20 seconds cost $102
 

In the true spirit of sniping...
A few days ago I noticed that some guy started an ebay auction for all 5 sets of fisch detectors. The starting bid was $100 He only showed a picture of 1 wallet so I asked him if the auction was for 5 individual detectors or for all 5 complete wallet sets. He replied all 5 sets (1-5) for one price. So... I sat and waited and saw that 1 person gave him his opening bid. For several days, right up to the last minute of the auction, no-one upped the bid.

There it sat, $100 for all 5 sets and 40 seconds to go - so against my gut feeling, crossing my fingers no-one else was watching , I pressed the bid button a little early and saw that I was the high bid at $102... 30 seconds and I am still winning.. refresh $160 and I am still the one Refresh... 10 seconds... refresh bid is $202.50 still in my favor... refresh ding ding auction over! I won!!!
Now the interesting part... analysing the 3 other bidders, 2 that came in at the last second. What I noticed...

When I logged in and set up for bidding the 'times viewed' counter was 117 including me. At the end - after 2 other bidders entered the race- the counter stood at 118 !! isn't that short by 1? how can you bid on an item while it is c;losing without tripping the view counter?

Bidder #1 (12) $100
Had recently bid on something in metal detectors category
Bidder #2 (134) $160
Had recently bid on something in metal detectors category
Had recently bid on something in Clothing (size 5)category
Bidder #3 (269) $200
Had recently bid on something in metal detectors category
Had recently bid on something in Clothing (shoes)category

This smells fishy to me. I have a feeling a shill is at work here that cost me $102 but don't know how to prove it in a manner to get ebay to act on it.

any ideas?
As a consolation hopefully i will get 5 sets of FISCH detectors iin a few days - cross my fingers (at least I have $200 in paypal protection to try and collect if it doesn't work out)

Re: 20 seconds cost $102
 

Use esnipe.com. It works every time.

That way you don't show your cards, it's a bid bot that will place your bid 3 seconds before the auction ends.

Re: 20 seconds cost $102
 

It's an honesty counter. It only counts individual viewers once no matter how many times they view the item. Your conspiracy theory doesn't hold water. Wait till the last 10 or 15 seconds to bid. Anything earlier is for suckers.

Re: 20 seconds cost $102
 

And he'd a been right if he was talking about Nevada brothels. A friend of mine was hoping they would prorate his visit. He said at $300 an hour it should only cost him $11.75
:rolleyes_m:

Re: 20 seconds cost $102
 

I usually wait til the last 15 sec but this time I wanted extra time in case I had to up my bid a little. as it was I sneaked by.
The thing I found most interesting is the "coincidence" of recent bids in the metal detecting and clothing areas

Re: 20 seconds cost $102
 

My 2-cents re sniping...

As posted, waiting until the last few seconds is critical. You don't want anyone to know you're watching it.

I believe it's also important that a sniper not try to "steal" something they really want. Rather, decide what the top dollar is that you're willing to pay, and snipe that figure only.

In deciding on the most you're willing to spend to get the item including shipping and insurance...say it's $60.00: ask yourself "Am I willing to pass on it for $61....$62....$65 (including shipping insurance)...etc.? When you determine what the amount is that you're willing to let the item go, the next lower number is what you want to bid.

This question is critical because it and only it will actually give a person the highest amount they're willing to pay.

Snipe that amount a few seconds before the auction closes = get the item if nobody else is willing to pay more, no buyers remorse if you get it...and if you don't get the item you can feel good that you gave it your absolute best "shot".

Re: 20 seconds cost $102
 

Yes, one of the last minute bidders probably already had his view registered on the counter.

Ebay's proxy bid system works well, for the most part I just enter the max bid I am willing to pay and let it be.

I was chasing a numismatic 1 cent recently, and entered a bid of $132. I lost by about $5. Then another item appeared and I entered the same $132 bid, lost by $2. Finally a third one appeared, and I won for $110 on a proxy bid of the same $132. What happened? Potential buyers of this particular coin dried up in the earlier auctions, and I was left with the best deal.

I've learned that ebay is like any other marketplace, sellers watch what buyers purchase and act accordingly. As more items are brought to market to satisfy a demand that exists, it usually has the effect of increasing supply while decreasing demand, as potential buyers purchase the item and no longer have the desire to bid on similar items. If you can learn to spot this pattern and catch the tail end of it, you will always do better than the earlier purchasers!

Re: 20 seconds cost $102
 

:haha::haha::haha::haha: