Attempted snipe...FAILED

[gaelan]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=8171023118&ssPage Name=STRK:MEWA:IT

$5 shipping
$2.75 was current bid for a while

i'm sitting at work wanting this game under $10. i'm logged in as me with the box "stay signed in" checked. I go to bid w/30-40 seconds left, and it prompts me to shaqfuing log in...I manage to get my bid in, but it wasn't enough. I try to bid again, but the auction ended.

I have accepted that it wasn't meant to be, but I felt like a sniper with dirty rifle that wouldn't chamber the round. I guess I'll know next time.

end result was $9.29 total for FSW...not that bad.

[eldad9]

Why not enter your max bid in advance?

[rodeojones903]

You might end up paying more that way.

[gaelan]

Why not enter your max bid in advance?

i did with the $9 total, but it wasn't enough. i was going to up my max to see if it would win but ran out of time.

Do you mean in advance like with several minutes or hours left on the auction?

[jeffreyjrose]

I have a copy FS if you're interested. It is minty fresh and complete. Let me know how much you'd be willing to let go for it. (33 positives here on CAG, 50 rating on Ebay)

-Jeff

[PsyClerk]

Open two windows. In one window have the regular item display, and refresh THAT window. In the other window, have the "enter your bid amount" window open. When you see the bid go up, wait for the clock to wind down, do a refresh in the last few seconds then enter your bid in the other window (remember you have to confirm as well).

[gaelan]

Open two windows. In one window have the regular item display, and refresh THAT window. In the other window, have the "enter your bid amount" window open. When you see the bid go up, wait for the clock to wind down, do a refresh in the last few seconds then enter your bid in the other window (remember you have to confirm as well).

i usually do that at home, but i'm at work. i have to keep it a little bit on the down low especially since ebay just got reinstated as an accessible site....why i don't know. i was just taken off guard when it made me log on again...i could understand if the page had been inactive for a while, but it wasn't.

[crowbb]

Yep, that's the way I do it too. You can easily get a bid off with 3 seconds left no problem using this method. Actually you could go to 1, but I prefer to leave a few seconds buffer in case my modem or eBay act up.


Open two windows. In one window have the regular item display, and refresh THAT window. In the other window, have the "enter your bid amount" window open. When you see the bid go up, wait for the clock to wind down, do a refresh in the last few seconds then enter your bid in the other window (remember you have to confirm as well).

[doodle777_98]

Man, one time i was waiting to bid on a ps2 screen and, scratch doctor,multi tap, wireless controller, and a pelican switch adapter it had 28.00 bucks on bids and right before i bid at the last 30 seconds i had to do the same thing. and i lost. it sucked hard.

[TXboxGuY]

I sniped a new/sealed CD the other day for under $6 (shipped). I just kept reloading the page and when it reached under 1 minute left I entered my bid. Even though I was already signed in they ask for my login and password *click* and then you still gotta confirm the bid amount *click*processing* Bid was placed with 17 sec. remaining. I recall placing a bid once and only having 3 secs. to spare.

[gaelan]

I sniped a new/sealed CD the other day for under $6 (shipped). I just kept reloading the page and when it reached under 1 minute left I entered my bid. Even though I was already signed in they ask for my login and password *click* and then you still gotta confirm the bid amount *click*processing* Bid was placed with 17 sec. remaining. I recall placing a bid once and only having 3 secs. to spare.

i'll admit its been a while since i've sniped due to work blocking ebay, but i used to snipe all the time. i never had to relog in. is it a fairly new (within the past 4 months) addition?

[wubb]

Holy crap I sold a FSW with a BIN that put it around $20 shipped about a month ago.

This is why I'm loathe to do low starting bid auctions.

[TXboxGuY]

I sniped a new/sealed CD the other day for under $6 (shipped). I just kept reloading the page and when it reached under 1 minute left I entered my bid. Even though I was already signed in they ask for my login and password *click* and then you still gotta confirm the bid amount *click*processing* Bid was placed with 17 sec. remaining. I recall placing a bid once and only having 3 secs. to spare.

i'll admit its been a while since i've sniped due to work blocking ebay, but i used to snipe all the time. i never had to relog in. is it a fairly new (within the past 4 months) addition?

I'm sure it's been longer than that. Maybe a year or more. I don't use eBay as often I as used to.

[zionoverfire]

I've noticed problems when I try to place bids in the last 10 seconds, sometimes it promps me to a 2nd cofirmation screen and the auction runs out, really annoying when you get sniped.

[ElwoodCuse]

Unless it's a rare item, just bid your max up front. Maybe not a good idea to do that on day 2 of a 7-day auction, but seriously, if you get outbid just bid on another listing.

[gaelan]

Unless it's a rare item, just bid your max up front. Maybe not a good idea to do that on day 2 of a 7-day auction, but seriously, if you get outbid just bid on another listing.

that ruins the fun for me...kinda like fishing a stocked pond

[crowbb]

Never bid your max up front if you can be there near the end. It does cause higher prices on average. Even if you can't make it to the absolute end of the auction, wait as long as you can before bidding.

In theory it shouldn't matter because people should bid rationally. The problem is they don't. They throw their personal max bid out the window when they get "beaten" on a bid and will often go higher than they originally planned. If you let yourself get caught up in it too, it starts a bidding war between 2 bidders and the only person who wins those in the end is the seller. Plus the earlier you bid, the more time you give others to rethink their initial max bid. Even if you don't believe all this, still wait to the end because if someone bids on the item and doesn't reach your max, you still may end up paying more. A lot of people still only bid high enough to take the lead then just rebid as necessary. This would artificially inflate what you are paying even if he didn't quite reach your maximum.

I have learned many things in the 600 or so times I have bought something on eBay and no one will ever convince me this is not the case.

[schultzed]

Wow, this game has fallen . . .

I've missed quite often on sniping myself . . . I've all but give up bidding on ebay . . . games mostly sell too high. When compared with clearance prices.