Hi all, I'm new to AS and I would appreciate any advise =) Well I am looking
to bid on an auction that I MUST win, the auction will end tonight at 9:00 MST/8:00 PST, many people
has already bid on that item, I would appreciate any advise from you all so that
I can win the item. I'm also wondering, with your experiences, what should
I set my lead time to for tonight's auction? Please advise, thanks!

Well, I'm not sure about lead times right now. Normally I would say 18 secs. since it ends on the hour. Remember to bid the very most you want to spend. No matter what, the highest bid accepted wins. Another thing, bid an odd amount such as 21.67 instead of 20.00 . It often gives you the edge. Good luck! Also, welcometo our forum!

Hi Mrs. M,

Thank you for your reply and thank you for the warm welcome =) Yes, I definitely will take those advises, they are extremely helpful! BTW, why do you recommand setting the lead time to 18 sec if the auction ends on the hour? Please advise,thanks!

Well, normally, I use 8 seconds, but Ebay starts auctions that are entered ahead of time on the hour, half, and quarter hour. Thus, they also end then. This makes busy traffic. I understand AS is making some time adjustments but until Sara says different, I'll keep adding 10 seconds at those times. Also, on auctions that end on Sunday between 5:30 and 8 PST, I add 15 seconds to my time. This is only my personal preference. Others might tell you different.

Thanks Mrs.M, well now I'm a little worried, since there will be so much traffic, do you think AS will be able to enter the bid on time? And since I entered the bid while there are 18 secs left, do you think the other people who are trying to bid on this item will get a chance to beat me esp if they have something similar to AS? Please advise,thanks again!

As also adjusts the time according to the traffic. Remember the highest bid wins. If you want to try it at less time, that is your decision.It possibly might be fine. You might even try a number somewhere in between! I only told you what I do! I don't think it is possible to hand enter a bid in 18 seconds or less. Could someone else use a program like this? Of course! There is no such thing as a certain win, but I must tell you, thousands of people list on Ebay. Whatever it is, I would bet it will show up again!

Thanks Mrs. M for your advises BTW, do you use AS for all the auctions you bid on? Or just some of them ?

I use it for all with the exception of maybe something that is less than a couple of dollars or so. Why go any other way?

Thanks Mrs. M, I guess I was just worried that AS might fail me...say not entering a bid on time or something...I guess I worry too much...Wish me luck tonight as I test AS out on this Must Win auction of mine!

Thanks again!

BTW, what would happen if the maximum amount I entered is lower then the current high bidder's highest proxy bid? I mean there is no way I can know what the currenty high bidder's highers proxy bid is right? Will I lose then?

Yes, you will not get a snipe placed if it is too low, so bid the MOST YOU WANT TO PAY!! A snipe is a proxy bid, given to Ebay by AS at the last possible moment, for a one time proxy bid.If someone then overbids you, you know they have paid too much!

I Lost.....Even with Auction Sniper Disappointing...

Hang in there and watch. You'll see another one and probably will be able to get it for less.

Remember Winny, even with AS it's the highest bid that wins - AS just helps prevent a bidding war.

Also, advise is a verb, advice is a noun! As in 'I give some advice' or 'please advise me'...

R2

Welcome to the forum WinWin. You can't win 'em all, but with AS on your side you'll come damn close!

As Mrs. M. says, there'll always be another chance no matter how "rare" the item.

GG

As always, everyone new to AS should take a look at the InstaMail option, if you haven't already.

Thanks all for your reply, well I'm just testing AS out again, this item has about 6 hours till it ends, I've set my max amount to be $49.99, right now the highest bid has already reached $51.00 but no email notification of my max bid being too low, and inside my AS control panel, it still shows the current price is "Currently:$20.45" instead of $51.00-no matter how many time I refresh the page... *sigh*

Use the update price button at the top right, not refresh!

I see, thanks Mrs. M , so it seems I basically have to sit through the auction at least toward the end of the auction right? Since if I don't manually hit "update price" the prices won't change and I won't get any notification that my max price is too low...

No, not at all. That is only for you. Don't know why you haven't gotten an outbid notice, but if you weren't there, you wouldn't see it if you got it!