Ebay sniping tools

Anybody got any experiences of above?

Davex.

Yes. I use esnipe all the time. Means that I do not get tempted to enter a last minute bidding war and pay more than I wanted to in the heat of the moment.

Shim's experience is the bad side of ebay but where else would I have found a brand new replacement catch for my MEII winder, or a replacement missile for my Dinky UFO Interceptor I was given as a kid?

I've tried to use one of them in the past, and it failed to secure the item (which I really wanted). I think these sorts of tools are ok, provided there's only a few people using them. The more people use them, the higher volume of last second bids, and the less chance that everyone gets their bids in.
I hate to say it, but I think ebays advice might be right - decide what you want to pay as a maximum price for something, then place that bid. It's the only way of being sure you get something you really want, and don't pay more then you're willing.

I have been using www.vrane.com for a few years with no problems and much success. They have a free service - albeit for one snipe at a time only.

Ignore the US dollars. It actually bids in whatever currency the auction is in.

The problem is when one misses out for the sake of an extra 50Pence. However there seems to be a lot of glass about at the moment.I am still new to ebay, has it always been this way, or are you old hands seeing an increase in photographic items?

Davex.

Not an increase in the number of items but there sure is an increase in the price, due largely, I fear, to the weak pound.

Thanks Womble, am running vrane on a couple of items today.

Davex

Then whatever you'd bid before wasn't your maximum price was it?!!

I don't like the idea of handing over personal information to a third party company either, so I don't use bid snipers.

Also, it's still an auction, albeit one conducted at lightning speed in the last seconds of an auction by computers, so the price is only ever likely to go one way (up!) until the highest bidder wins, so I'm not convinced you'll get your item for less anyway.

The fact that more people seem to be using them means the end is nigh for them I feel, as all of the sniper bots try to bid at the last second and end up not being able to place a bid anyway, meaning you miss out...

I snipe myself in the last few seconds. Have a small window with GMT on it to make sure the time is right.

No sniping tool will win for you if somebody else bids more.

Always bid the maximum you want to pay, but DON'T do it before the last few seconds because some nitwit who had earlier bid lower will come along and put in a higher bid.

It's the nitwits who underbid that make sniping worthwhile. If everybody bid their maximum first time, and never revised their bids later, sniping would be pointless. But as things are, it is the ONLY way to play.

G

I don't think this is true with Pentax items. There are seldom more than a handful of last-second bids, and Ebay's vast computer and huge bandwidth can handle those with ease.

G

I do pretty much the same, as I don't like to get the price up too early!

So, manual sniping if you like, but with the proviso I still never bid more than my max! But, I will never trust my account to a 3rd party ebay sniper service.

I get most of my bargains by enquiring if the seller wants to sell off ebay, as they often want the cash quickly, and without having to pay fees. It never hurts to ask!

Against eBay rules to do that and it also means there is no buyer or seller protection, so you're on your own if things go wrong.

When I get requests like that I always refuse.

If e-bay and Paypal charges weren't so high then people wouldn't have to deal outside of e-bay

Yes, I'm well aware of that... I'm sure ebay/paypal will survive minus the fees though. I don't feel I owe them a living.

You have very little seller protection via ebay/paypal these days anyway, and I only ask to buy if the seller has a good rating, and is within a reasonable travelling distance or somewhere I travel via work, so that I can see the goods and the seller.

I will also only sell like that if the enquiry is made by a member of good standing.

It's all still buying and selling at the end of the day, and the old adage of 'buy the seller, not the item' still stands. I also refuse to sell out of ebay at times if I don't like the sound of the potential buyer, or if I have many bids/watchers and the item is reasonably close to ending.

I purchased an £850 lens for £770 recently using just that process, the seller was happy as they very nearly made the amount they would have made after fees anyway, and I was happy as I had to stump up less, and I got to see the item, go through due dilligence and try it on my camera before I handed over the cash.

That's true!!