newbie question--setting bids

I set my max bid through AS and that is my only bid. Just remember to set it at the max you are willing to pay. I set my snipe time at 8 sec. during normal times and in busy traffic times like Sunday ,on the hour, half, quarter, I allow 15 sec. more. Have fun!

I do want to you to our forum! Hope to see you back.

Best to set it on AS...this way you don't show your hand and you have the element of surprise...and unless there are other snipers on the same auction, it's easier to win and no one can fight with you at the very last second. I generally set my bids to 6 seconds...it seems to work every time. Except on busy nights...when eBay traffic is high...

*~samuraiblossom~*

I've only used AS on two auctions (I won both). I waited to see how the auction was doing before setting up my max. bid with AS. What prompted me to use AS was that I'd gotten an email from AS for one of my buyer's who'd sniped my auction. I was not impressed (I thought it was pretty sneaky to have an outside bidding company rather than do it herself) but when I found an auction that I really wanted and knew I wasn't going to be near my computer to bid at the end, I decided to try it myself. I set my high bid and actually went in a couple more times to raise it (I didn't want to lose the auction). I won another auction today using AS and didn't set up my high bid until about 2 hours before the end. There was a lot of bidding in the last few hours and I was watching to see how high the price would go before deciding whether to even bother with it. It ended up quieting down in the last hour and I won with a snipe bid that came in about 8 seconds before it ended (I set mine at AS's default of 5 seconds). I will have to remember about giving AS more time on busy days. I never really thought of that, seeing as I'm a total newbie with this. Thanks for the tip!

Coralbelle, my tip is to decide the MAX you are willing to pay and just set it in advance (I usually do it several days prior), then forget about it. If you happen to be at the computer when the auction is ending and wish to do a manual snipe as insurance, then so be it (you will still pay the slight AS fee), but otherwise let AS work their magic. I never worry about seeing how high the auction will go or what others will bid; I decide on my max and hope for the best, knowing that if I lose the auction, it simply was for more than I was willing to pay.

I am a newbee too. But since I've started with AS, I have won every bid that I had the price high enough.
I have lost only those where the price went beyond what I was willing to pay for the item. You can always update the items and see how the price is going. Then change yours if you desire, or even cancel if you see that it is now beyond your reach.
That is the beauty of bidding only through AS. If something better comes along before the auction is held, you can bow out and go for the better item. I love it.

Yes, being able to cancel your bid is a great benefit in my book. Can't tell you how many times I wished I could before AS!