I used AS for the first time and won an auction instead of getting into a bidding war. Two of us really wanted an item. I let the other guy think he'd scared me off and then sniped him at the last moment. The seller both admired the snipe and seemed a bit chagrined that the war didn't materialize. So I'm a very happy first time customer.

My question is lead time. By lurking before I tried the snipe, I saw that at some times on eBay I should lengthen the lead time. I used 8 seconds for an auction which ended at 8PM PDT.

So what sort of advice can the forum give me about what are appropriate leads times for when eBay gets more congested? TIA

I might go as long as 15-20 seconds for Sunday evening on exact quarter hours.

Quarter hours are when all the scheduled auctions end so traffic tends to spike. There is also an option for starting multiple auctions to start at 5 minute intervals.

Be aware that AS monitors, in real time, how long it takes to send a bid and get it recorded. AS can and will adjust your lead time in an attempt to make sure your bid is early enough. Some (myself included) add time ourselves also to be doubly sure.

You don't have to be the last bid, you only have to be late enough that others can't see your bid and respond. It's still the highest bid that wins.

WELCOME and good luck.

Welcome to our forum!

Puppy gave you good advise. I personally use 8 seconds during normal times. On the hour, half and quarter, I add about 10 seconds. On Sunday betwen 5:30 AND 8 PST, I add about 15 seconds. As Puppy said, if you don't snipe high enough, it doesn't matter because the hightest bid placed wins.

Thanks. I understood I need high bids. My only concern was having that bid and thus willing to pay for the item, but my bid not getting entered due to eBay traffic.

Agreed, never snipe higher than you are willing to pay! There are so many auctions on Ebay that even the rarist items seem to come up over and over!

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Originally posted by Mrs.M:
Puppy gave you good advise. I personally use 8 seconds during normal times. On the hour, half and quarter, I add about 10 seconds. On Sunday betwen 5:30 AND 8 PST, I add about 15 seconds. As Puppy said, if you don't snipe high enough, it doesn't matter because the hightest bid placed wins.

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Good advise.