posted on March 9, 2001 09:54:27 PM
I'm thinking about putting a snipe link or button in my auctions for the people who would rather snipe. Some people think this is O.K., while others think it's wrong.
Before actually doing this, I would like to consult the experienced minds of the AW crew. So here's a couple of questions. Do you have a snipe button or link in your auctions? If so, has it improved your final bids. If you are a buyer, and you saw a snipe link, would this offend you? Would you refuse to bid on this auction because of this?
Any comments, pro and con are welcome! Thanks for the input.
posted on March 9, 2001 11:56:47 PM
There are a lot of people out there who hate snipers, and I think it could be more of a turnoff than a selling point. However, it might depend on the type of merchandise you sell--if it's targeted to males 18-25, they'd probably think it's "kewl!"
If someone really wants the auction, they can do their own snipe, or start reading these boards and learn about esnipe and vrane (or put in a ridiculously high max bid so even the snipers won't get it)!
posted on March 9, 2001 11:57:11 PM
I always hope that the snipers are far away bidding on other auctions.
That this item is sitting alone...just waiting for me.
That's called Sniper denial.
If a seller has a counter you can watch the refresh rate tally up and you know you "aren't alone."
posted on March 10, 2001 12:58:08 AMHERE'S THE DEAL:
SNIPING---
GREAT for buyers, as it keeps the price down. The way prices really rise is when bidders have a chance to stare at the high bid and get used to the idea of beating that price. They may do this numerous times throughout the course of the auction. Ultimately, they may slowly but surely talk themselves into paying much more for an item, since the back and forth bidding eases them into a higher price.
SNIPING---
NOT SO GREAT for sellers, since snipers basically eliminate any real back and forth action between bidders. The sniper(s) place that last second bid and the auction is over. NOT good if you want to see bidders fighting over your item. ALSO, even though some snipers may pay more than an item is worth just to "win" it, the majority DO NOT. In reality, even snipers sometimes would have been willing to bid even higher, but it's too late---it was a snipe---the auction is OVER!
All in all, as a buyer I love to snipe. WHY? Because I have gotten excellent deals by NOT giving another bidder a chance to rethink their bid maximum. As a seller, I am not especially crazy about snipers---they tend to leave the less experienced Ebayers out in the cold---not to mention they shut down the emotional (and very profitable) bidding wars, which results in ME getting less for my items.
posted on March 10, 2001 01:23:58 AM
Lotzamags, you are EXACTLY right. Any bidder who has lost a couple of auctions in the last minutes or seconds will soon get the bright idea of sniping, even if they don't know what it's called. With the few things I've sold, I have to admit that I LOVE to see early bids, because there's a much better likelihood that bidders will up the price one they get the outbid notice.
posted on March 10, 2001 02:17:19 AM
I use Vrane on all the auctions I'm bidding on stops a whole world of problems.
The only thing is recently I received several emails from the bidder I beat that I was mean, horrible, dishonest and a few other select words, just because I was outbid by them.
Hopefully the email address restriction will take care of these flakes.
I even had one bidder email the seller telling her she shouldn't sell to me because I used a snipe bid while she had been bidding for 5 days on this item.
Some people take this way too personally.
Joe B
posted on March 10, 2001 07:17:55 AM
OK, I'm still confused. Why is sniping different from proxy bidding? Is it just the time factor?
My first lesson from a family member who's a part-time antique dealer in the mid-West was a valuable one. Pick the top dollar you want to pay and stop, don't get caught up in the bidding frenzy. Of course, he only attends live auctions and can't quite see why folks spend so much money on the stuff on eBay. You ought to hear him about prices when he comes East!!
