# Do EBay Auction Snipers Really Work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789 "2003-09-25T16:54:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elephant\_shoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c77e96/32.png) [@elephant\_shoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elephant_shoes)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/1 "2003-09-25T16:54:28Z")
I’m desperate to win a particular auction on Ebay. I found a site called [Auction Sniper](http://www.auctionsniper.com/) , and I’m wondering how reliable a site like this is. Has anyone used this service before? Any other tips for winning an auction on EBay? I’ve got 6 hours! ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/2 "2003-09-25T17:00:47Z")
It will only work while it’s new; as soon as everybody starts using it you’re right back where you started. I snipe manually; hit “bid” at 15 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![tourbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/3 "2003-09-25T17:14:27Z")
I have used Auction Sniper, and it works quite well. There is still the possibility of losing, or, if you try to cut it too close, of your bid not getting in at all. All in all, not hugely more efficient than lissener’s method, unless you have a slow connection. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/4 "2003-09-25T17:28:04Z")
I have a fool proof method for winning auctions. Bid the highest amount you are willing to pay, at any time during the auction. If you get beat by a dollar, it shouldn’t matter, if you truly bid your maximum. I don’t think sniping keeps the price down by very much. ---
**Author:** ![Skeptico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Skeptico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeptico)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/5 "2003-09-25T17:49:47Z")
I have to agree with **Fear Itself**. Just put in your maximum bid (it will not be shown immediately) and the ebay “agent” will up it gradually until your max is reached. Bid it and forget it. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/6 "2003-09-25T17:51:13Z")
**Fear Itself** is absolutely correct. Snipers are pointless. If the maximum you’re willing to pay is, say, $50, then bid $50, and leave it alone. You’ll either win the auction for $50 or less, or lose, in which case the chump who wins will be paying more than you would have. ---
**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/7 "2003-09-25T17:59:53Z")
Agreed with everyone. People will tell you all sorts of stuff, but there are two strategies that work equally well: bid your maximum at any time; or snipe. If you must do the latter, synchronize your computer to the [eBay clock](http://cgi3.ebay.co.uk/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?TimeShow) and, as **Lissener** says, do it manually. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/8 "2003-09-25T18:01:55Z")
Er … nope. The way to do it is bid your maximum in the last 10 seconds. That way the chump who is willing to pay more than you doesn’t get the chance, anyway. And you still don’t pay more than your max. 😃 Julie ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/9 "2003-09-25T18:14:00Z")
Unless said chump has already bid his maximum which is higher than your sniping attempt. ---
**Author:** ![Pencil\_Pusher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Pencil\_Pusher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pencil_Pusher)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/10 "2003-09-25T18:29:22Z")
I have to agree with **Shrinking Violet** here. **Fear Itself** and friends are assuming a perfectly rational and logical pool of bidders. Yeah, right. Although valuation of an item may be totally personal for some people, other people may not have that clear an idea of value. To them, watching what other people bid is instrumental in their own bids. If they see a bid of $50 in the first 10 minutes of an auction, they may believe that the item is worth $75 for no rational reason other than a belief that it couldn’t have gotten up that high so quickly unless it was worth more. Unfortunately, the best way to prevent these people from out-bidding you is to snipe. ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/11 "2003-09-25T18:31:21Z")
If you really want an item, check back right before the auction expires. Figure it like this, you and someone else want an item. Your max bid is $50. Your opponent bids $50.50 just enough to outbid you (why would he bid more?). Wait until 10-20 seconds before the auction ends, and bid $50.75 - and you win! Your opponent doesn’t have time to outbid you (if he even checks). If you are willing to spend 50 - the extra .75 to win is nothing. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/12 "2003-09-25T18:35:01Z")
So what you’re saying, **akrako1** , is that the maximum you’re willing to pay was actually $50.75, and not $50. If you had bid $50.75 in the first place, then you still would have won. If you bid $50.75 in the first place, and your hypothetical enemy bids $51.50 in the final minutes, then he has exceeded your maximum. It’s exactly this kind of thinking that convinced people of the need to snipe. It is totally unnecessary, and I am very dubious of people who claim that they can get better prices if they do so. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/13 "2003-09-25T18:36:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pencil Pusher \* > \*\*Unfortunately, the best way to prevent these people from out-bidding you is to snipe. \*\* This presumes you know what the previous bidder bid, which you don’t. If the current bid is $52 at the time you place your snipe bid, how do you know their actual bid isn’t $102? You don’t, so the only way to ensure that you win the auction is to bid your personal maximum. Sniping is good way to lose auctions if you don’t bid your maximum, which you can bid anytime. ---
**Author:** ![Beastal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Beastal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/14 "2003-09-25T18:49:52Z")
You guys just don’t get it! Let’s say I’m willing to pay $50 for an item, at the absolute maximum. Would I prefer to pay $30? Of course! So if, with 10 seconds of auction time to go, some other guy has bid $29.50, but he has set his max at $50, I am better off to snipe him off at the last second and take the item for $30, rather than engage in a bidding war with him that will mean I will have to pay up to $50 for the item. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/15 "2003-09-25T19:28:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beastal \* > \*\*You guys just don’t get it! > > Let’s say I’m willing to pay $50 for an item, at the absolute maximum. Would I prefer to pay $30? Of course! > > So if, with 10 seconds of auction time to go, some other guy has bid $29.50, but he has set his max at $50, I am better off to snipe him off at the last second and take the item for $30, rather than engage in a bidding war with him that will mean I will have to pay up to $50 for the item. \*\* Looks like you don’t get it. If his maximum is at $50, you lose. He’ll get the item for $31 (it’s an automated process, Beastal). But the fact remains, the pool of bidders at eBay are not all rational, and you cannot assume that everyone puts in their maximum bid. Putting your bid in early is a sure way to get bid against. It’s much smarter to put your max bid in with 1 minute left than with 1 week left. ---
**Author:** ![Beastal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Beastal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastal)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/16 "2003-09-25T19:43:11Z")
Last time I purchased something off eBay, I noticed it took longer than 10 seconds for an “autobid” to place itself. Unless this has changed, I stick by what I said. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/17 "2003-09-25T19:45:02Z")
It happens immediately. In fact, you get an immediate confirmation saying that you bid was not processed because the previous bidder had a higher bid. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/18 "2003-09-25T19:45:15Z")
If my maximum was $50 and somebody else got it for $31, Ebay would be hearing from me. That would a major BUG in their system. Beastal, you are wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/19 "2003-09-25T19:49:02Z")
From [ebay.com](http://ebay.com): > [@](#): > > Proxy Bidding > Enter your maximum, then sit back and watch! > > eBay uses a helpful bidding system (called proxy bidding) to make bidding on auctions more convenient and less time-consuming for buyers. > > Here’s how it works: > When you place a bid, you enter the maximum amount you’d be willing to pay for the item. Your maximum amount is kept confidential from other bidders and the seller. > The eBay system compares your bid to those of the other bidders. > The system places bids on your behalf, using only as much of your bid as is necessary to maintain your high bid position (or to meet the reserve price). The system will bid up to your maximum amount. > If another bidder has a higher maximum, you’ll be outbid. BUT, if no other bidder has a higher maximum, you win the item. And you could pay significantly less than your maximum price! > > This means you don’t have to keep coming back to re-bid every time another bid is placed. > > Note: > This bidding system does not apply to Multiple Item Auctions (Dutch Auctions). > > This bidding system does not apply to eBay Motors vehicle categories (Passenger Vehicles, Motorcycles, Other Vehicles). Learn more about the bidding system for vehicles on eBay Motors. > > Note: > In Reserve Price Auctions, if your maximum bid is the first to be greater than the seller’s reserve price, the eBay system will automatically jump the price up to meet the reserve, and bidding will continue from there. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789/20 "2003-09-25T20:15:15Z")
Sniping will work against other snipers, assuming you’re the last person to get in, and it’ll work against people whose max bids aren’t higher than your snipe bid. Of course, like Munch said, if their max bid is higher than yours, they’ll still win. The assumption behind the max bid is that you really want the item, and are willing to assign some max price to it. Sniping’s more opportunistic- you trade the chance of not winning for a potentially lower price. The idea behind sniping assumes that the bidders are all competing to be the last one in before the deadline, and hopefully you get your bid in before anyone else can out bid you, and therefore getting the item for less than the likely maximum auction price(i.e. what someone else would have outbid you for, if they’d got their bid submitted in time) This is defeated by just having a system where there’s no fixed deadline a la Ebay. For example, a system where if a bid comes in within 5 minutes of the ‘deadline’, then the deadline’s extended 5 minutes would prevent sniping- everyone would pretty much get their chance to outbid someone if they really wanted to. I think one of the other auction systems does just this(MSN?), actually. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-ebay-auction-snipers-really-work/203789.md?page=2)