Fred, what you say is true. I use 8 seconds for my usual snipes, more -- maybe 15 or 20 -- on Sunday evening snipes or auctions that close on the even hour, half-hour, or quarter-hour. Why? Because I've never had one of my bids bounce back from eBay because it was submitted too late to be counted. At 8 seconds, I'm pretty sure the proxy bidders are all done, and all I need to "worry" about are other snipers. Like you, I always bid my maximum amount. If I win, great. If I lose to a higher bid,
quel dommage as the French say.
You're right about the experienced proxy bidders, too. We snipers get fat on the proxy bidders who constantly try to get something "on the cheap" by nibbling away, one increment at a time. And there's something a little funny, in a sadistic way, to see some nibbler done in by an 8-second snipe, all because he wouldn't bid his max. Live "on the cheap," die "on the cheap" is my motto.
