eBay Auction SnipingSniping auctions is when you wait until the last few seconds of an auction to bid. Bidding at the last moment does not allow other bidders to raise their bids. Also, when you snipe you do not let others know you are interested in bidding on the auction. Being an auction sniper can save you considerable money. I have seen auctions where bidders engage in a bidding war and bid back and forth against each other. I have also seen auctions where someone bids early in the auction, then someone else comes in and bids in ten dollar increments until they beat the earlier bid. As an auction sniper, you don't have to worry about another bidder coming in and bidding the auction up. There is no time for additional bids. Here Is An Example I Found On EbayAuction Bid Sniper FactsYou cannot snipe an eBay auction if you do not know what you are willing to pay. Then again, if you do not know the value of something, you should not be bidding anyway. You should always check to see what other items are available on eBay, and search completed auctions to get an idea of what similar items sold for. Failure to check for other auctions is the biggest reason for over paying on eBay. Back when I first started sniping auctions, I would sit at the computer and manually bid about 20 seconds before the auction ended. This was a hassle. I kept a calendar so I could keep track of the bids. I had to make sure I was at home so I could bid. A few times I forgot to check my calendar, and missed bidding on items I wanted. Once, I lost my Internet connection just as I was setting up the bid and lost an item I wanted for my collection. There had to be a better way. Auction Sniper ProgramsAuction sniper programs are a better way. There are sites that will automatically submit your bid in the last 10 seconds of an auction. I have been using different sites for years. They are easy to use and very reliable. With a sniper program, you set up the snipe and the software does the rest. Your computer doesn't even need to be on. Now I go through the auctions I want to bid on and set up snipes every few days and let the programs do my bidding for me. Auction Sniper Program ReviewBelow is a list of eBay auction sniper sites. I tested most of these auction sniper programs and have ranked them based on my experience. Some of the sites have browser add ons. These are toolbars you add to Internet Explorer in order to make sniping easier. I did not install browser add ons. While the sniper toolbars make sniping easier, I do not install programs to my computer because of the chance of screwing up my computer. Some of the sites will send a notice when a snipe you set up will not beat the current bid amount. This will allow you to raise your snipe to a higher level. Some of them will send you an email after the auction ends telling you the result of your bid. I prefer to set up a snipe and then walk away. Choosing An Auction Sniper ServiceSome of these sites charge flat fees for monthly or yearly time periods, others charge a percentage of the bid amount whenever you win an auction with their service. If you buy lots of items or buy a expensive items using a snipe program that charges a percentage will cost you more than one of the flat fee sniper services. All of the auction sniper programs I tested correctly submitted the bids within the last few seconds of the auction. Auction Sniper SitesJustsnipeThis is my new favorite. Up to five snipes a week are free. If you need more than five snipes a week, it's only five dollars a month. That makes it the cheapest snipe program available. Doesn't rely on browser add-ons, but instead uses a simple bookmark button. Even if you are not familiar with putting bookmarks on your toolbars, the process will only take a few minutes. extremely easy to learn. ESnipe Charges 1% of the final auction amount for all successful bids up to a maximum fee of ten dollars per auction. Percentage based services seem to be more expensive in the long run unless you buy cheaper items. AuctionBlitz A neat feature of this system is it will track a group of snipes and when you win one automatically cancels the others. This is a great feature if you want to buy software or a movie or something. Payment through paypal only. Must agree to payment terms before the free trial period begins and they will charge your paypal account after the trial period unless you cancel. $16.99 a year. Use discount code OAA to get a discount if you sign up. Bidnapper This is more expensive with prices ranging from 5.50 a month to $39.95 a year. Has some interesting features like the shadow. This allows you to watch what others are bidding on. I thought this would be a good feature, but it does not remove duplicates. Still a neat feature. Ten day free trail. My trial expired before I could check all the services. This seems like a great service. Price is a bit higher than others, but the shadow feature might be worth the extra money. SnipeRight Browser add on for use only with Microsoft Internet Explorer. NOT TESTED. Seems to be 19.95 for the software. No mention of per bid pricing or annual fees. I could not find a way to ask questions without registering. Not recommended. StealthBid Charges a percentage of the final bid amount on auctions you win. Not tested. Reliability unknown. HammerSnipe, HammerTap, AuctionStealer, AuctionTamer, HammerSnipe PowerTool, BidTamer These are basically the same program sold under different names. A few of them are freeware browser add ons that try to sell the paid versions. I had a few emails from readers saying this was spyware. The terms of use state the downloads contain information from outside parties. This may be spyware. This program is expensive. Will bid 10 seconds before auction ends unless you pay for the service, then it will bid 3 seconds before auction ends. Based on cost alone this program is not recommended.
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