Interesting, rare and sometimes cheap ebay items.

[Skullcruncher]

it prevents the scenario that griff mentioned (ie. doesn't give the other bidder a chance to reconsider their max. bids, and therefore push you higher)

A fools game, your are just as likely to be shilled in the last few seconds. If someone wants it bad enough they will still beat you no matter if you bid early or late. Auctions ideally should just auto extend if anyone bids in the last few minutes.

[Raider]

I'm a big fan of the sniping tactic and proud to admit it. One of the main advantages for me is that it will stop me from bidding higher due to the 'need to win' mentality. Yes it sounds stupid that some part of you will keep bidding out a desire to be the 'Winner' but yes that has come over me before in my younger days...

By sniping it means that I will input my max bid I am willing to make and prevents me from bidding any higher as I snipe in the last 5 seconds only. A good way of preventing me from having buyers regret. Sure I miss out on things occasionally but I am much happier missing a few than regretting how much I spent.

[MayzaPrime]

I'm a big fan of the sniping tactic and proud to admit it. One of the main advantages for me is that it will stop me from bidding higher due to the 'need to win' mentality. Yes it sounds stupid that some part of you will keep bidding out a desire to be the 'Winner' but yes that has come over me before in my younger days...

By sniping it means that I will input my max bid I am willing to make and prevents me from bidding any higher as I snipe in the last 5 seconds only. A good way of preventing me from having buyers regret. Sure I miss out on things occasionally but I am much happier missing a few than regretting how much I spent.

+1

Its an auction, you can bid at the last second there is nothing wrong with it. I use this tactic as well, I have won many items at a much lower price this way.

[Skullcruncher]

+1

Its an auction, you can bid at the last second there is nothing wrong with it. I use this tactic as well, I have won many items at a much lower price this way.

Right, you're bidding in the allocated time - its likely you just won at the current market price or you just valued it higher than others. At the end of the day if no one else gives a crap and someone wins by bidding in the last second or the first day then its still a win.

[xlojnr]

yeah but as Raider pointed out the "need to win" mentality comes into it. Or people will extend how much they're willing to pay for it. Either driving your winning price up closer to your max bid, or requiring you to increase your max bid.

As Raider points out, by submitting a bid last second, it becomes more of a blind auction and you don't get the urge to go over your rationally thought out max bid.

Ebay should have a blind auction option, where bidders submit the amount they're willing to pay within the allotted time and at the end the highest amount wins, and the bidder must pay that amount - regardless of how much the next highest bid was.

[5FDP]

Yep, you snooze, you loose I normally have 2 screens open because the 'confirm bid' screen doesn't have the countdown timer. Once the timer gets to about 3-5 secs I switch screens and click 'confirm bid'. Won every time

[Skullcruncher]

Yep, you snooze, you loose I normally have 2 screens open because the 'confirm bid' screen doesn't have the countdown timer. Once the timer gets to about 3-5 secs I switch screens and click 'confirm bid'. Won every time

What you have 100% win ratio on ebay!! Last time I didn't win with the early bid tactic was on the G1 trainset - two people sniped at the end and paid over $150 - they cared about $100 more than me

yeah but as Raider pointed out the "need to win" mentality comes into it. Or people will extend how much they're willing to pay for it. Either driving your winning price up closer to your max bid, or requiring you to increase your max bid.

Nope still don't get that "need to win" or the "buyers regret" mentioned earlier, IMO that just says something more about the person bidding than anything else.

[xlojnr]

Nope still don't get that "need to win" or the "buyers regret" mentioned earlier, IMO that just says something more about the person bidding than anything else.

your opinion is correct.. it does say more about the person bidding.

However in order to protect yourself from such bidders, you place a last second bid so that they don't have time to react/kick in, and the opposing bidder places a bid at an amount that they wouldn't usually bid at.

I'm not saying that it will happen all the time. You're correct, if someone is genuinely willing to pay more than you, you will lose the auction regardless. However the off times where someone may be pushing up the price with "revised" max's after thinking about it for a while and convincing themselves of the products new worth will be negated.

On the flip side, if you have a set max. in mind and keep to it. What are the benefits of getting your bid in early? The only one that comes to my mind is the order of preference if an opposing bidder matches you. I steer clear of round numbers, and bid a couple of dollars over the round number I had in mind (eg. 251.50 instead of 250).

Anyways.. to each their own.

Usually I watch an item and bid a nominal amount below my intended max to register my interest. Then in the last couple of minutes I put in my intended max bid.

[rodent]

Just treat it as a blind auction. If everyone just put in the maximum amount they were willing to pay for it, then snipers wouldn't even come into the equation.

I've always sniped auctions, and have lost as many as I have won by doing so because the winning bidder had wisely put in a higher amount long beforehand.

The alternative is a mechanism like Graysonline where the auction keeps being extended by 20mins everytime a new bid comes in. Great for sellers, but far less attractive (and more tedious) for the buyer to follow.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Custom Leozack from Generations Jetfire.