RATSSSS! I lost the ebay bid-it went way up

[HappyGrace]

in the last 2 minutes-from $18 to $28! Oh, well, it was fun anyway. Thanks for your help below! At least I stuck to my "no-buying" today!

[Once]

Someone told me that there are computer programs that buyers use to make their bids more competative. Not sure how it works but I know I don't have it. I noticed around the same time as being informed of this advantage (which I do not have) that I was losing *all* of my bids. I mean every one. Which was unusual.

So I gave up on ebay.

 

I'm sorry you lost yours...if your going to do alot of buying on Ebay you may want to look into this software. It changes your outcome.

[HappyGrace]

It figures, I finally hop on the ebay train and it's already left the station! Well, that's what happens when you hit a trend seven years or more after it

starts! :glare:

 

I'm really glad to know that, but sorry that it's not an even playing field anymore on ebay. It would be rare that I bid anyway-this was a special case where the item ceased manufacture in 2004! Thanks!

[pandora99]

You don't have to get software, you can use a service called esnipe. You enter in your highest bid and the program swoops in at the last 30 seconds of the auction and bids for you up to your highest bid. That way you often outbid others and at a much lower amount. I used to lose a lot of auctions in the last seconds (and I was really ticked) until I discovered esnipe. Now I'm one of those annoying people that I used to cuss at.

[Ria]

I use www.justsnipe.com It's free. You can tell it when to place your bid and how much you are willing to bid. I prefer to bid this way because if I change my mind before the auction ends, I can cancel the snipe. You can't cancel a bid on ebay if you place it!

 

 

Ria

[cin]

DH and I have been known to snipe auctions. We haven't used any programs though, so thanks!!! We just sit and watch with 2 screens open. One has our high bid in it, and all we have to do is hit submit. The other we refresh every 10-20 seconds (2-5 when we get down too the last minute) and then when the auction has about 10 seconds left, we hit submit bid on the other screen.

 

I'll have to look into these other programs ;). Right now I"m looking for an affordable pair of orange shoes that are NOT crocs for our 4 yr old for Christmas. It's her favorite color.

[HappyGrace]

There's even a name for this ("snipe")! I wish I had known about these services before-I'm really bummed I couldn't get this for her. She hardly EVER asks for anything! Oh, well, I'm so glad to know this for the future-thank you!

[TraceyS/FL]

i snipe because i shop on ebay about once a year - at the most, i can't stand the stress - so the snipe lets me come back and see if i won! LOL!!

 

I've only ever used vrane.

[Once]

Thanks Pandor99 and Ria. If it is as easy as it sounds I might just start shopping on ebay again. I knew it was put there but I did not know the name.

It's a good idea, now that I know it. ;)