Ebay Sniping and stuff

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I've just found www.justsnipe.com - its ace - or so it appears. It TELLS me that it puts in a big 5 seconds from the end time of whatever bid you're on, so making it nigh-on impossible for you to lose.

Does this work? And what other "cheats" have ebay vets got up their sleeve?

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 08:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Unless of course you lose by paying too much money for something.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 10:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't really understand this technology. Is it a time machine?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 10:59 (twenty-two years ago)

i do not approve of sniping. especially when fucked around with by idiots who don't plan on paying

― the surface noise (electricsound), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 11:01 (twenty-two years ago)

This is true, but for us who just want a top bargain without having to worry too much about it, its the tops.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 27 January 2004 11:07 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

I just sniped someone who sniped me at 40 seconds with 17 seconds left.

FUCK Y'ALL! Should I message them with an "IN YOUR FACE"?

― LITTLE LAMB [Jon Williams] (ex machina), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 22:52 (twenty-two years ago)

What did you get?

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 22:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I got a wah pedal! maybe i could say "Wah, wah wah!"

http://www.whysanity.net/muppets/mimages/fozzie.gif

― LITTLE LAMB [Jon Williams] (ex machina), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 22:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't see the problem with 'sniping' if you're personally sitting there and doing it.

Personally, I am more offended by the people who get into bidding FITES hours before the auction will end, raising the prices for any potential snipers.

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 22:56 (twenty-two years ago)

If you mean "offended by their stupidity" then yeah....

― Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 22:58 (twenty-two years ago)

The worst being when you find something that is listed in the wrong category and you're sure that you can get it at the last second for way less than it usually goes for ... and some jerk finds out about this and places a huge bid days early to make sure that he gets it and then bidding FITE ... etc.

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I've learned that sniping is the only sensible way to bid, because it prevents the item from being bid up unnecessarily. Seriously, why bid on something 6 days before the auction ends? You're only guaranteeing that the price will go up like crazy. So at the last second, put in a bid for the highest price you're willing to pay; if you get it, you're gold, if you don't because you're outbid then you don't go broke while you're sitting there allowing someone else to bid you up repeatedly.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Although it pays to look ahead for BUYITNOW crap.

― LITTLE LAMB [Jon Williams] (ex machina), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:01 (twenty-two years ago)

SHIT YES

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

after many years, Broheems and I are friends now.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Sean and Jon OTSeriousM.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:03 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread revive was very timely because I just won an item using this technique too. (special note to Jim: I also intend to pay for it!)

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Seriously, what is 'this technique'? Is it just bidding in the last minute? How is the justsnipe.com 'cheat' supposed to work - by proxying your bid to kick in at the last second?

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:26 (twenty-two years ago)

"This technique" for me = letting the clock tick down until the last minute and trying to submit my bid as close as possible to the very last second (this time I got in 16 seconds before the end). If someone outsnipes with a higher bid, oh well! I've been outbid far more often than I've won using the technique but at least I've never been coerced into bidding higher than my initial gut feeling.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Big problem with sniping at last second: if your last-second snipe bid matches someone who bid previously, they win the auction and you may not have time to re-bid.

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:30 (twenty-two years ago)

or another problem: if you have a dodgy slow dial-up internet connection which sometimes struggles to 'take'.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

ebay is not the place to practice self control.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

This is true. You can also forget that you have to re-login sometimes when bidding so you may have timed your snipe inappropriately.

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah but dean, that's why you bid like $10.17 for something (if you want to pay, say, $10).

I think I've actually put in a snipe-bid with like 1 second left before. No software involved; after a while you get a feel for it.

Stence and I have totally buried the hatchet! (Stence email me if you want a copy of that SCG show we talked about; I'm running one off for jack cole right now)

― Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah that totally makes sense. okthxbai

― dean! (deangulberry), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 23:51 (twenty-two years ago)

ebay is not the place to practice self control.
-- Ian Johnson (johni72...), March 2nd, 2004.

I'm going to print this and hang it on my wall.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 00:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Hahaha, I missed bidding on a $POPULARNOIZEACT test press for $1. No one got it@!!!!@!@

― LITTLE LAMB [Jon Williams] (ex machina), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 21:48 (twenty-two years ago)

BUT! Don't the low-priced auctions attract more attention by virtue of being low-priced, whereas medium-priced auctions are usually passed over by so-called discerning ebay buyers?

― Leee the Whiney (Leee), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Date: Wed, 3 Mar 2004 16:07:49 -0800 (PST)
From: XXXX Fakename <@#@#@#@#>
To: [email protected]
Subject: ____ test pressing

people were givin' me the shady eye for listing it on
ebay. i'll entertain an offer, but I know only 6 of
these were made. mark

Uhhh?

― LITTLE LAMB [Jon Williams] (ex machina), Thursday, 4 March 2004 01:27 (twenty-two years ago)

what band was it? i have a POPULARNOIZEBAND test pressing (49 made).

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 4 March 2004 02:28 (twenty-two years ago)

They used to be NINJAS.

― LITTLE LAMB [Jon Williams] (ex machina), Thursday, 4 March 2004 02:33 (twenty-two years ago)

i sold a fugazi sub pop test pressing once. it went for sod fucking all.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 4 March 2004 02:34 (twenty-two years ago)

how much?

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 4 March 2004 02:35 (twenty-two years ago)

GG!, Was that to Jim or Me?

― LITTLE LAMB [Jon Williams] (ex machina), Thursday, 4 March 2004 02:38 (twenty-two years ago)

if me, US$20

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 4 March 2004 02:41 (twenty-two years ago)

SCG show? i get a bonus treat? yay!

― jack cole (jackcole), Thursday, 4 March 2004 02:56 (twenty-two years ago)

they should switch to a bidding system where any bid near the end of the auction extends the length of the auction by ten or fifteen minutes. no more sniping.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Thursday, 4 March 2004 03:30 (twenty-two years ago)

That doesn't sound like much fun at all.

― maypang (maypang), Thursday, 4 March 2004 03:48 (twenty-two years ago)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3709245041&category=38070

YEAAAAAA

― LITTLE LAMB [Jon Williams] (ex machina), Monday, 15 March 2004 03:12 (twenty-two years ago)

two months pass...

fuck, i hate dialup

i got sniped on a soundscriber

― TRON FIGHTS FOR THE USERS (ex machina), Tuesday, 1 June 2004 22:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Shut up you brat, there's a bag of Oreos SO CLOSE YET SO FAR to me.

― Lazer Guided Mellow Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 1 June 2004 22:09 (twenty-two years ago)

nine months pass...

FUUUUUCK!

― adam.r.l. (nordicskilla), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Not that I needed or can afford a palm pilot, but fuck you anyway!!!

― adam.r.l. (nordicskilla), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I only bid at the last minute and I use esnipe anytime I can't make a bid (aka the auction is ending when I am sleeping or I think I might be busy at work.)

Haha poor Adam!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

does esnipe work?

― adam.r.l. (nordicskilla), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, every time I've tried it, it has.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I mean except where I got outbid by someone who was willing to pay WAY WAY more than I was for whatever item, but that's not eSnipe's fault.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

i just decide to be grateful when i get sniped, i.e, "well, i guess i didn't really that anyway"

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Monday, 7 March 2005 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I usually overbid ever so slightly when I make my final snipes so if I really only want to pay $15, I'll bid $17 so I don't feel like I lost an item cuz I wouldn't pay that extra 50 cents or whatever. And that way when/if I get outbid I always feel good about it like it was too much money anyway and the guy who sniped me really did me a favor.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 7 March 2005 22:01 (twenty-one years ago)

i am a chronic sniper so i feel like i kinda deserve it when it happens to me.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Monday, 7 March 2005 22:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, well as Sean C sez above it really is the only sensible way to bid.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 7 March 2005 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Haha! I sniped and won!

― adam.r.l. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Did you win a Palm Pilot?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 21:36 (twenty-one years ago)

ummmmmm...yes

I have no money

― adam.r.l. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

So congratulations ARE not in order then?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 21:39 (twenty-one years ago)

probably not

― adam.r.l. (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 21:42 (twenty-one years ago)

oh lord.

there was an item that was 'buy it now' for 6.99 with an opening bid of $5. it was a 7 day auction and it had three hours to go. so i bid 6.99, in the off chance i get it cheap but the same as if i'd just gone ahead and 'bought it now'. what happens? some total waste of life outbids me with seconds to go. IT HAD BEEN SITTING THERE FOR 6.99 FOR NEARLY 7 FULL DAYS YOU JACKASS! HOW STUPID ARE YOU? DO YOU PAY MORE FOR THINGS JUST FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES?

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Huh? Aren't you the jackass for not going ahead and buying it now @ $6.99?

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

i fail to see how.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:42 (twenty-one years ago)

No, I agree. If you were prepared to pay $6.99 for it, you might as well have got it 'buy it now' and been assured you'd get it rather than miss out.

― kate/thank you friendly cloud (papa november), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:44 (twenty-one years ago)

i think the point has been missed. i didn't mind missing out, hence why i only bid 6.99 - with only a couple of hours to go i wanted the chance of getting it for the cheaper price. i guess i just don't understand why someone went over the odds when it was there for the taking for so long.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:47 (twenty-one years ago)

i hardly think taking the chance at saving a couple of bucks is a particularly stupid thing to do.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Calm down man!

― kate/thank you friendly cloud (papa november), Friday, 11 March 2005 04:52 (twenty-one years ago)

According to what you wrote electricS, it doesn't sound like you would've saved anything (unless 'Buy It Now' adds on an additional fee).

I'm considering this:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=29691&item=4532071648&rd=1

But how the fuck am I going to know what condition it's in?

― Sasha (sgh), Friday, 11 March 2005 05:40 (twenty-one years ago)

If it's closer enough to you ask the buyer if you can purchase it subject to inspection.

― kate/thank you friendly cloud (papa november), Friday, 11 March 2005 05:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Close enough I mean.

― kate/thank you friendly cloud (papa november), Friday, 11 March 2005 05:44 (twenty-one years ago)

This reminds me I should put my records up on eBay, but I'm kind of scared to do this as I haven't ever sold them before. How picky are buyers re: condition? Picky to the point of freaking out over a record sleeve that is slightly slightly less than mint because I've moved around a lot and packed it? These are like Touch & Go things I bought on vinyl because I thought it was cool & then only played like twice at the radio station, and some old stuff, Meat Puppets II, Flipper, Gang of Four that also never got played, really. And the anticommunist propaganda albums I bought at a thrift store.

― daria g (daria g), Friday, 11 March 2005 06:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Why on earth would you bid $6.99 if the buy it now was $6.99? And the starting bid was only $5? So you would save a whole $2? Did you want the item or not? How can you say you didn't mind missing out but then come here and whine about it? What if the person you're ranting about came to the auction late and couldn't use the buyitnow because you had already bid $6.99? Maybe they bid slightly under the $6.99 but then your 6.99 bid beat them and cancelled out the buy it now so they were forced to go a little higher.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 11 March 2005 08:02 (twenty-one years ago)

dude, what do you want from me?

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Friday, 11 March 2005 08:38 (twenty-one years ago)

BLOOD! :)

― kate/thank you friendly cloud (papa november), Friday, 11 March 2005 09:03 (twenty-one years ago)

what's up with these dumbass sellers? i win the auction and then you email me and say you can't find the CD? like, you left it on the bus? and then ask me "are there any other CDs you want?" yeah, buddy... any CD will do really, i'm not picky. surprise me. i just bid on that one because it was going for exactly how much i wanted to pay for a CD.

― fortunate hazel (f. hazel), Friday, 11 March 2005 09:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I dunno, sorry. Guess I just felt the need to type 6.99 five times.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 11 March 2005 09:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I just had one of those dumbass sellers, Hazel. 'Sorry I looked everywhere but I can't find your 7"'

Luckily I hadn't paid yet, but still. Fuckheads.

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 11 March 2005 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Jim, you were willing to pay $6.99 for the item but wanted it for $5. The $1.99 difference represented the risk that you would not be the eventual winner - had you not been prepared to take the risk, you'd have bid $6.99 and Bought It Now. Someone paid more than you were willing to pay. That's how auctions work. I really can't see how you can have a problem with this.

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 11 March 2005 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I got caught last night with the same thing. 'Buy it now' was £6 and starting bid was set at £3.99 with no bids made since it opened 10 days before. I bid the minimum with a couple of minutes to go and ended up in a stupid 20p a go sniper war with another punter who got the item at £6.10. It seems we both wanted to wait until the last minute to attempt to save a massive £2.01 but were both prepared to pay the "buy it now" price.
I felt a bit silly afterwards. I'm sure the winner did as well, though that would have been tempered by having won MY RECORD :-(

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 11 March 2005 15:25 (twenty-one years ago)

one month passes...

How much corruption do you think there is on these sites? I bought some exercise equipment on there once, only to realize once I got it that it was probably 'hot'.

I'm pretty familiar with book prices, and I've noticed that the prices on a few popular titles will suddenly drop, as much as $10 in a week. Believe me, this is not normal.

― Shatterproof Glass (dymaxia), Monday, 18 April 2005 21:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm pretty corrupt and I sell on Ebay.

― Samuel Glickstein (nordicskilla), Monday, 18 April 2005 22:02 (twenty-one years ago)

there's certainly a lot of people selling their own home-made bootlegs, especially 'compilations' of hard to get singles and live tracks.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Monday, 18 April 2005 22:09 (twenty-one years ago)

What I mean is, like, people selling stolen crap on ebay and half.com.

I don't know - I buy lots of books for my job and some of these sellers (and the prices) just don't look right.

I'll stop right now, before I get all corny about hard-working Americans trying to supplement their income by selling their old stuff...

― Shatterproof Glass (dymaxia), Monday, 18 April 2005 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

i don't think i'd have any way of knowing

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Monday, 18 April 2005 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

There are people who used to SELL obviously stolen books to the used bookstore I used to work at!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 18 April 2005 22:34 (twenty-one years ago)

The only way I know is that sometimes you'll see a whole bunch of copies of one book (usually a bestseller) suddenly appear at a grossly deflated price, whereas a week or two before, they were going for much more than that.

― Shatterproof Glass (dymaxia), Monday, 18 April 2005 22:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think that indicates theft. I think it indicates that demand has dropped or the supply of used copies has spiked either of which could be indicative of nothing more than simple economic principles.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 18 April 2005 22:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, there's more to it than that, but I won't waste time defending my knowledge of 'simple economic principles' here. I just wanted to let people know that they might want to watch out for suspicious and sudden 'flooding' of the market.

Yes, 'simple economics' really explains why a whole bunch of seemingly unrelated vendors would sell the same used book ALL AT THE SAME TIME, and at a ridiculously deflated price.

― Shatterproof Glass (dymaxia), Monday, 18 April 2005 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

And the supply of used copies suddenly 'spiking' is not logical AT ALL, no need to be patronizing, Alex-in-Whereverthefuck.

― Shatterproof Glass (dymaxia), Monday, 18 April 2005 23:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Whatever. I just giving you another possible reason. No need to behave like a defensive little dick.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 18 April 2005 23:15 (twenty-one years ago)

what get's my goat is sellers that have the nerve to request 'paypal surcharges'... just purchased something yesterday and the guy wanted an extra $2.50 for paypal, i told him it was clearly against ebay policy and i could have his account closed down. he replies that its fine if i don't want to pay it. has anyone been stupid enough to pay one? should i still report him after he sends my goods?

i realise paypal fees can eat into seller profits a bit, but considering the convenience it provides to both parties, they should just be prepared to lump it or choose other payment methods.

― Mil (Mil), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 00:48 (twenty-one years ago)

a lot of sellers just up their postage costs to cover it. i normally weigh up the balance between item cost and postage cost before proceeding with a bid or purchase. i can cope with $8 postage for a 99c item i really want, but it's still unreasonable.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 00:55 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah that's true... and i don't mind paying a little above actual shipping costs, but not x2 or x3 times like some extortionist sellers want. also, any seller that doesn't list both domestic and international shipping costs in the description = dud.

― Mil (Mil), Tuesday, 19 April 2005 01:05 (twenty-one years ago)

It happened again. This time, someone on the fringes of our community is specifically asking for us to buy a couple of underpriced books that are advertised as 'new'. They're, like, $140 books being sold as new for $80. The next highest prices on the list are very close to the retail value.

Guess what? The same 'seller' is selling both books.

There has got to be a better way of evaluating whether a seller is legitimate or not, but caveat emptor.

― Shatterproof Glass (dymaxia), Wednesday, 20 April 2005 17:13 (twenty-one years ago)

eBay offically banned paypal surcharges last June or so - I remember seeing it in their news section. So anyone after then who charges it is a charlatan, or at best ignorant, and needs a good spanking.

― Markelby (Mark C), Wednesday, 20 April 2005 22:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, no shit - I don't think I've ever seen a PayPal surcharge.

― Shatterproof Glass (dymaxia), Wednesday, 20 April 2005 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

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Ebay Sniping and stuff - S/D