Kew0201 - simple stuff - you'll be cringing with embarrasment when you re-read this in a few weeks time when you're an old-hand at sniping. In the meantime, some answers:-
quote:
if I enter the item # in AS now will it automatically place a bid against the item in EBay straight away, or will AS wait until my designated lead time?
If AS was to bid straightaway then it would be somewhat unnecessary to use it. The idea of sniping is that you bid at the last minute/second so that no-one has time to react. Ergo, AS will wait until your designated lead time (or perhaps a few seconds earlier if servers are busy) and then bid on your behalf.
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How do I know if my maximum bid is enough to win the item. Maybe I'm not supposed to know and hope that luck is on my side
No-one person (or computer) can know what maximum bid is required to win. You have to bid (either manually or with AS) with your maximum that you think the item is worth and hope for the best.
[You could bid 1 million of whatever currency you're using and you'd win most times but the bank manager might not be too impressed!] Remember, there are few items on Ebay that don't keep appearing over-and-over so if you miss one, another will be along soon.
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I just wanted to know if I use AS will it bid just an increment on the item (say 50c) or will it bid my maximum?
AS will place your maximum bid at the last second/minute as specified in your snipe. At this point, EBAY's proxy system will take control and you will win/lose depending on what other bids have been placed.
So remember - AS acts as your agent, placing your maximum bid at (or around) the lead time to the end of the Auction that you specify, ensuring that other bidders are unable to react quickly enough to get into a bidding war with you. There is no guarantee of a win but the deck is loaded in your favour using this method.
Good luck!
