seeing our items get multiple bids from different buyers early. All that really matters, though is who is highest regardless of  when they got there.


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## LtlBtl (Oct 28, 2011)

SCPC,
 i should have written you can't be sure that was the other bidder's high bid. You could have gone up 10.00 and still lost by a dollar. until you see an odd number that isn't a logical bid increment, there is/was still juice in the other person's tank.


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## LtlBtl (Oct 28, 2011)

And, I should add, that you can be a serious collector without using it. you just have to have a little deeper pockets to put in  early bids and still win with people picking at it. and still fight off those who come in at end who now may know that there is more competition.


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## SC pontil collector (Oct 28, 2011)

Your right, I could be losing by $5.00, $20.00, $100.00. Its whatever the sniper bidder have put into the system.
 Most sniper bidders that I have talked with put in a range they're willing to bid. Most just put in a dollar over the highest bid with about 1 to 2 seconds left, so they have a very good chance of winning.
 Yeah, I don't want to spend anymore money than I bid on the item. I don't want get into bidding wars and refuse to. I don't need to win everything under the sun. They are just bottles or trade cards or fabric or fishing equipment. Yes, they;ll come up again and again.
 It just bothers me that when I see the auction was won for one dollar more than what I bid. 
 Its the reality of today's world. Some of it is good and some of it sucks. 
 SCPC


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## ktbi (Oct 28, 2011)

I always put in a bid equal to the opening amount just to get things going, and as LtlBtl mentioned - to keep it from being pulled or BIN. I then set my max price and throw that bid in the mix sometime within the last hour. My max bid is always a mix of what I'm comfortable paying and what I'm comfortable losing by a dollar. I win a few and lose a few.  Sometimes, I don't even throw in that last bid as my max is nothing more than a feeble yelp from the corner. I'm patient though. Another one will show up sooner or later.  Meantime, there's other bottles.....Ron


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## SC pontil collector (Oct 28, 2011)

I have to say that I agree with the philosophies expressed by everyone that has posted on this thread.
 I remember attending bottle shows and missing a bottle by the length of someone's arm reaching the bottle first.
 You know, it was called sniper reaching.
 To everyone that has posted, thanks.
 SCPC
 p.s. still hate losing by a dollar


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## AntiqueMeds (Oct 28, 2011)

> bottle shows and missing a bottle by the length of someone's arm reaching the bottle first


 
 I love when you pick up a bottle to buy it and set it down to take money out of your pocket and someone grabs it[]
 You need the kung fu grip once you find a keeper.


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## glass man (Oct 28, 2011)

At a flea market once I was just turning into a stall where the seller was taking items out of a box to sell and right at that moment he pulled out a mint label under glass Moxie syrup bottle!

 Only one buyer was there and bought it for 8 bucks as I watched in horror...well I talked to the buyer and found out he didn't even collect bottles.I guess I should have offered  him 20 bucks or something,but I told him he had just bought a great item and though I didn't know the exact worth if he took it to the up coming Atlanta bottle show he could ask around and find out.I also gave him my phone number....he called was real thankful and excited,because he was told it was worth a good deal of money...did I do right/wrong?

 It made me feel good that he was happy,but if I had been there just a minute or so earlier I would not have got sniped!OH WELL!JAMIE


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## SC pontil collector (Oct 28, 2011)

Hey,
 How about when a dealer shows up a little late and there is a crowd milling about. I've seen it look like a feeding frenzy around the dealers table. 
 The dealer can't get the bottles out fast enough and answer the one question that everyone is asking, "how much?"
 Yeah, that kung fu grip comes in handy sometimes. You learn not to even put a bottle down when your reaching for the money to pay for it.
 I guess the term "sniper" has many meaning depending on the situation.
 SCPC


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## SC pontil collector (Oct 28, 2011)

Hey Glassman,
 That is very classy to have done that.  You have some heart and morals, wish more of us would do the right thing.
 ScPC


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## NYCFlasks (Oct 28, 2011)

I snipe constantly on flea bay, and here is why.  It is now a habit, for me it was born out of need.  Back in the old days, you could search by bidder ID and see what others were bidding on.  Being an active buyer of bottles,  I had attracted a stalker on the bay, a personal shill if you will.
 I used to bid early, and then my true final bid later in the sale.  It seemed that after a while, it was just the two of us, all the time.
 With this situation, at first I figured it was good natured competition, but when the person bid on something I was getting for a gift, not even related to bottles, they tipped their hand.   Again, in the old days, you could run someone up by bidding just the bid increment, say 50cents. In time, by carefully watching the bid increment, and checking the other persons new high bid, you could max them out and then let them hang.  Took a bit of effort, but you could do it.  Payback time kiddies.........
 In short, the only way go get rid of this individual was to snipe, it is impossible to stalk and shill someone who bids with seconds left.
 So I visited a sniper site, AuctionSniper, signed up, and it worked.
 Have I lost?  Oh yea.  I have been out sniped by others, and also when my snipe is not high enough.  Even lost when my snipe came in AFTER another snipe, which was the identical amount.  On the bay, tie goes to the first bid, even if by 2 seconds........... 
 I continue to use it exclusively, as one never knows what games might be played next.  I am not into games.....


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## andy volkerts (Oct 28, 2011)

Good response to a problem that has plagued e-bay for years. I also snipe just do it myself, wait until 6 secs to go and go for it, usually I do ok if i am the highest snipe..........Andy


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## beith_2005 (Oct 28, 2011)

I do the same thing wait to the last second and put all my marbles in one basket and hope for the best . Most of the time it works out but I do still get out bid sometimes.


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## Brains (Oct 28, 2011)

sniper bid:  1 bid... 1 thing that you buy
 ...that was a joke for me... sorry.

 I buy very little from ebay, but i'll normally wait till the last minute so as not to attract attention to something that relatively few people might notice.... I think sniping is a good tactic.  Sometimes i'll also just bid on something immediately with a too high bid so everyone knows how rich i am and that i'm clearly going to pay too much for something... so no one else can have it


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## AntiqueMeds (Oct 28, 2011)

> I had attracted a stalker on the bay,


 
 hey that was me! terrible that they changed it so you cant see what people are bidding on , talkes all the fun out of it[]


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## Jim (Oct 28, 2011)

I use the good old "manual snipe" like Andy mentioned. With fast DSL internet service, it's not hard to do, but you still need to be on your toes.

 I won my best bottle on the Bay with a snipe. The opening bid was $500. I bid $550 the first day, and left it alone until about five seconds remained. Someone else bid shortly before the close, but I was ready with a maximum snipe of $1,000. I got it for $768. Money to spare, but I was ready for another sniper or two. For a rare bottle that is in high demand, you almost have to snipe to win. I wasn't leaving anything to chance with this bottle, it was my iron pontiled Lewistown soda. ~Jim


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## andy volkerts (Oct 29, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  Brains
> 
> sniper bid:Â  1 bid... 1 thing that you buy
> ...that was a joke for me... sorry.
> ...


 []  Dang! Itried the rich route a couple times and Dang! some fool raised the bid 2 dollars at a time, and paid to much more for it than me!!!


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## tigue710 (Oct 29, 2011)

Loosing something for a dollar does suck... But what gets me is checking back over my watch list and seeing myself and everyone else missed some awesome bottle and it sold for 20 bucks!  Not to long ago I had it set in my mind I would pick up a nice small size olive green new England wolfes off the bay, should be no problem at 40 bucks... I watched about 10 of them over a few months go for 80... Way way more then I'm willing to pay for one.  I finally scratched the idea and sure enough cleaning out my watch list a little later there's just about the nicest one sold for 30 bucks and I missed it...


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## Oldihtractor (Oct 29, 2011)

If  I really wat to own an item I use the snipe service.. I have tried to put my high bid in on an item sometimes even if it was 2 times the value of an item and even if i was the bidder in the very begining of the auction... someone will bid whaever it costs to own it..  

    I have bought items as the only bidder with a snipe and items for very little money knowing that if i had bid it would have exceeded my high bid.. it works well if you are building a collection...


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## Poison_Us (Oct 29, 2011)

Ya unless it's not a desirable item, it all comes down the the final 30 seconds on things.
 I have been an ebayer since it's beginning ( I should have bought stock)  The way they described how to bid was:
 Place the highst bid you want at first and the computer will bid for you.

 So as we have found out, this can make the price go way up with people trying to find your highest bid...unless they did the same...post what they would be willing to pay for it  ONCE.  And whoever wanted it more would win....
 Now, to win these days, you have to bid ridiculously high at the last minute to be almost guaranteed to win...unless the last bidder already has a ridiculously high big...still comes down to who had the highest bid.

 I think it still works both ways, just depends on who else wants the item.  If it's popular, there will be no way around from paying close to fair market value.   But sniping seems to be the trend and it's not going away anytime soon.  Either you play the game everyone else is or you don't play at all.  It all still comes down to who wants it more.  If your not going to snipe and your not going to be around at the last minute, go old school, place the highest amount you are willing to pay.  If someone outbids you, then he just wanted it more...or was willing to overpay to get it.  Doesn't matter when you place the bid, it still comes down to that.


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## RIBottleguy (Oct 29, 2011)

It all depends on how much you want a bottle.  If I like something but isn't essential for my collection I'll just stick in a bid just in case I get lucky.  If it's something I really have an interest in, I'll wait until the end.  I've gotten by without sniping so far, but it does irritate me when I lose to one and I have considered it.  I'll also occasionally put in bids on BIN bottles I think have too low BIN prices (as a courtesy to the seller).  I've seen some bottles go for quite a bit over the initial BIN price.


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## ncbred (Oct 30, 2011)

Had it happen a dozen times.  Best thing you can do is set a max price you are willing to pay for that item and bid that first.  Thats what I've started doing.  Don't kick yourself in the rear end if you get beat by a $1.  I've gotten just as many deals that way as if I were waiting towards the last few seconds.  

 Waiting the last second screwed me good the last time I tried it.  Kept me from getting a local remedy at a third of what they usually bring.  I bid $80 the first day on a $300+ bottle.  I checked back when it was just a few minutes before the auction ended and surprisingly was still winning but just by $10.  So I went to up my bid to the $175 I was willing to pay with 30 secs left.  Did that with about 15 secs left to spare but noticed it did not increase my already winning bid.  Went to enter it again but it was too late.  Needless to say I was pissed off when I refreshed the page and saw that another bidder won the bottle for $81.  For whatever reason, my $175 bid did not go through.  Talk about a sick feeling as I've only seen two come up for auction in my 5 years of collecting. And they both went for $250+.  Ever since then I've just placed an opening bid on what I was willing to pay and hoped for the best.


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## SC pontil collector (Oct 30, 2011)

O.K. all you snipers out there. As mentioned earlier nothing wrong with using a sniping software.
 I just never have to use the software because I usually can bid on something myself. 
 I have come to realize that the term "sniper bidding" has different meanings. There is the sniper software (that is the one I was referring to) and the last second type of sniping.
 I am guilty of the last second type of sniping, I just never thought of it as sniping.
 However, I out sniped a software sniper on a bottle that completed a soda collection of mine. It wasn't a high priced bottle, but I was willing to pay a lot more than anyone else, but still bought for a lot less than I have seen it go for.
 So, raspberries to the software sniper.
 Yes, if you really want to win a bottle just bid some insane amount and you'll win it.
 SCPC


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## baltbottles (Oct 30, 2011)

If its a bottle I really want for my collection I bid a bit higher then what I consider a fair market value at the last few seconds of the auction. Sometimes I get the bottle cheap sometimes I pay a bit more then its worth but in the end it all evens out. If its a bottle that I'm just looking to get cheap but just something I like not part of my main collecting interests. I will place a reasonable bid early and just let it ride and sometimes I win but most times I don't. 

 Chris


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## KBbottles (Nov 3, 2011)

Personally,  

 I hate when people bid days before the auction closes especially when I want to keep the price down.  I always watch the items I want and then go in for a snipe within the last 10-30 seconds.  75% of the time I win and sometimes get a great deal.  

 I had one scenario once where I suspected a seller had intentionally had someone bidding against me to drive the price up on a few items too and that sucked.


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## AntiqueMeds (Nov 3, 2011)

I think some people use the following logic...
 "OK I went to the trouble of coming here or logging on and waiting for the auction end, I may as well bid more than its worth or I leave empty handed and my time was wasted."

 I think using sniper service gets some people out of that thought process and may be benefitial to them.


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## Plumbata (Nov 3, 2011)

I manually snipe all the time. Just the way the game is played. At live auctions, if you read the auctioneer correctly, you can snipe as well.


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## bostaurus (Nov 3, 2011)

many times I will put in a very low bid so I have it on my Bidding portion of the eBay screen.  It is mainly just a reminder to me that I would really like to have that one as opposed to the many on my Watch list that I am just curious about.  When it is close to the end I will put in my main bid.  If there is a lot of action on it I may wait until the last minute...unless it has gone  over my limit.
 The other day I put in an early bid that was close to my limit as I was not sure I would be around for the end.  Someone with a feedback score of 6 did one of those "pecking" bids.  He just kept pecking away with one dollar bids until he found my bid limit. I think there was 7 or 8 bids in a row by this person.  It actually made me miffed enough to wait out the auction and snipe at the last minute, spending a little more than I planned to spend.


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## phil44 (Nov 4, 2011)

It's easy for me to get sucked into a tit for tat bidding war. I determine the max I'll pay if I don't win then there's not enough time to bid any higher. So...... my name is Phil and I'm a sniper


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## KBbottles (Nov 5, 2011)

Is it ethical or legal for a seller to pull an item someone one if somebody offered more privately after the interent auction ends?


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## KBbottles (Nov 5, 2011)

Won*


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## Poison_Us (Nov 5, 2011)

Did someone win said auction or are there any bidders on it?  After the end of an auction which nobody bid or won, it's fair for the seller to do with it what he wants.  But if he pulls it early (with bidders) or sells it to someone for more after someone has won it...then no on both counts.


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## CALDIGR2 (Nov 5, 2011)

I don't snipe or get involved in "feeding frenzies". No bottle is worth that sort of activity to me. After over 50 yrs of steady digging and collecting it does not bother me in the least to not buy a bottle. If it is meant to come my way it will. I cracks me up to see collectors get all worked up over a piece of glass, especially when another person scores it.


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