# Please explain the purpose of "sniping" (ebay)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-the-purpose-of-sniping-ebay/552270>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 1, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-the-purpose-of-sniping-ebay/552270 "2010-09-01T16:10:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 15

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**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-the-purpose-of-sniping-ebay/552270/281 "2010-12-08T17:18:39Z")

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> [@BlinkingDuck](#):
>
> I became convinced that the owner of the item had access to your maximum bid and, right before the end of the auction, would increase it to right at or below your maximim bid. This way they don’t ‘win’ their own item but get the maximum amount out of you.

They can do this by shilling. The shill account bids a very high amount, thus discovering the highest legit bid. This bid is then canceled by the seller, and a bid driving the price to the max legit bid is entered from a shill account. Foiling this is one of the good reasons for sniping.

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**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-the-purpose-of-sniping-ebay/552270/282 "2010-12-08T20:33:00Z")

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> [@Kevbo](#):
>
> They can do this by shilling. The shill account bids a very high amount, thus discovering the highest legit bid. This bid is then canceled by the seller, and a bid driving the price to the max legit bid is entered from a shill account. Foiling this is one of the good reasons for sniping.

I see.

The way I tried (and it has been many years so cannot remember exactly how I fugured it out) was to increase price by small steps…and it showed some bit of information when you within a certain price of the max bid. Cannot remember what it was…but I was able to do it.

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-the-purpose-of-sniping-ebay/552270/283 "2010-12-08T20:37:33Z")

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> [@Kevbo](#):
>
> They can do this by shilling. The shill account bids a very high amount, thus discovering the highest legit bid. This bid is then canceled by the seller, and a bid driving the price to the max legit bid is entered from a shill account. Foiling this is one of the good reasons for sniping.

Realistically, this almost never happens. I’ve bought thousands of items on ebay, and never had this happen to me.

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