So lemme see if I get this straight...

Nick, you asked "Why don't people just set the proxy bid up on ebay?" If by "proxy bid" you mean the AuctionSniper bid, it's not possible to do so. AS has no access to eBay's inner workings, and eBay has already set up a proxy bid system which goes into effect the moment someone bids more than the current amount in first place in an auction.

Look at AS as just another bidder, albeit a very accurate and reliable bidder. The limitations that apply to you or me as bidders also apply to AS, which is additionally limited in its actions by the parameters (item number, bid amount, timing of bid) that you set. It's a computer, and computers only know -- and do -- what they're told. Does this answer your question?

I can't speak for anybody else, and I wouldn't presume to tell you you're wrong. However, my experience since using AS has led me to be a dyed in the wool sniper. By using AS my 'competition' never even knows I'm interested in an item until it's too late. If I were to place a proxy bid manually on eBay, then someone else has the opportunity to test the limits of that bid and have enough time to outbid me. If I use AS to place my bid in the final seconds of an auction the other bidders don't have enough time to react and place a higher bid.

That doesn't mean I win every auction I snipe. Sometimes the amount I snipe is not high enough. In those cases I say 'oh well', and realize the item went for more than I was willing to spend.

My goal is not to buy an item at auction for my 'maximum'. My goal is to buy an item at auction for as little as possible, but not to go over my maximum. Since I've been using AS, I have saved so much money by avoiding bidding wars. The other bidders don't even know I'm interested in an item, much less what price I might be willing to pay. I've avoided being pushed to my maximum time and time again.

If every single bidder in the world signed up for AS tomorrow, and used AS exclusively to place their bids, would we all be back at square one? Maybe. But then again, it might actually make things even more interesting. You would never know if someone was going to snipe the same item you were wanting. And you still would not have 'bidding wars.' So I don't think it would be back to 'square one.'

Of coarse, there's no way, every single bidder in the world is going to sign up and use AS exclusively. So, for those of us who use AS and enjoy the thrill of sniping and the money it saves us, we'll continue to "lurk" in the shadows, choose our auctions with care, and smile when our last second bid come in out of nowhere to win an auction, leaving other bidders to ask themselves "who was that, and where did they come from?!"

star_ You're right on target.....my sentiments exactly.....When A.S. was down the other day and I had to manually bid/snipe an auction, the stress factor was there again....yuk..yuk........Nick.........try it(A.S.) you'll like it !!!!!!! Takes some practice,so don't get upset if you don't win ALL your auctions using A.S.

Thanks for the responses. I now know more than I did when I posted - so that's a good thing!

Think of the AS method as a silent auction method. Putting in advance bids usually draws attention to an item, i.e. a buyer sees something someone else has put a bid in on and the "I want it too and I want it more" mentality kicks in. This mindset works well for sellers but for buyers it tends to bring up final prices to more than an item is worth quite frequently.

So, if everyone were using AS, then it would be like a true silent auction where nobody knows exactly what the final cost of an item is going to be. What fun!!! Figure the max you want to pay, plug it in and let it go to work for you. Sometimes you win, sometimes not - but all times you don't go through the brain damage of watching a bidder nickle-and-dime your bids.

Like that old commercial used to say... Try it, you'll like it!0