Ebay sniping software/service - reliable/trustworthy?

pranavt · 28th July 2009, 14:16

I'm trying to buy a part off ebay. Sadly, I've lost 2 auctions by people who bid at the absolute last second and win it. I've heard about ebay sniping which entails handing over your details to a 3rd party who will bid on your behalf at the last possible second and win you the auction.

Wanted to ask if they're reliable and trustworthy, and if anyone here has used these services/softwares.

Thanks!

sonirohit · 28th July 2009, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by pranavt

I'm trying to buy a part off ebay. Sadly, I've lost 2 auctions by people who bid at the absolute last second and win it. I've heard about ebay sniping which entails handing over your details to a 3rd party who will bid on your behalf at the last possible second and win you the auction.

Wanted to ask if they're reliable and trustworthy, and if anyone here has used these services/softwares.

Thanks!

Yes I've tried them in the past - and they seem to be doing what's written...

ajayr · 28th July 2009, 14:46

I have used GIXEN - Free eBay Auction Sniper and it works great. There is no need to register, just enter your eBay username and password and you are all set to schedule your bids.

srijit · 28th July 2009, 16:21

There are free software that work on your computer, so that you dont have to disclose your username/pass to other websites. The downside of this is that you need to have your computer and internet working all the time.

Rehaan · 28th July 2009, 18:22

Pranav,

The thing with ebay is that you're always trying to get a good deal -- but sometimes you need to think what the maximum youre willing to pay for an item is. The ABSOLUTE maximum.

For eg. you say $65
What if another guy is about to max out at $67? Wouldn't you do $68?....probably.

Eventually though you will say "jeez. if he bids $90, im not gonna bid $91...thats just too much"

So you find your limit.

Now, i don't really see the advantage of having a sniper software unless there is some sort of manual-bid battle going on (which was the oldschool days - or am i missing something?) since ebay itself allows you an automatic/proxy bid system.

The only advantage a last minute bid has is if the person challenging your bids hasn't quite pushed his budget to the extreme point he is willing to go.

I've won a ton of stuff on ebay, for decent prices - mostly good deals, not mindblowing. Though occasionally you get that amazing deal (Like the brand new Sony SS-MB250H speakers for $0.01 & $25 shipping i got).

I guess what i am saying is :
1) Decide the absolute max you're willing to pay.

2) If it is a very popular / highly searched for item, push the price 80%-90% of what you're willing to do ASAP. (Ie as soon as the auction starts) - why? Because this will prevent all the ebay newbies from seeing an iphone for $10 and thinking WOW THAT COULD BE MINE! and then adding it to their watched list. Push the price to $200 right away, and keep a good deal of those "amazing deal hunters" away. (Why do you think sellers start @ .99c - to get more people to notice a great deal and "add to watched list" - therefore more people actually taking part in the bidding, and lower supply than demand = pretty decent selling price in the end for the seller)

3) Wait till about 10-20seconds or less left, and then put in the MAXIMUM you're willing to bid into the ebay auto-bid system. It will only bid the amount that is equal to = current highest bid + minimum bid increment. So if the current highest bid is $50 and you bid $90, it will only bid $51 (assuming a $1 bid increment).

4) Now just sit back and hope for the best in the next 5-10seconds. If someone else had put in a $85 bid, your auto-bids will battle it out and you will come out on top at $86.

5) If someone else put in $100 as an autobid....too bad, you weren't willing to pay more than $90 anyway!

Other tips :
1) Look at the sellers items, for example, when i bought those $0.01 speakers, i had been tracking the guys auctions for 2 weeks. He listed a pair almost every other day. Finally i got lucky on a set that noone else bid for. (I probably put in a $20 max auto-bid in the last 20secs but noone challenged my lowest $0.01 auto-bid).

2) Search for mis-spelled versions of what youre looking for, or alternate words. (eg torch / flashlight etc)

3) Only buy from 97% and up sellers. Or if its a 10-15 item seller with a lower rating you can do some snooping of past auctions and see if his negative rating was his fault or a known bad buyer etc.

Goodluck,
R

pranavt · 28th July 2009, 19:37

Rehaan, points 3 and 4 from what you said. I didn't get a chance to do that due to different timezones and was surprised to lose the auction in the last minute. The maximum bid had already been decided, but I didn't get a chance to enter that at the end of the auction. In the end, I lost by .50c and this was by a third bidder who hadn't bid even once during the auction. Hence trying out something which will bid on my behalf in those last few seconds.

Anyways, have submitted two auctions to Gixen based on ajayr's recommendation. Let's see if I win or not.

GTO · 28th July 2009, 19:45

What happens if two sniping softwares are competing with each other in the final second?

. No seriously.

pranavt · 28th July 2009, 19:52

Highest bid placed earliest wins at the end of the auction. So it's basically one server's internet pipe against another's.

harry10 · 28th July 2009, 20:37

@ Rehaan- I assume you had done that on ebay US and there lies my Q-
Can we buy something from US ebay site as well?
I mean do they ship to india?

pranavt · 28th July 2009, 20:44

Depends on the sellers. It will be mentioned in the auction. Many of them do ship to India.

harry10 · 28th July 2009, 20:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by pranavt

Depends on the sellers. It will be mentioned in the auction. Many of them do ship to India.

Thnx.
How about a simple purchase which is not in auction?

pranavt · 28th July 2009, 21:02

All depends on the seller. Many of them ship worldwide. Check each item, it should be mentioned if they ship worldwide or are limited to a single area.

Digital Vampire · 28th July 2009, 21:04

I've used Gixen sniping service to bag some really great deals. Infact I dont buy anything on ebay without Sniping.

IMHO, you should never use ebay's automatic proxy bid service. Especially in the early stages of the auction because multiple people placing proxy bids will cause a bidding frenzy which drives up the price. The risk is less if you place ebay's automatic proxy bids in the last 10 second or so, but why take all those pains when sniping assures (almost) your win at a relatively better price.

In fact every single item which I've won on ebay was won through sniping.

28th July 2009, 14:16	#1
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,682 Thanked: 641 Times View My Garage	Ebay sniping software/service - reliable/trustworthy? I'm trying to buy a part off ebay. Sadly, I've lost 2 auctions by people who bid at the absolute last second and win it. I've heard about ebay sniping which entails handing over your details to a 3rd party who will bid on your behalf at the last possible second and win you the auction. Wanted to ask if they're reliable and trustworthy, and if anyone here has used these services/softwares. Thanks!
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 14:46	#3
ajayr BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 94 Thanked: 19 Times	I have used GIXEN - Free eBay Auction Sniper and it works great. There is no need to register, just enter your eBay username and password and you are all set to schedule your bids.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 16:21	#4
srijit BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 598 Thanked: 8 Times	There are free software that work on your computer, so that you dont have to disclose your username/pass to other websites. The downside of this is that you need to have your computer and internet working all the time.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 18:22	#5
Rehaan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 24,046 Thanked: 34,076 Times	Pranav, The thing with ebay is that you're always trying to get a good deal -- but sometimes you need to think what the maximum youre willing to pay for an item is. The ABSOLUTE maximum. For eg. you say $65 What if another guy is about to max out at $67? Wouldn't you do $68?....probably. Eventually though you will say "jeez. if he bids $90, im not gonna bid $91...thats just too much" So you find your limit. Now, i don't really see the advantage of having a sniper software unless there is some sort of manual-bid battle going on (which was the oldschool days - or am i missing something?) since ebay itself allows you an automatic/proxy bid system. The only advantage a last minute bid has is if the person challenging your bids hasn't quite pushed his budget to the extreme point he is willing to go. I've won a ton of stuff on ebay, for decent prices - mostly good deals, not mindblowing. Though occasionally you get that amazing deal (Like the brand new Sony SS-MB250H speakers for $0.01 & $25 shipping i got). I guess what i am saying is : 1) Decide the absolute max you're willing to pay. 2) If it is a very popular / highly searched for item, push the price 80%-90% of what you're willing to do ASAP. (Ie as soon as the auction starts) - why? Because this will prevent all the ebay newbies from seeing an iphone for $10 and thinking WOW THAT COULD BE MINE! and then adding it to their watched list. Push the price to $200 right away, and keep a good deal of those "amazing deal hunters" away. (Why do you think sellers start @ .99c - to get more people to notice a great deal and "add to watched list" - therefore more people actually taking part in the bidding, and lower supply than demand = pretty decent selling price in the end for the seller) 3) Wait till about 10-20seconds or less left, and then put in the MAXIMUM you're willing to bid into the ebay auto-bid system. It will only bid the amount that is equal to = current highest bid + minimum bid increment. So if the current highest bid is $50 and you bid $90, it will only bid $51 (assuming a $1 bid increment). 4) Now just sit back and hope for the best in the next 5-10seconds. If someone else had put in a $85 bid, your auto-bids will battle it out and you will come out on top at $86. 5) If someone else put in $100 as an autobid....too bad, you weren't willing to pay more than $90 anyway! Other tips : 1) Look at the sellers items, for example, when i bought those $0.01 speakers, i had been tracking the guys auctions for 2 weeks. He listed a pair almost every other day. Finally i got lucky on a set that noone else bid for. (I probably put in a $20 max auto-bid in the last 20secs but noone challenged my lowest $0.01 auto-bid). 2) Search for mis-spelled versions of what youre looking for, or alternate words. (eg torch / flashlight etc) 3) Only buy from 97% and up sellers. Or if its a 10-15 item seller with a lower rating you can do some snooping of past auctions and see if his negative rating was his fault or a known bad buyer etc. Goodluck, R Last edited by Rehaan : 28th July 2009 at 18:25.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 19:37	#6
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,682 Thanked: 641 Times View My Garage	Rehaan, points 3 and 4 from what you said. I didn't get a chance to do that due to different timezones and was surprised to lose the auction in the last minute. The maximum bid had already been decided, but I didn't get a chance to enter that at the end of the auction. In the end, I lost by .50c and this was by a third bidder who hadn't bid even once during the auction. Hence trying out something which will bid on my behalf in those last few seconds. Anyways, have submitted two auctions to Gixen based on ajayr's recommendation. Let's see if I win or not. Last edited by pranavt : 28th July 2009 at 19:38.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 19:45	#7
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,534 Thanked: 300,737 Times View My Garage	What happens if two sniping softwares are competing with each other in the final second? . No seriously.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 19:52	#8
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,682 Thanked: 641 Times View My Garage	Highest bid placed earliest wins at the end of the auction. So it's basically one server's internet pipe against another's.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 20:37	#9
harry10 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Faridabad/Delhi Posts: 2,713 Thanked: 3,627 Times View My Garage	@ Rehaan- I assume you had done that on ebay US and there lies my Q- Can we buy something from US ebay site as well? I mean do they ship to india?
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 20:44	#10
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,682 Thanked: 641 Times View My Garage	Depends on the sellers. It will be mentioned in the auction. Many of them do ship to India.
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 21:02	#12
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,682 Thanked: 641 Times View My Garage	All depends on the seller. Many of them ship worldwide. Check each item, it should be mentioned if they ship worldwide or are limited to a single area. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

28th July 2009, 21:04	#13
Digital Vampire BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Utopia! Posts: 595 Thanked: 105 Times	I've used Gixen sniping service to bag some really great deals. Infact I dont buy anything on ebay without Sniping. IMHO, you should never use ebay's automatic proxy bid service. Especially in the early stages of the auction because multiple people placing proxy bids will cause a bidding frenzy which drives up the price. The risk is less if you place ebay's automatic proxy bids in the last 10 second or so, but why take all those pains when sniping assures (almost) your win at a relatively better price. In fact every single item which I've won on ebay was won through sniping.
	() Thanks