Sniping services

[Snapolit1]

Wouldn't someone who wants to effectively shill their auction just use a sniping service themselves?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Wouldn't someone who wants to effectively shill their auction just use a sniping service themselves?

No because there is a much higher risk, I would think, of winning the auction that way whereas the intent is usually to push the bid as high as it goes without winning. Which, it seems to me, is easier to do with a bid on the books to shoot at.

[botn]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Wouldn't someone who wants to effectively shill their auction just use a sniping service themselves?

If they are simply trying to protect the item they could or might but use a sniping service they could also do that by simply dropping a bid in early. If they are trying to run up the perspective buyers or create false competition they would absolutely not use a sniping service.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Wouldn't someone who wants to effectively shill their auction just use a sniping service themselves?

The huge danger with using a sniping service to shill an auction is that putting in a snipe does not allow time for a retraction. We have all seen eBay accounts that have dozens or hundreds of retractions. Last second shill bids are a dangerous game because the bid cannot be retracted. The shill bidder could accidentally win the auction with a last-second snipe.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Bored5000

The huge danger with using a sniping service to shill an auction is that putting in a snipe does not allow time for a retraction. We have all seen eBay accounts that have dozens or hundreds of retractions. Last second shill bids are a dangerous game because the bid cannot be retracted. The shill bidder could accidentally win the auction with a last-second snipe.

This is true but why would the shill bidder care if they won. Just another non paying bidder or Seller/shiller just cancel the transaction to avoid fees. Then relist using the same or different account.

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by bnorth

This is true but why would the shill bidder care if they won. Just another non paying bidder or Seller/shiller just cancel the transaction to avoid fees. Then relist using the same or different account.

This is true if the shill bidder is shilling their own auction. I was thinking more along the lines of a situation in which someone consigns a card to a third-party seller like PWCC or Probstein.

[sedin26]

The main reason I would use a sniping service is for bidding on a high number of low value cards that end too quickly to be able to do it manually. The stuff I bid on tends to be lower end (for example, 1958 Topps Commons) and will often only attract one or two bidders.

I find under these circumstances that a snipe is effective, as the other bidder is often not going to also snipe...this seems to lower the cost for me as compared to trying to put in a higher bid earlier.

I used to have auctions open on my PC, iPad, and phone and try to manage it that way but it was stressful and sniping makes it a lot easier. I imagine this strategy would not work for higher end/more expensive items that attract more bidders.

[JustinD]

I guess do what you want because to every reply someone says "but what about this?"

Well, I wear my seatbelt everyday because it adds a bit more protection than when I don't. Will it 100% stop me from being killed? Well no, but I was hit at a light by some tweaker on illegal meds at the start of the month crushing me between his van and an SUV at a stoplight and walked away just with a bad attitude and a new lawsuit to file because of the belt keeping my face from going through the windshield that day.

If using a simple free service helps just 5% of the time it's officially better than not using it. If that doesn't make sense then I am the confused one.

[T206Collector]

I can just bid my maximum a few hours before the auction ends and then forget about it.

This I would never do. You are just asking to spend more for an item than you have to in some cases.

If you snipe, you prevent the "Damn, I should've bid $5 more" folks from bidding $5 more. Sniping an auction gives less information to your competitors, real or shill. Bidders are not always rational actors. They do not realize what their actual break point is.

There are some bidders on an ebay auction that will keep bidding up until they are the highest bidder. If you put a max bid in with a few minutes or more to spare then such bidders will have an opportunity to keep bidding in increments until they eclipse you, at a figure they did not realize they were going to have to bid -- and you're giving them time to figure that out by bidding your max early. And even if they don't eclipse you, you're giving them time to react to your ceiling bid and erode what would otherwise have been a much better price for you.

That's why I do it. I don't want the people I'm competing with for a card to have any information about what I am planning to bid until it's too late for them to respond with a higher price than they initially thought they were willing to pay.

Obviously this works to keep prices lower across the board. If sniping was profitable to eBay, they would build it into their software. You can safely assume that they don't encourage sniping because it loses them money. Thus, sniping is bidder friendly.