# Sniping...



## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Do you use Sniping sites? (who?), I have tried a few over the years and they have saved me a load of money, but I settled onto eSnipe a few years ago as the easiest and most accurate one to use.

It only popped into my mind as I have just used it twice after probably a year as I now mainly go for BIN items.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Me hammersnipe been using it for a decade or more never failed me. Now I believe that it is owned by ebay


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Wot R U all talking about?

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Google sniping Ray


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

sniping
/ˈsnʌɪpɪŋ/
noun

1.
the action of shooting at someone from a hiding place, especially accurately and at long range:
"sniping assumed great importance during WWI, especially where trench warfare was prevalent"
2.
the action of verbally attacking someone in a sly or petty way:
"there has been some sniping about inept leadership"


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I think you're just being awkward now.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Apologies Ray, I got the same and more.

https://windowsreport.com/software-bid-ebay/


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Yep, I think it should be banned.

Ray.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Nah, everyone has the same opportunity, the only people who lose are the sellers, I sell but it doesn't bother me, I've just put three items on, I just start them off at what I'm happy with, if people are daft enough to keep pushing the price up I'm fine with that too.


As far as I am concerned no one ever wins an auction, if you end up with the goods, you just decided you wanted to pay more than anyone else, that's called losing not winning.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

I wasn't aware of sniping so thanks for this.

When I bid for an item I usually put in the maximum that I want to go to and let Ebay bid up for me. What's the difference between me doing that and using this sniping software?

Yes I do 'lose' stuff but only because it goes for more than I want to pay anyway...and on numerous occasions I have seen stuff go on auction at a higher price than other listings with a 'Buy it now' price. Which I find a little crazy and shows me that some folks don't do their research.

A case in point is the NowTV Smart Stick I bought the other day. I was bidding on one which with postage would have been £22.00 had I won at my top bid price. I didn't win it however looking at the same search criteria on Ebay, around 5 positions below that one was a brand new one for £25. I made a 'Best Offer' of £22.50 and got it. It was delivered 2 days later.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

GMJ said:


> I wasn't aware of sniping so thanks for this.
> 
> When I bid for an item I usually put in the maximum that I want to go to and let Ebay bid up for me. What's the difference between me doing that and using this sniping software?


The main difference is 'you' don't push up the price by bidding on the item G, you get a reminder 90 minutes before the auction ends to either bid more or remove your bid, you can also bid on several items of the same thing as a group, and it will keep bidding up to your max until you win one then it cancels any left.

You can also look at the item via the snipe site without adding to the eBay views tally ditto the watch list, all these can push up the price.

Here's some ancient history of mine on ESnipe, note the ones won and lost, and also that I never bid exact amounts, I think the strike outs are where I deleted my bids.

I too go for making an offer and buy it now ones, and have often bought things just to sell on, I used to buy cameras and have sold a lot, but it's all died now as peeps getter better ones with their new phones, I did have a go at buying and selling a few phones but too many at it.


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

GMJ said:


> I wasn't aware of sniping so thanks for this.
> 
> When I bid for an item I usually put in the maximum that I want to go to and let Ebay bid up for me. What's the difference between me doing that and using this sniping software?
> 
> ...


But not all are as disciplined as you are when it comes to bidding, get emotionally involved and can't stop. Ebay placing your automatic bids draw them in and you lose more than you would if you sniped.

If you don't make ANY bid until the last second or less (though a snipe) you don't contribute to auction hysteria and will lose a lot less.

Do exactly the same as you do now ie. set your top price through your snipe price rather than Ebay Your competitor will not increase their bid if they are winning. When you bid it is too late for them.

Some say it is ethically questionable, others say all's fair in love, war and auctions.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I can see the ethical point, but everyone has the same options to snipe. if sellers are the loser they have recourse to fix the prices as buy it now or make an offer, but then make an offer is them trying it on as obviously they will accept less.


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## GMJ (Jun 24, 2014)

I see. By the looks, the snipe will allow you to win by pennies instead of pounds as well perhaps?

I have no moral problem with this at all. It's a perfectly acceptable tool for dealing with market forces I reckon and as you say Kev, anyone/everyone can do it if they want.

What happens if two or more folks have snipes working. Who would get the last bid?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

the one with the best computer setup, that's why I went with Esnipe, I think they are timed to a thousandth of a second.


There used to be a thing called Phat Phingers to route out all the listings of what you were looking for but were listed by people who couldn't spell, but eBay buggered it up.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I might be wrong, it still exists

http://fatfingers.com/


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Auctions as you have suggested Kev are designed to benefit the seller and maximize income for the auctioneer. Anyone from a rural farming community in the 20th C will be familiar with there psychology. I visited a large commercial flower auction in Belguim. They used the "Dutch auction" system. Every potential buyer had their top price in mind. There was only ONE bid on every lot. The lot came on the screen at a high price and the price started to drop with the clock. The winner was the first to make a bid. It was really exciting. 

Nearest we have here is the system of "sealed bids"


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Pudsey_Bear said:


> the one with the best computer setup, that's why I went with Esnipe, I think they are timed to a thousandth of a second.
> 
> There used to be a thing called Phat Phingers to route out all the listings of what you were looking for but were listed by people who couldn't spell, but eBay buggered it up.


But at the same price the one who bid marginally BEFORE you would win!


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I just had a look at the two I sniped yesterday as they both finish today, I decided to up my bids by £2, but I'll stop at that as it's only a whim purchase.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Tee hee, I got both items and combined postage.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Now I know how I have been beaten on bidding for items. I could not fathom when I bid a few minutes before the end of the auction how the other bidder could get the item


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I used to bid in the last few seconds on my own, and I did win some, but not many, a lot of it is down to routers and server speed, not including the actual internet, but the sniping companies have invested a very lot of pennies to make theirs the fastest, they also have to be logged into your eBay account to make your bid 5 seconds (can be adjusted) ahead of time.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I won/lost the auction for another phone, I just had a look at the last bid timings, mine is the top one, as you can see others were very close together at close to the auction end which was Time ended:29 Aug 2021 at 8:06:03pm BST my bid went in precisely on time at 5 seconds before the end. I think the one before mine may have been a snipe, the inconsistency in timings will be due to a proxy bid by someone.


29 Aug 2021 at 8:05:58pm BST	

29 Aug 2021 at 8:05:43pm BST	

29 Aug 2021 at 8:05:54pm BST	

29 Aug 2021 at 8:05:26pm BST


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

So from my understanding, yours went in at 8.05.55 but was actually entered at 8.05.58 ?

Does that mean you won or was one of the others higher ?

From my understanding it therefore takes 3 seconds to register after submission ?

Such knowledge could be useful for the future, perhaps.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Mine went in at 8:05:58pm BST Dave as planned I allow a 5 second window, some allow more, some less, but over the years if my offer is in the right amount to win then 5 seconds is most successful for me here, when I lived in Leeds for some reason 3 or 4 seconds was better but here it's 5, no rhyme or reason for it as it all done in America.

If another bid had been higher it would have won if placed in time, my max bid was only £2 more than my winning bid.

I have registered with other snipe engines but this one is the best I have used, it's quite cheap to use too. I used to buy and sell quite a lot on Ebay, hence a lot of bid points were purchased.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

Esnipe wins again, Just got a Samsung Galaxy S10, at a bargain price, I was/am still looking for the top S10+ but I'll grab this and resell it later along with my S9+


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