eBay Sniping is a Controversial but Effective Way of Winning Auctions

eBay sniping is the process of outbidding the highest bidder in the last few seconds of an auction so they don’t have a chance to counter bid. Many buyers on e-Bay use sniping to win auctions, but if you’ve ever had a bid sniper in an auction you were bidding on, you’ll know how frustrating it can be.

Some people snipe manually and others use one of the many auction tools available to automate the sniping process. Either way, it can be an effective way of winning auctions. The drawback to using one of the automated tools is that they can sometimes fail, whether due to internet problems or software problems at their end.

Sniping is one way that Yahoo Auctions differs from eBay. On the Yahoo site, if someone bids on an item in the last few seconds, the auction automatically gets extended for another five minutes. This way, all bidders have a fair chance to counter bid.

How Do You Snipe an Auction on eBay?

If you’re going to snipe an auction manually, the best way to do it is to use two browser windows, both open to eBay. You don’t want them to be maximized because you need to be able to see both windows. You should set up the windows a couple of minutes before the end of the auction to give yourself enough time to snipe properly.

Have both windows open to the eBay item that you’re bidding on. In one of the two, click the Bid Now button at the top of the listing. Sign in to e Bay if you aren’t already, then you will be at the screen where you can enter your bid. Leave this screen for the moment.

Switch back to the other window and refresh it by pressing the F5 key. This will show you the current bid on the auction. Now switch back to the bidding window and enter a bid that is a little higher than the current bid. When you click continue, you will be at the confirmation screen. Leave this screen here for now.

To snipe the auction, keep refreshing the price in one window and if the bid goes higher than the one you’ve entered, go back and increase your bid a little more. When the auction is in the last few seconds before it closes, confirm your bid. If someone else is also sniping the auction, you’ll sometimes still lose, but in most cases you will win by a few cents.

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For more information about sniping on eBay, or to choose from a variety of related products and services, choose from one of the following links: