Proxy-Bidding vs AuctionSniper

Daniel,

In your example, the proxy bidder WOULD win. What snipers want to avoid are "bidding wars". You must have seen the frenzy that proxy bidders go thru. They will start at $50, and be up to $200 before the auction is up. Snipers want to avoid being a part of, or encouraging, bidding wars.

Also, sniping provides some other benefits. If you've ever had a bid retractor expose your proxy bid, you'll see the advantage of sniping. Additionally, there are some bad people called shills. Well, they are SOL with snipers.

Snipers don't televise their intentions, therefore, their competitors can't be competitors.

Here's an analogy: Snipers are stealth bombers; proxy bidders are the U.N. (no disrespect intended)

FYI (in case your thinking about it): manual sniping sucks. A complete disruption on one's life.

Daniel,

There's also another class of low-life on ebay. They're called "stalkers". Somehow you get on their bad side. They will nibble at your proxy bid, not with the intent to win the auction, but with the intent to make you spend more money. As a sniper, they never know where you'll show up.

Thanks very much guys!

(1) But what if others are using proxy bidding and what we want to avoid (proxy bidding wars) still happens ?

(2)Also, what do you think of using as your max a random amount such as $178.67 and not $175 even for example ?

(3) Also, with AuctionSniper, can a person win by lets say a penny if their max is higher than anyone ?

Thanks again,

Daniel

I'll get back to you. I'm watching "Die Another Day".

Let me pick it up, Daniel:

(1) But what if others are using proxy bidding and what we want to avoid (proxy bidding wars) still happens ?

//The idea of sniping is to place just one bid, at the extreme end of the auction. You therefore should always set your snipe bid to the maximum amount you're willing to spend for an item. This doesn't mean you'll automatically spend that much, but it's your only bid, so make it a good one. If the proxy bidders have battled each other to the point where the item will cost more than you care to spend, you can cancel your snipe and wait for another similar item. Believe me, sooner or later another will come along. Or, if your snipe isn't sufficient, Auction Sniper will submit it, but eBay won't accept it so you've lost nothing.//

(2)Also, what do you think of using as your max a random amount such as $178.67 and not $175 even for example ?

//Not a bad idea for any bidder.//

(3) Also, with AuctionSniper, can a person win by lets say a penny if their max is higher than anyone ?

//If your bid went in before the other guy's, yes. That's not likely to happen unless you run up against another sniper (which is possible). If your bid came in after the other guy's, it has to be at least one full bid increment above his max bid in order to win.//

Keep 'em coming.

Actually, Steve, it is possible to win by a penny even if the other person's bid is placed days before my snipe goes in. It happens to me all the time.

It goes back to the way eBay works with proxy bids. eBay only displays the bid on an auction which is currently sufficient to win - not necessarily that person's highest total bid. The rest is held in proxy and hidden. At the time my snipe is placed my bid only has to beat the CURRENT price by a full increment, not the proxy bid. For example:

the auction shows a current price of $84.00,
therefore the next minimum bid would be $85.00,
my snipe is set for $100.01,
the proxy bidder's maximum bid was $100.00

In this case I would win with my snipe of $100.01 since my bid was more than 1 increment above the current ($84.00) bid showing at the time it was placed. From there eBay's proxy rules take over and the high bid wins - even it's only by a penny.

That's why I always set up my snipes with "oddball" amounts as Daniel mentioned. Many, many times I win auctions by 1, 2, 3, or 4 cents that way.

Daniel;

According to my calculations, star_trkr and Steve are 2 of the 3 longest/oldest members on this forum (I think I know the top 7; at least those that are still active), so I'd respect their opinion.

As for myself, I'm so low on the food chain you should think of me as "chopped liver".

P. S. I enjoyed "Die Another Day".

Thanks very much again guys! This little AuctionSniper deal ain't bad at all

~Daniel

Daniel,

While we're on the subject of proxy bidders (one of my favorite topics):

There's another phenomenon that seems unique to proxy bidders. This is when an auction has a high starting bid. The nickel-and-dime bidders are reluctant to bid, because it's hard for them to decide what they think something is worth. So, they wait for someone else to bid, and since no one else bids, they don't.

Here's the strange part: No one bids, the same item is relisted at a very low starting bid, and the auction will close at a price higher than the first auction. And this will also happen with a high BIN with a high reserve. Although, with the reserve, proxy bidders seem to feel more comfortable getting into bidding wars.

If you like the "fun" (which lots of people do) of bidding, or having lots of active bids and receiving out-bid notices, then proxy bidding is the way to go. If you like to "win", then sniping is the way to go.

I'll probably get some flack on this, but I think snipers are more competitive than proxy bidders. "Winning" is more important than "playing", that's why they snipe (IMO). And AS snipers are more competitive than manual snipers, because using AS provides you with much better equipment than you would want to buy.

Give yourself a few weeks of AS. After that, you'll be kicking yourself for not getting on sooner. Then you can get on this forum and make fun of proxy bidders like I do.

quote:

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Originally posted by Rick:
Daniel,

While we're on the subject of proxy bidders (one of my favorite topics):

There's another phenomenon that seems unique to proxy bidders. This is when an auction has a high starting bid. The nickel-and-dime bidders are reluctant to bid, because it's hard for them to decide what they think something is worth. So, they wait for someone else to bid, and since no one else bids, they don't.

Here's the strange part: No one bids, the same item is relisted at a very low starting bid, and the auction will close at a price higher than the first auction. And this will also happen with a high BIN with a high reserve. Although, with the reserve, proxy bidders seem to feel more comfortable getting into bidding wars.

If you like the "fun" (which lots of people do) of bidding, or having lots of active bids and receiving out-bid notices, then proxy bidding is the way to go. If you like to "win", then sniping is the way to go.

I'll probably get some flack on this, but I think snipers are more competitive than proxy bidders. "Winning" is more important than "playing", that's why they snipe (IMO). And AS snipers are more competitive than manual snipers, because using AS provides you with much better equipment than you would want to buy.

Give yourself a few weeks of AS. After that, you'll be kicking yourself for not getting on sooner. Then you can get on this forum and make fun of proxy bidders like I do.

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Thanks Rick!

I agree with you! It's also interesting about eBay's sometimes "strange" ways! Thanks for sharing your insights! In other words: Ya never know!

Daniel