eBay Online Auction Sniping Secrets

Since their introduction several years ago, online auctions, such as eBay, have been one of the hottest destinations on the World Wide Web. Auction sellers are attracted by the prospect of a broad venue for their products and the possibility of high profits resulting from emotion-driven bidding wars. Bidders on online auction sites are drawn to the unique shopping opportunities and potential to purchase hard-to-find items at low prices. One technique many successful auction bidders employ is called sniping.

Auction sniping is waiting to place your bid until seconds before the auction closes. In most cases, the last-minute bid precludes competing bids and assures the sniping bidder the winning bid at the lowest price. Some web sites estimate that sniping occurs on 5 percent of all eBay auctions that close with bids.

While this technique is not without controversy ? mostly from disgruntled sellers or competing bidders ? it is permitted on most online auction sites including eBay. In fact, an eBay Community Development representative related eBay's position on one of eBay's message boards:

From: daphne
Topic: Re: Snipers How To Workshop


Just for the record, contrary to what some people think, there's no rule against "sniping," or bidding in the last moments of the auction. You will hear all kinds of debates about which method (proxy bidding or sniping) is more effective, and eBay would recommend proxy bidding, but bidding at the last moment of the auction is perfectly acceptable and legal. :)

Daphne
eBay Community Development

There are several advantages to sniping on auctions. The first is that the sniper prevents counter-bids and is more likely win the auction. The most significant advantage is that sniping prevents emotional bidding wars. These are events that auction sellers dream about ? two or more bidders start running up the price of a listed item because they get caught up in the excitement of the moment. More often than not, the sniper will win the auction at a lower price if they do it correctly.

There are some problems associated with sniping manually. First, you must be online to bid when the auction closes. This may not be convenient if the bidding for that PEZ dispenser you've been drooling over ends in the middle of the night or while you are at work. Second, depending on your connection speed, your last second bid may be submitted too late. The auction might close before your bid reaches eBay.

Not to worry though, there are several software and web-based solutions to automate the sniping process for you.

Sniping software programs, such as iSnipeIt reside on your computer. You simply enter the item number you wish to bid on and input your maximum bid. At the appropriate time, the sniping software connects to the internet and places the bid for you. This requires your computer to be on, the sniping program to be active, and a connection to the internet. One advantage to having sniping software resident on your computer is increased security. Most desktop applications don't require your eBay ID and password to reside on servers continuously connected to the internet. However, the timeliness of your snipe depends on your connection speed and your internet service provider. This can be a problem for some people.

Online services such as http://AuctionInsights.AuctionStealer.com mitigate these connection issues. They have high-speed connections to the internet and can place your last second bid regardless if your computer is on or not. While web based services are generally more expensive than a desktop software application, their reliability is remarkable. An advantage to online sniping services is that they respond quickly to frequent changes in eBay's web site that can disable a desktop software program. The hapless auction sniper who is attempting to use a desktop solution is often out of luck until the programmer modifies his or her code and the user installs the update.

Sniping online auction sites such as eBay can be of great benefit to the bidder. It saves them money and greatly increases the chances that they will win the auction. Give it a try on the next auction you bid on!

______________________________________________

Doug Feiring publishes "AuctionInsights.com", an all-encompassing FREE resource guide that provides nuts-and-bolts strategies, ideas, and tools to build a successful eBay online auction business from the ground up, visit http://www.auctioninsights.com

---

How To Write a Traffic Pulling eBay Auction Title

Selling an item on eBay should be simple but it... Read More

eBay The Mega Marketplace For Everyone

eBay is one of the world's largest market places with... Read More

Is The eBay Fee Increase Actually Good For Business?

Fee Increase Leaves Some Sellers Angry, Others ThrilledMuch of my... Read More

5 Reasons Why Playing Music On Your Auctions Is A Bummer Of An Idea

There are 147 million registered users on eBay, and tens... Read More

The Benefits of Buying and Selling Locally

Shop at a flea market in Oaxaca, Mexico. Trade with... Read More

Rent A Coder & Other Service Auctions

You may be in the market for a new website.... Read More

Learn How To Be A Successful eBay Seller

Anyone can sell anything on eBay. Open an account, list... Read More

12 Items You CANT Sell On EBay

Millions of would-be entrepreneurs want to sell things on ebay.... Read More

When It Comes To eBay, Don?t Follow The Herd

Q: I want to start an online business. Since I... Read More

Are You an Ebay Shopper?

As I write this article, I am keeping an eye... Read More

To eBay or NOT to eBay

FACT: eBay's Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS) 2003 - GMS, the... Read More

8 Collectible Dolls That Sell Well on eBay

From the beginning, eBay's primary growth came from the collectibles... Read More

How To Sell Santa?s Slip-Ups

Shoppers spent more than $15.5 billion this Christmas on gifts... Read More

The 3 Minute Auction and Minute Auction Explained

Am I the only person who doesn't know what a... Read More

Police Auctions & Government Auctions Professional Resource Information

Police Auctions Information:No, a police auction is not where you... Read More

How To Sell On Ebay: The Money Is In The Back-End

Many people who sell on Ebay completely neglect the follow-up... Read More

Can You Really Make Money Selling New Release CDs & DVDs On eBay?

Being an active eBayer, I am often being asked about... Read More

Low Cost, High Profit Dream Products To Sell on eBay and Amazon

Finding quality products to sell is the key to continuing... Read More

Drop Shipping Increases Profits

You would like to increase your income by selling other... Read More

Instructions on How to Put Picture on Ebay

Like many folks, you have heard of online auctions. Heck,... Read More

eBay: What Should I Sell?

There is an art to picking profitable products. It's not... Read More

How To Sell On Ebay: Using Store Policies To Cement Your Credibility

In your quest to build credibility as an Ebay seller,... Read More

Negating Negative Feedback on eBay

Taking some pride in my one hundred percent positive feedback... Read More

How to Generate Extra Cash in an Instant

With so many out of work, laid off or staying... Read More

How To Find Tons of Hot Items Selling On EBay ...In Less Than 10 Minutes

There are many ways to start a home business online,... Read More