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SUPERSNIPER'S SNIPER SCHOOL 7.0
(updated 04/25/09)
(The Original Sniper School Started in 1997. 12 Years! )
Created by Tiptie ~ Click here to email Tiptie for Questions
Created by Tiptie ~ Click here to email Tiptie for Questions
Sniping is the art of placing a bid, with a high proxy, during the last few seconds of an auction.
The intent is to leave no time for a manually placed reactive bid from another bidder.
An earlier placed proxy bid by an earlier bidder can still win if this proxy is higher than the sniper's proxy.
Always remember that size counts more that speed.
(More on that early proxy defense later in this school)
An eBay Dutch auction can be sniped but the traditional concept of the proxy does not work. The bid that you enter is the bid that is placed in the auction. So, the snipe is still a very useful tactic in a Dutch auction but be very aware that the proxy is not part of a Dutch auction snipe tactic.
ARGUMENTS PRO & CON
The true-blue snipers respond that they would not bid on an A-E scheme and therefore the argument that other bidders would have the chance to out-bid them becomes moot because they simply will not be there. Also, an AE scheme requires all bidders to be at their computers and watching the auction. Back and forth it goes. It comes down to this.....the snipers bid a lot, win a lot and spend a lot. Other bidders can either join this tactic or enter a high Proxy bid ANYTIME during the auction.
eBay suggests a Proxy bid at the start. Not the best tactic.. However, you do not have to be a "Last Second Sniper" to win either. If you are worried about eBay or Internet outages, you can place an early Proxy bid. And remember, that even within the last few minutes you can go back in and increase your proxy without generally changing the current bid, unless your increased Proxy is at the Reserve price or higher (if it is a reserve auction)or if the current bid is an uneven increment. Then and only then would your new Proxy jump your bid up to the next even increment or the seller's reserve. If you feel your current Proxy is too low then it can be increased to stop a sniper's bid, AT ANY TIME. At that point, the only way a sniper wins is if he is willing to pay more than you. Period.
If you are a procrastinator that needs to see other bidder’s bids before you can decide how much to go.......then where is your limit? Is there a limit? Or do you continue upward forever?.....I think not...Everybody has a limit!!!.
The sniper knows that ahead of time and snipes with his Proxy limit and hopes that is enough. Anybody can beat a sniper if they Proxy-bid to the limit they set for themselves AND that Proxy is higher than the sniper's Proxy. If the sniper’s Proxy is higher, then and only then, does he win.
It is really not that complicated.
The fear that the bid placed will be needed to win keeps the incremental bidder from actually finalizing the value of the item in their minds. It is easy to look at a $50 item and bid $20, thinking that you are saving $30. It is much harder to bid $51.07 and hope to get it for $20 and save $30.
Snipers bid for a win and hope for a bargain"
(above quote from "Zerofeedback" 2002)
THE BASIC METHODS TO SMART SNIPING
1. SUPER UPDATE FOR FIREFOX USERS!!! I have been working with this programmer to enhance his neat add-on for Firefox only. It has many features that I will not go into on this page. The one feature that relates to sniping is the countdown clock. This countdown clock is synched to eBay's time. What is really nice is that your computer clock is not affected! The only thing that counts in sniping is the countdown clock and eBay's clock. So, here is a screen shot of the timer on the first View Auction page:
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You can set it to show seconds for the entire auction or only during the last 5 minutes, etc. The background color can be set to change in the last 5 minutes.
What is really slick about this timer is that you can enter a bid, go to the Confirm Bid page and the clock is still there! It can be set to update the current bid amount. I always suggest to not get too concerned about the current bid amount because if you have followed all the previous suggestions, you have entered your absolute maximum into this window and all you have to do is click the Confirm Bid button.
Here is a screen shot of this Confirm Bid window:
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So........how does one get this timer? Go to this site and download the latest build.
2. I am also including a great link to a site I use to track all my auctions. You can mark any number of auctions, the timer is synched to eBay time, the individual item clocks click down on each auction you mark, the auctions shift over to other pages, depending on whether you won or lost. Take a look.
I love it.... AuctionTamer....
Here is a very compressed screen shot of auctiontamer. It gives you an idea of the features.
They also have a very cute demo at: Demo
3. If you use auctiontamer you can use this single window and enter your bid in the top part, go to the confirm page and then watch the lower countdown clock and place your bid in the final seconds. There is no need to refresh in the last minute, your maximum is set and all you do is confirm your bid and hope for a win.
4. However, if you do not want to buy Auctiontamer then you can use the two window or the newer two TAB method explained below.
5. If you are using Firefox or the newer Explorer 7 or 8, they feature "tabs" and you can create a tab for the auction, copy the URL address, create a new "tab" and paste the URL for that auction in your second "tab". This then allows you to switch back and forth between "tabs". In fact, you can have one "tab" on the auction page and the other set for the bid history page for faster reloads. In fact, with either browser, you can create as many "tabs" as you wish.
I still suggest using Firefox as my browser of choice for manual bids.
6. Get a good clock on your screen that indicates seconds. I have enclosed a good freeware clock link. It will replace the standard Windows clock. I set mine for Pacific Time....TClock
I then set the properties to look like this. It puts the Date on top of the Time.
This one does float and looks like this.
Some users are telling me that the D4 program is not working too well with XP. So, I would suggest using ... Atomtime.... It seems to always work for all users.
Here are the settings I would use for this:
If you want to check the speed from your ISP to eBay then you will need a.... Ping Plotter....Note: eBay has stopped an actual ping of their site after the swamping of their site last year. However, the use of the Ping Plotter is not to determine the speed OF eBay but to check out the "road conditions" TO eBay, so it still is really helpful.
8. However, if you are using Explorer 6, you need to go the upper left hand corner and click on "File". This will bring down a window and you will want to click on "Window". This will open a second Explorer window. Or clicking on "Ctr - N" will create the second Explorer page. At first, both pages will be the same size and you need to resize each new page.
9. I use the lower window to bid by going to the bid section, filling out all the forms and entering your bid amount. Please bid you absolute maximum! Do not hedge. With this system you will not have another chance to re-bid higher. Get all the way through until you get to the button called "PLACE BID". Do not push that button yet!
10. Make sure that when both windows are open that you can still see the clock in the lower right corner where I assume you put it.
11. Use the upper browser window to check the standing of the bids and the time. With a normal modem and connection, I find that this upper window should be on the "Bidding History" page of the auction. There are none of the pictures to constantly reload and therefore, this page reloads MUCH faster. It also shows all the bidders, the current price, and the remaining time. However, do not depend on watching that clock all the time. You have your own clock synched real close to eBay, within a second. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO HIT RELOAD THAT OFTEN. There is always the chance you could lock up your browser. We do not want to do that!
10. In fact, I am now recommeding that during the last critical minute, not to hit the reload button. I have heard from too many users that have found to their dismay that something hung up. Think about it, if you have placed a bid that is your MAXIMUM, then it makes no difference what is happening on the auction page. So, other than curiosity, there is really no need to watch the final 60 seconds. THE bid you will place is going to either win it for you or lose it for you. I suggest this whether you are using the single window method with Auctiontamer or the dual window method.
12. Now, depending on the speed of the net, you should be able to wait until the last 15 seconds, at least, before pushing the "PLACE BID" button on the lower browser window.
13. You can then go to the upper window and hit reload as many times as you wish. Your job is done. If you have not got a "You have been outbid by another bidder" notice on the lower window, then you are top dog for the last few seconds remaining on this auction. Of course, remember that there might be other snipers that might outbid you. At this point in time, your proxy is the only thing working for you.
UPDATE ON THE TWO WINDOW METHOD!!!............. This reflects the latest eBay Bid History page changes. In the last 15 minutes, eBay gives you a "REFRESH" button that only refreshes the changes on that page. That would normally be the countdown clock and any bid changes. By only refreshing the changes, it speeds up the refresh rate for slower internet connections. So, the two window approach variation would be to have two windows open and resized so that each window is sitting next to each other……..either side by side left/right or top/bottom. Use one window to constantly hit the REFRESH button. That will give you the countdown in minutes and seconds. You still must remember that there is a small lag time from sending your ping request to eBay and having it come back with the correct time. In a normal jump back and forth that should never be more than half a second. Most cable connections would place that in the 1/10 of a second range. The other window would then be used to SIGN IN to eBay in the last 5 minutes and type in your MAXIMUM bid. You would then ENTER your bid and it would take you to the CONFIRM BID window. At that point, wait until the last 10 seconds is showing in the other window and then hit the CONFIRM button.
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Below are the awards that I give out for Pure Snipes for the 8 Stations on the Sniper's Journey.
The rules have changed somewhat and the bar has been raised. In order to reach the Stations and be awarded the respective Seals, the sniper must beat another bidder.It can no longer be a single bidder auction. There is nothing wrong with a shutout snipe, or a snipe in 15 seconds, or a double bid snipe. If these win the widget, that is all that really counts. However, the Stations and Seals require a little bit more effort. But, the climb and achievement will taste sweeter because of it.
One winning bid in 10 seconds or less. First Station.
One winning bid in the last second.....the rare 1 second snipe. Second Station.
One winning bid with 1 penny in the last 10 seconds....the rarer 1 penny snipe. Third Station.
The very rare 1 second, 1 penny seal. Fourth Station.
The very, very rare 0 second seal. Fifth Station.
The very, very, very rare 0 second, 1 penny seal. Sixth Station.
I have created the new Seventh Station. One sniper beating another sniper. Rules: 1. The winner AND the losing sniper MUST have bid ONLY once. 2. Beating a "snibbler" does not count. 3. Both snipers must have made their ONLY bid in the last 10 seconds. 4. The winning sniper does not have to be the LAST bidder.
And.........finally, the ultimate snipe. The Eighth Station! The Zero Second, Zero Penny or Cent win!
Have fun. Email me if you have any suggestions or need any help.
GOOD LUCK
Click on these links to see:
Why Does Old Sniping Floozy Snipe
Check out the record for most hits within one second on the DNF
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