conflicting snipes?

Ok- I just looked through some of the other posts and I think I may have figured it out!
Thanks, again!

betth2, just in case, here's the answers:

What happens if 2 or more AS members are trying to snipe the same auction?

High bid wins.

Do previous bids take precedence?

Over what? It's just like two ordinary people placing bids on eBay.

Are we able to tell if an auction we are trying to snipe is also being sniped by another AS member?

No.

Also, the same scenarios, only the other sniper(s) is using another sniping service?

High bid wins, no you won't know about the other sniper.

"Are we able to tell if an auction we are trying to snipe is also being sniped by another AS member?

No." - Steve

Steve - Now its time for me to disagree with you.

betth2 - It's true that there's no sure way to tell if another AS member is planning to snipe the same auction as you. BUT...

When you snipe manually you get a good sense of a prime sniper target. Amateur snipers are less discriminating but good snipers pick their targets carefully. What this mean?

It means that a prime sniper target is one that often appears to escaping the attention of others. Good snipers know better than to waste their time picking targets in the middle of a noob bidding frenzie. They like to pick targets that are worth tracking patiently.

This might include an item that is poorly advertised or with a poor title (mispelled, etc).

You can often see the 'look' counter for an auction and get an idea of how many eyes are actually seeing the item. Snipers tend to watch the item carefully but they won't bid (unless it's a bid to negate the 'buy it now' to keep the item in the game). Remember... if the item is worth your attention then it's like going to attract other snipers as well.

HawkEye, you are quite correct in saying that there are indications that would predict an increased likelihood of sniping activity in an auction. That's not what you asked. You asked if there was a way to tell whether another sniper was going to make a bid on an item. The answer to that is still "no." You can make an educated guess, but there is absolutely no way to determine for sure whether another sniper is lurking out there on any given auction. And remember that when the bidding reaches a certain amount many snipers will give up and wait for another day...and you will never know that they were watching.

Certainly, there are interest indicators like the counters that some sellers put on their offers. A good sniper will only look at the item twice if he sees one of those; the second look should be ten minutes before the end of the auction to gauge the amount of interest. I collect a certain type of items and I know which ones are likely to draw more bids -- and snipers -- than others. I know who my most frequent competitors are and what they are likely to bid on, which ones of them are snipers and what their snipe intervals and approximate max bids will be. I have often set a snipe up with the expectation that I will be outbid. I put my max in there and hope. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised.

Actually... I didn't ask anything. I was just adding to your comment re: sure way to know.

I do believe I agreed with you...

"It's true that there's no sure way to tell if another AS member is planning to snipe the same auction as you. BUT..." - HawkEye


A little off subject... here is an example of a snipers nightmare but a seller's dream. I happened to be the seller on this one thankfully.

bidder 1...................... US $610.00 08-Feb-03 13:36:12 EST
bidder 2...................... US $600.00 08-Feb-03 13:35:32 EST
bidder 1...................... US $600.00 08-Feb-03 13:36:03 EST
bidder 1...................... US $500.00 08-Feb-03 13:35:58 EST
bidder 1...................... US $400.00 08-Feb-03 13:35:52 EST
bidder 1...................... US $350.00 08-Feb-03 13:35:48 EST
bidder 1...................... US $300.00 08-Feb-03 13:35:20 EST
bidder 1...................... US $140.00 07-Feb-03 13:45:10 EST


Wow! Over 4x what I had the reserve set to. This guy did very well at playing catch up actually, placing a new bid every 6 secs or so. I'm suprised he won.

Geez, HawkEye! But Bidder 1 placed seven bids, which is not exactly ideal for a sniper. Yeah, I'm surprised he won, too. Well, guess you're buying, huh, Moneybags?

Hehehe... that's pretty much what my wife said to. I probably won't even get to see my $$$ if she beats me to the mailbox!