# eBay: Is sniping wise if I'm bidding minimum **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 23, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802 "2005-03-23T00:10:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/21 "2005-03-24T01:31:18Z")
You’re already participating via a program. Why is one that sends your bid at a particular time objectively different to one that you use to send your bid in at all? Particularly when it does nothing that you couldn’t do yourself arguably even better? ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/22 "2005-03-24T05:56:39Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Finally, some sellers get paniced when there are no (or only a few, and it’s going for WAY less than they want/need/hoped) bids on their item, and it is getting close to the final deadline. **Often then a vulture buyer will swoop in, offer a price slightly below the Minimum bid** , and the scared seller will accept, “withdraw the item”, and sell it outside eBay to the vulture. Here, Sniping actually is a losing proposition. Wait, you can bid _below_ the minimum bid? I’d never thought to do that… can you? I wouldn’t imagine ebay would let you. ZJ ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/23 "2005-03-24T05:59:40Z")
Oh, I see that the seller gets the bid, but it doesn’t show up on the auction… Huh. Right now I’m bidding on something that hasn’t met the reserve, but the price is 10 dollars below the Buy It Now price. I hope he’ll sell it to me, or would he have to withdraw the item? I’m sorry- this is totally a hijack. We need an ebay sticky, dammit. ZJ ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/24 "2005-03-24T08:36:22Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Did you remind him that sniping is _not_ against eBay rules? I don’t see anything unethical about it either Yeah, I pointed out I just really wanted that particular copy and didn’t use any sniping software, I just waited till the last minute. I think it was the possibility that I used software to do it that galled him :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Keweenaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Keweenaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keweenaw)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/25 "2005-03-24T13:32:11Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > It reduces the amount of time for other bidders to chip away at your bid. Many eBay bidders bid simply to bid - they see that someone else wants something, so therefore they want it. > > Of course, all of this is operating under the assumption of “Even if I had the time”. ehh let em chip. If they pay $ .50 more than I was willing to pay then they can win. That’s why it my called my maximum bid. Bidding back and forth, checking every hour and staying in the lead manually only benefits the seller. IMO I guess I can see trying not to draw attention to an item, but is there a way to search for items with only one bid? ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/26 "2005-03-24T17:27:15Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > Oh, I see that the seller gets the bid, but it doesn’t show up on the auction… Huh. > > Right now I’m bidding on something that hasn’t met the reserve, but the price is 10 dollars below the Buy It Now price. I hope he’ll sell it to me, or would he have to withdraw the item? I’m sorry- this is totally a hijack. We need an ebay sticky, dammit. > > ZJ If the auction ends without the reserve being met, the two of you have the option of coming to an agreement on price outside of eBay. He could also end the auction early to sell it to you. This is done, but I really don’t think it’s ethical. I know that when I sell things, I do get people asking me to end the auction early and sell it outright. I always decline. There has never been a time that the auction hasn’t ended up going for more than their offer. ---
**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:** [March 24, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/27 "2005-03-24T17:50:53Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > It strikes me as unethical in that you’re using a service to perform in your stead. I never claimed that it violated eBay protocol. As I believe my previous post made clear, if you want to win an auction, you should personally participate, not passively participate via a program. So then you only bid the minimum possible bid each time you bid on something? Or do you not consider using the proxy service provided by eBay that automatically puts a bid in for you passively via a program to be passively participating via a program? ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/28 "2005-03-24T17:58:04Z")
> [@RogueRacer](#): > > If the auction ends without the reserve being met, the two of you have the option of coming to an agreement on price outside of eBay. He could also end the auction early to sell it to you. This is done, but I really don’t think it’s ethical. Isn’t it dangerous as well? I understand it’s a common scam to pretend to be the seller and e-mail the 2nd highest bidder to say “first bidder pulled out, you want it?” The same could be done to the highest bidder who did not meet the reserve. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/29 "2005-03-24T21:40:46Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > I understand it’s a common scam to pretend to be the seller and e-mail the 2nd highest bidder to say “first bidder pulled out, you want it?” The same could be done to the highest bidder who did not meet the reserve. There’s a system within eBay for offering the 2nd highest bidder a second chance when the highest bidder flakes out. You don’t have to go outside the system. I just did that a couple of days ago: I bid the minimum, somebody outbid me, I walked away, and then I got a “2nd chance offer” to buy it for what I originally bid. ---
**Author:** ![RogueRacer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@RogueRacer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RogueRacer)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802/30 "2005-03-24T21:59:15Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Isn’t it dangerous as well? I understand it’s a common scam to pretend to be the seller and e-mail the 2nd highest bidder to say “first bidder pulled out, you want it?” The same could be done to the highest bidder who did not meet the reserve. Yes, it can be. I don’t do this personally. However, if I did the same self imposed rules would apply as in any eBay auction. I make sure the person has good feedback. I make sure that the item picture is clear. I don’t bid on items where the person is taking in extra money through shipping or “Paypal fees” (which are against eBay rules). Let’s face it though, buying anything on eBay does take a leap of faith. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ebay-is-sniping-wise-if-im-bidding-minimum/295802.md?page=1)