How to snipe an auction
How many times have you placed a bid on an auction and anxiously awaited the result, only to find out that you lost the auction in the last few seconds? Most likely, somebody sniped your bid.
Sniping an auction is the term used to describe this. Auction sniping is legal, according to eBay policies, as long as you honor the bid.
A snipe is exactly that: somewhere, someone in hiding is ready to pounce on your great deal. Snipers do it either manually, or they use third-party software and services. They keep their absolute maximum bid hidden from the other bidders. In the last dying seconds of the auction deadline, they place their hidden bid. This leaves little time for the other bidders to react. The sniper wins the auction.
The manual process is not as desirable as an automated third-party auction sniping service. The sniper’s system and connection to the Internet may not be reliable, or quick enough, to submit the sniped bid in time. Third-party companies have faster connections and more reliable servers to handle the process.
The difference between sniping a bid and placing a higher proxy bid (placing a maximum bid amount early, in secret) is that other auction bidders can learn about the maximum bid simply by placing their bid. If your bid is higher, they will be see that someone (you) outbid them. This reveals the current bid amount and often raises the price of the item, making it less enticing, less of a deal.
Sniping software holds a bid a secret until the sniper says when to place it. This it typically anywhere between several minutes and several seconds before the auction ends.
The sniping software uses the sniping choices and preferences that the sniper has made in advance.
If you decide to go for it, you will have to purchase the software or service and enter your account credentials beforehand.
Some may argue that this is a security risk they do not wish to make. Essentially, you are handing over your account information to a third party. They then store it on their servers. If there ever was a security breach, it will compromise your information, too.
On the other hand, sniping services may have more secure servers than your home computer, coupled with their reliability and faster Internet connection. Using these options means your bid can be placed anywhere, anytime. The snipe will happen automatically, whether you monitor the auction or not.
There are several auction sniping software and service suppliers. Look them up at bidnip.com. It costs about .25 per successful auction snipe. If you bid too low, or for any reason the bid is not placed due to unforeseen circumstances, you are not charged. Other software packages cost about $9.95, plus one per cent of the auction item price. You may also search the web for auction sniping. Try it, you’ll soon understand why it’s so popular.
