It took many messages and phone calls from me to EBay to find out what "third party sniping" really was (heck, I signed up initially on Auction Sniper because a friend told me I no longer had to sit in front of the computer, glued to my chair, for hours at a time just to bid on items I wanted for a collection ... and the first 3 snipes were free, and then I was addicted); and why, it seems, that EBay has a "random" smack down on us for using third party sniping services.
To those of you who are leaving names of other third party sniping services/sites, well, good for you for attempting. Obviously, "Auction Sniper" is going to remove that info as soon as they find it, because you are using THEIR CHAT BOARDS to solicit business for another sniping service! OK, so you cannot blame them for that. BUT, there is some very serious disconnect with the folks (or is this site run by just one person??) at Auction Sniper because they are so slow to react, return messages, keep up-to-date, etc. It feels as if there truly is just one computer nerd behind this site!
It boils down to this (in my opinion): PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO BID, FURIOUSLY, IN THE FINAL SECONDS OF AN AUCTION, BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS TO LOSE WHAT IT IS THEY ARE BIDDING ON, for whatever reason. The higher the price, the higher EBay's cut. When you using a third party sniping service, you put in the highest amount of money you are willing to part with, and walk away. When you revisit EBay, or your Auction Sniper account, you will see later whether you won or lost the item(s) bid on.
The market for just about everything being sold on EBay right now is down. Prices are low. Folks are pulling back severely on spending because the economy continues to free-fall, school has begun again, the holidays are coming, and people are being laid off into the thousands in agriculture, construction, oil (ESPECIALLY OIL), retail (anyone noticed the number of businesses closing around the U.S.?), vehicles, on and on. I'm watching items sell in my category of collectible dolls (Barbie, in particular), for such low prices right now, it makes me want to cry, because the downwards trend has hit our household particularly hard ... husband lost his job last March, Unemployment benefits have expired, and we've gone from making $8500 per month, to $1631 (my sole retirement benefit). The only thing we're sure of right now, is that I have enough money to cover our mortgage ... everything else has been pared back, shut down, or shut off!
Sooooo, while I understand why the frustration is high for everyone when losing items because of this push-pull fiasco we've been unfortunate to find ourselves in, while using Auction Sniper to make our bids for us, EBay is (sadly, but I can understand why ...) blaming a robo-system of denying bids because the world is pulling back its money. We, the little people, are what they NEED -- MUST HAVE -- sitting at our computers, driving prices up in the last seconds to snatch the collectibles (or ? whatever it is you want/need), to get the biggest piece of the pie possible! Third party sniping services do NOT help in that effort.
I've looked at this from every angle; sent the messages/waited on the replies; asked around; looked at other sniping services; and finally, made the personal phone calls to EBay to hear what they had to say. You can bet, I got the "canned answer" I expected. Blame it on last minute traffic, more popular days of the week (Sundays seem to be the toughest), etc. I did a spreadsheet that included Auction Sniper users from my Barbie circle, 18 people in all, for the last five months. (Yes, I loved Statistics courses in college ... most people HATE those classes because polling can never be an exact science. But, I was good at it, so I did my own survey. )
I found that it is RANDOM. Their "robo/computer" (no "real" person involved, so they say) is to blame, and there's nothing that can be done about it?
BARF up the true story.
It is NOT on the highest traffic times, or days. So, EBay lied to me.
Do I believe they have a way of shutting down third party sniping services, here and there, so that it is completely believable that it has everything to do with their ("computer systems'") inability to verify our user names/info while using a third party sniping service, when asking to place our bids just seconds before auctions end?
YES. I believe they certainly CAN program their computers to do so ... leaving third party sniping services to leave us messages that our accounts could NOT be verified by EBay, instead of giving us successful auction wins.
Do I think Auction Sniper folks are able to do anything about it? NO. How could they, possibly? I mean, in the end, couldn't EBay block third party sniping -- in total -- if they want to? Of course they can! I think they will!
Maybe then the lawyers (they would most certainly hire) from these third party sniping companies might actually attempt to sue EBay for shutting down their bread-and-butter, put-food-on-the-table websites.
All of the info I've given here is from my own third party sniping losses, phone calls, messages back and forth, and talking with others, and don't forget ... my own unscientific poll. Do with the information what you will.
I suggest -- if you want, what you want on EBay, that you go back to sitting in front of your computer, with price in mind and do your own sniping in the last few seconds if you really want what you want. It's not the fault of the third party sniping services. It is EBay's fault. KING EBAY, all hail the KING.
Not only am I looking for another sniping service -- but only because the folks at Auction Sniper just don't seem to care, or are so understaffed that by the time that someone gets our messages, the time to reply/take care of the problem has already passed (since we are all obviously adept at reading each others' comments, on their own site).
And, I most definitely would LOVE TO FIND ANOTHER MARKET FOR BUYING AND SELLING ITEMS. EBay is about the money. I've been buying/selling on EBay since 1999, and they have become so anti-seller that it's beyond pathetic!
WITHOUT SELLERS, THERE IS NO EBAY! They cannot seem to be able to get that through their thick skulls while they continue to clamp down upon us harder than ever before! I will probably always buy from their site ... but I wish, oooh, how do I wish, there was another site as popular. They'd have my business in a nano-second.
Again, I'm glad to see that more people are looking for answers, here, amongst the chatty, for the "EBay Requires Account Verification" problem (amongst about five "reasons" given for Auction Sniper not making our bids for us, successfully). Keep sharing. And, SIT AT YOUR COMPUTER TO MAKE THOSE LAST SECOND BIDS! Don't give money to Auction Sniper if they're not going to offer decent customer service, and if you want what you want, then do the last minute thing YOURSELF, to get it! That way you no longer live in a frustrating mode ... it's just not worth the aggravation, because there is NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT! THAT IS THE BOTTOM LINE!
Good luck, and hugs to all! Kat
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