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 Replies: 23 / Views: 1,942 |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
I just tried to snipe three coins on ebay with the help of another, mildly successful, I won only one but good for a first try. How do I get better? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1353 Posts |
Use a sniping service, it could help!
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Forum Dad
 United States
24154 Posts |
Bid the most your willing to pay when you see the listing and it's hard to be disappointed.  |
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Moderator
 United States
6563 Posts |
Quote:
with the help of another  You were bidding with someone else as well? Seems kinda pointless if you are going to raise the price. Quote:
Bid the most your willing to pay when you see the listing and it's hard to be disappointed. That is the easiest way. However sniping programs are beneficial as no one really bids their maximum...they keep on bidding over and over till they win. With sniping no one has the chance to see what you bid until the auction is over. If they wanted it so bad they should have had a truly honest max bid. I won't post any program or website names here as there are a lot of members that frown upon this type of ebay tactic |
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Rest in Peace
 United States
5375 Posts |
I just had my best friend on my ebay account at his house, that's how I did it. How exactly does a sniping service work? Do a lot of people on ebay use it? That could explain why I was outbidded EVERY TIME I tried to place one. |
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Valued Member
United States
429 Posts |
I guess it all depends on how you are doing it. Personally I like to see how people are bidding on the same coin first and if there is a lot of action on it. If there are a lot of people pushing the price up then the ONLY way you are going to get it is to put in your maximum price at the lat 10 seconds or less. Now, by a maximum bid I do mean a maximum bid, it amazes me how I see people complain that they did not win a $300 item for $23.87, f it something you truly want then pay the $200 or so it will cost to win it.
The ideal auction is one that only one or two people are bidding on and only pushing the price up by the minimum bid. If you watch it long enough you will see that one of them is trying to get out before it gets too expensive and the other one knows that is what they are doing. If you bid too fast then you will end up paying more in the end, but if the first guy gives up early enough then you should be able to snipe it from the one that truly wanted it.
So what I would suggest is:
1. know the true value of the coin
2. know what the maximum amount your bid is going to be
3. do not bid too early
4. do not get involved with an item that has too many bidders unless you are willing to pay
5. if you do decide to use a program to help you out know ahead of time that they do not always work and will not guarantee a winning bid.
I almost forgot...try different times of day. The two times I have noticed the best times to do this is 5-5:30 PM when most people are going home from work and late hours during the middle of the week. Hopefully this will help and get you some nice coins in your collection.
Edited by penny pincher
06/02/2008 11:02 pm
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Moderator
United States
6563 Posts |
I personally don't like bidding within the first 4-5 days of an auction anyways because I don't want anyone ele to be drawn to the auction in question. I might know something about it that no one else does and they might go away if there are no bidders I am also away from my computer 50-65 hours at work so I don't have the luxury of sniping unless I use a program. I set up up and set the time and go about my daily routine and don't have to worry. If I win I win...if not no biggie. Quote:
How exactly does a sniping service work? There are either programs you can download that you give your ebay account info to or you can do it as a web service. Most of the time you have to give them a small percentage of the final bid as a service fee. Be VERY careful as you are giving you username and password to these places and they can do whatever they want if it's not legit. If you do make sure your ebay password is Never the same as anything else like paypal or email...just in c ASE |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
Thanks for the advice...the second one, which is the featured capped bust half dollar actually, was nearing my price limit, so that wasn't too bad, but I did lose a really good bargain. (35-40 for a coin worth 100+) I definitely looked up the approx values of the coins before I bid on them, the one I got cost me about $60 and is worth 100-110 so I was pretty pleased. I will certainly also try around 5, having someone here does help though, and my father isn't around until about 6. Maybe I could also try during holidays and TV events, etc. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
860 Posts |
Being somewhat paranoid, I would not use a sniping service as most do not allow a malfunction or infection of their site to be responsible ( after the legal actions) for the money their program committed in your name. Programming mistakes do happen ( ask Bill Gates) and I prefer to make my own mistakes. But, I find a ( no names given) program that searches ebay relentlessly for the specific listings you give and pop them on the screen whenever a new one comes up ( great for BIT or MBO ) or conversely when only a few minutes remain. Without it I could be chatting along unaware that my big bargain is going in 2 minutes. If you are sniping, the best of the threads above apply. Do it yourself in the last 10 seconds, and bid the max you would pay. If you get it ~great, if you don't ~you couldn't really afford it. And the 10 seconds prevent you from doing something silly like rebidding over your MAX. Patience. Jim |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
That's what I plan to do if I don't use a service, and I had some of the same suspicions, especially given all the computer trouble I've had as of late. Anyone here who is good at spotting bad sellers know any good sellers? This one is one of the first good ones I've found in awhile. 100% feedback (doesn't matter by itself), honest (not to good to be true, most of the time) prices, 7 day returns, good pictures, reasonable shipping.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
1040 Posts |
If I really want the coin, then I bid early, with the max I am happy to pay. I lose fewer auctions this way. Looking at the bid histories for these coins there are often snipers at the end, but they don't always bid to their max on first attempt, with same users bidding a couple of times in the last seconds. Seems pointless to me. If you know how much you want to spend, bid that amount.
If I am not fussed whether I win or not, then I might snipe if it looks like a good deal. This is a hit and miss method to me. Some you win some you don't.
Oztion, an Australian auction site, doesn't approve of snipping. If a bid is placed in the last minute of the auction, the auction extends an extra minute. Good for sellers.
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
yeah these are mostly really good deals I'm looking at, 80% of these guy's coins go above PCGS price guide because of sniper wars : )
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2217 Posts |
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How do I get better You have to wait until about the last 15 seconds then type in the amount, wait a little by counting the seconds down until you think there will be less than 5 seconds left! Heh, that's my usual method. Other than that, if you don't win through sniping couldn't it be that the other guy/guys want to pay too much for a coin? So it's not just about winning through 'sniping' but through building up a very good list of candidate bargains in your My ebay watch list. Always know the value of a coin in order to know if it's going to be a bargain and don't bid if the coin is too much, there will always be more fish in the sea. It's not just the winning that's important in the delicate art of bargain sniping, but also the losing that counts!  Edited by NumisMattyUk
06/03/2008 02:44 am
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
3831 Posts |
It just doesn't matter what sniping program you use. If someone else is willing to pay substantially higher than you initially, you have already lost the round.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2217 Posts |
D'acord mon ami!  |
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Rest in Peace
United States
5375 Posts |
yeah I messed up got flustered and went too fast, then there were like 10 seconds left and this guy outbid me, b ut hey, 1/3 aint bad for first try
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Replies: 23 / Views: 1,942 |
Posted 06/02/2008 10:38 pm
