Let me get this straight......

1. They are independent of each other. And, placing a bid through ebay has a high probability of being redundant, and costs you the element of surprise.
2. You can place a manual snipe, but again there’s a high probability of the manual snipe being redundant. AS doesn’t guarantee 100% of its snipes are placed, but the percentage is almost 100%.
3. Click on “Modify Account” and “My Snipes”. Roll down to the “InstaMail” setting, and turn it off.
http://www.auctionsniper.com/faqbasics.aspx#basics15

quote:

I still have to pay the fees, right?

Right.

Uhhhhh, let me see now. What you're saying is that I do NOT bid on eBay for the item I want AT ALL????? Just enter the item number on Snipes is sufficient??? I read all the information, but after years of bidding on eBay it still sounds odd not to place that maximum bid amount ON eBay itself.

quote:

Uhhhhh, let me see now. What you're saying is that I do NOT bid on eBay for the item I want AT ALL????? Just enter the item number on Snipes is sufficient??? I read all the information, but after years of bidding on eBay it still sounds odd not to place that maximum bid amount ON eBay itself.

Welcome! You are correct. You set the bid on AS--remember to place the absolute maximum that you are willing to pay, with an excellent chance that you will get it for less--and then you walk away. Do NOTHING on eBay.

Good luck!

P.S. One exclamation/question mark is probably sufficient per sentence, don't you think?

The following might be helpful, if you haven't already seen it:
http://www.auctionsniper.com/products.aspx



Happy sniping

"one question mark"

Oh, pshaw...... They add EMPHASIS! I write like I talk. Makes for more interesting reading. Or are you one of those UK people hung up on protocol? Hee-hee-hee.....

quote:

Or are you one of those UK people hung up on protocol?

Dictionary definition of:
Protocol
1. Etiquette of formal occasions: the rules or conventions of correct behavior on official or ceremonial occasions

2. Code of conduct: the rules of correct or appropriate behavior of a group, organization, or profession


3. International relations international agreement: a formal agreement between states or nations


4. Record or draft of agreement: a written record or preliminary draft of a treaty or other agreement


5. Computer rules for networking computers: a set of technical rules for the transmission and receipt of information between computers

The others are in common usage now, particular number 5.

What you probably really meant was either:

Semantics
1. Study of meaning in language: the study of how meaning in language is created by the use and interrelationships of words, phrases, and sentences

or possibly:
Grammar

1. Rules for language: the system of rules by which words are formed and put together to make sentences


2. Particular set of language rules: the rules for speaking or writing a particular language, or an analysis of the rules of a particular aspect of language


Source of definitions


As you may now have gathered, we "UK people" are very, very "hung up" (as in hang the washing up?) about the abuse of our poor mother tongue!

Oh yes, Chatter is one in a million - a US citizen who believes in English Grammar.

Paul

(Not quite the tongue in cheek smiley I wanted)

Rick will give you a swift introduction to British humour if you ask him nicely!

Well.....Alrighty then. Since I'm SUCH an imbecile, I'll just go crawl back into my Neanderthal cave and chip at a few stone tools.

OH! But, I almost forgot: Tool making is a MAN'S job, so I guess I'll chew on some animal skins to soften the hide for winter cloak for the master of the cave. After all, he must HUNT! Me cook. Him HUNT with longggg spear. Longggg spear makes hunter feel more manly. Why men always want something longer or bigger? Could be symbol. What think you?

Just keep sniping!

Your bound to end up with a nice fur coat cheap!

(A lot cheaper than being nibbled at if you had played it the eBay proxy way)

Welcome to the forum! At least you took the abuse in good spirits!

You will find that we are all pretty rude to each other. Usually its Brits v Aussies v Americans (in no particular order) However the rude Australians have `taken themselves off of late and its now UK v USA, which is a lot quieter!

Paul

quote:

You will find that we are all pretty rude to each other

Well, THAT'S not very nice! Here I am, a newbie and I'm already being told that rivalry, back-stabbing, and name calling are the norm?
Woe is me! I need trusted guidance and nurturing to get me through the complicated process of Sniping. (sigh...)

I tried Sniping 2 items this afternoon and each time I was outbid by a stupid "proxy bid." In fact, one of the auction winners won within 4 seconds of the end of the auction. Could he/she have been a fellow sniper? I'm shocked!!! (Yeah...sure...)

But I should have seen this coming.... I mean, a name like Auction Sniper should have been a clue as to the behavior of the participants.

So, ah, who got that Roman coin I was after? Hmmmmmm??? (You dirty rat!)

Nancy

quote:

complicated process of Sniping

It is not a complicated process in the sense of making a bid!

Basically, once I have decided that I am placing a bid, I simply click on the "Snipe it Now" link on my browser's link bar and enter an amount. (If you want to know how to set this up, just ask, as there is a vast font of knowledge amongst the regulars)

The difficult bit is the strategy!

First learn to be an expert in "Double talk" A lot of sellers indulge in this because they are general dealers nd pretend they "know nothing"
Watch what is not covered in the description and ask questions about the side not shown in the photo! This kind of "sparse description" always lowers the price, so if you run across a well described item from a known and respected seller, expect to pay top dollar.

You will probably say "I know this!"

I have just chosen this as an example of the sort of thought processes I go through when placing a snipe.

Other factors that influence my bid:
Country only auctions - always lowers value - I buy lots of "Australia Only" items - small marketplace=bargains. Thats why a good feedback record helps - I simply ask them to look at my feedback and in 99% of the cases they say "OK, you can bid"

Small/no feedback sellers - some bargains to be had if you tread carefully. You can normally sense they are first time private sellers. I generally send a probing email - their response soon tells you if they are genuine.

Wrongly categorised items - quite frequent from first time ebayers. Not so much mispelling I find, as wrong categorisation. A lot of cameras don't have badges, so they list it under the name of the lens!

Study past "completed auctions" A spreadsheet record is very useful - I do this for items I am serious about collecting.

Different countries place different values on things. German collectors prize Accord Radios highly. UK Collectors don't. The reverse happens with Hacker radios. I have bought B & O equipment largely abroad, because it fetches silly prices in the UK.

All the above will give you a guide as to where to aim. Sniping has two main advantages, your proxy bid does not get "nibbled up" and you don't get involved in a bidding war.

I think the main lesson is to study the marketplace more carefully. If you were outbid look at the reasons - many participants? Keen collector? (look at his feedback) I know now who will buy certain cameras at silly prices and if they bid beforehand, I don't!

Lots more people are sniping now, so there is always the element of the unknown. However as an informed sniper you should win most of what you bid on - look for around 80% success.

If you collect coins, then that market place is well documented and I am afraid this will work to your detriment on prices. It is the less well known markets where bargains abound!

Paul

Ooooo.... How nice! Serious advice. I do thank you, sir! The real test will come up for me tomorrow (later today, that is. Haven't gotten to bed yet.) I have 2 or 3 more items "ready." I hope I win at least ONE of them.

Paul, so if you aren't wandering, where do you live, if I may ask?

Nancy

I live in West Wales.

For my sins, I work for a couple of days a week for a company that rents holiday cottages. Consequently, I have been adding pages that give some sort of idea of the countryside and coast around here.

I will shortly be adding one for the nearest town to us, Newcastle Emlyn, but these other pages should give you a flavour of the area.

A brilliant place to live and I never hanker after the city life, but earning a living in a country area is always more difficult!

Aberaeron - Georgian Town

St Davids - The UKs smallest city

Cenarth Falls - small village near us


All the above are my photos, the next one was taken by the Office Manager Alison and will interest you if you are a bird watcher.

Grassholme Island

Plenty more pages of photos, but probably better under the general board

We used to have people posting pictures of where they lived and I thought it made the whole board a lot more interesting.

Paul

My new pad (as of Friday) - it's on the South Downs in Sussex:


R2

Region, that is absolutely beautiful! I love the landscaping..so peaceful and serene!

WOW! The photos make it look like a charming place to live. I've always been interested in ancient history and places and things dating earlier than 1776 (US Independence Day. WHICH IS TODAY, JULY 4th as a matter of fact!)

Interestingly, there is an old Welsh community not that very far from me in Wisconsin, USA. It was a coal mining area about 175 years ago or more and looks EXACTLY like many of the pictures. Mostly now, it's an artist's community with all the old Welsh buildiings still standing as historical buildings. Some artist's have their studies in them, a large Welsh restaurant is in another, and a small area is a restored Welsh "museum" of sorts, complete with people in period costumes to lead tours. It's a wonderful place to visit. Mineral Point is the name of the town. I live in Waukesha. That's an old Native American name that means something about the natural springs we have here.

In my area, any thing built prior to 1900 is considered "old." We Americans don't have a very long history. I visited southeast England a few years ago. My brother was sent to Windsor to work with the General Electic group there. He's an engineer. You could see Windsor castle from his windows. So we did all the "touristy" things, but never went as far west as Wales. I found myself getting very fond of the little reminders: "Mind the gap." "Mind the step." "Look right." I've heard that American's frequently forget the latter and end up returning home with injuries!

I don't know that I would ever get to see Wales. I have a weird bone disorder that has caused me 60 fractures since 1992. Currently, I'm sitting here without the top half of my left femur (thigh bone). The top half died and fell off into the surgeon's hands. I'm scheduled for replacement with a titanium prosthesis in exactly 10 days! I'm not looking forward to it. One of these days the doctors are going to kill me!

Well, must mind the Snipes! Talk to you later!

Nancy

quote:

Or are you one of those UK people hung up on protocol?

He’s a Yank. You can usually tell a Brit – they say something humorous.

quote:

However as an informed sniper you should win most of what you bid on - look for around 80% success.

Counterpoint – there’s also the argument that if you are winning that many auctions, you’re spending/bidding too much.

quote:

US Independence Day. WHICH IS TODAY, JULY 4th as a matter of fact!)

In keeping with the spirit of things, I guess I’ll spend most of today trying to overthrow the government.

quote:

In keeping with the spirit of things, I guess I’ll spend most of today trying to overthrow the government

Lol Rick, watch out what you say, they may be knocking at your door!

quote:

Originally posted by caneartist:
I have a weird bone disorder that has caused me 60 fractures since 1992. Currently, I'm sitting here without the top half of my left femur (thigh bone). The top half died and fell off into the surgeon's hands.

Ouch! Sounds painful, Nancy.

In the scheme of things, the pain isn't the main problem. As far as fractures go. after being dragged onto a gurney then dragged againonto an X-ray table where they expect me to do acrobatics for a good "picture," then BACK on the gurney, and FINALLY returned to bed, the pain is just momentary during those transfers. Once I'm settled and positioned correctly, it really isn't there. So I brace myself and keep thinking: "Momentary pain. Momentary pain..." and I get through it. I'm discovering how tough I really am!!!

What really annoys me is my lack of independence! July 14th I'm getting a new hip. I've been started on a new medication for bone growth. This time I'm going to insist that they cement the prosthesis in instead of using screws, which invariably becomce weakened because my bone doean't heal around them. Metal fatigue due to non-healing bone around screws has broken a long stainless steel plate, AND a steel rod! My new one will be made of titanium. I hate to think of the cost!!! It has to be made specifically for me. $$$$$$$ I'm only 57 and the other day I got real excited over the prospects of finding a newer model WALKER!!! I sound like I'm 97 some times!!

My big goal after this is finished: to walk around the block without the walker or severe discomfort. WHAT A JOY!