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Well there is that saying, "something is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it" I use this method when using ebay and set myself a limit to suit each item. Now I dont enter my highest bid to start however when I enter it with seconds to go, Win or Lose I think thats fair? I feel selling with ebay if you set your starting price as your reserve (as long as your realistic) you will always be happy. I have missed out on heaps of items I bid on, but I remind myself that it sold for more than I was prepared to pay "my limit" regaurdless of how many seconds there was left when the final bid was made. I always just say "Oohh aahh hahahahaha" then move on

Here Snipe Snipe Snipe

bidrobot.com has always been good for me. I find I use it so I don't forget, it helps me stick to a limit and I don't have to worry about lag in my internet connection. Plus too much bidding can drive the price too high. Some people seem to get into a zone, where once they've started bidding, they think they have to have it at any cost. As a crazy example, I was watching a new welder with no reserve, checked out the guys store, which pointed to an online shop that had the same welder forsale at his retail price. Thus setting an upper limit on what you should really pay for it. The ebay auction still went higher by $20 or $30.

i have manually sniped on occasion though my best was early highest i had in account at the time the listing would end ...(midnight pumpkin original including battery tx etc

hey welcome Tamiya Jones....
Are we all really talking about auction snipping??
lmaooooo
Anyways, I would of BLOWN UP and more on that jerko you sadly found on ebay who had a babby fit....when you won the auction in the last few seconds!
Turn that wacko into ebay! Leave sellers like that super bad feedback and all zeros on the stars ratings! One creepo did that to me, but oh jee I won FIVE AUCTIONS...HE did have a good FB rating...after I was done with him, ebay was watching his every move and his FB rating was in the low 70's!!!
OR I call up ebay in California if I have any issues and go postal on someone above the low rent ebay phone asst. person. Ask to speak to someone in a manager-level position. That works wonders!
I guess we crazy YANKS were at the auction snipe madness first? IDK but I got schooled real quick wayyy back in 1998. Then ebay USA had just ONE page of all Tamiya items!!!
Now its childs play with the auction countdown clock doing the last hour and seconds left for you.
I've always have had to use a digital watch, refresh pages, ect.... and count off the time...
You guys all know what I mean I hope.
I kinda love the feeling of either bid to win or lose. And being the winner schooling some neewbies by snipping items in the last 5-secs! BLAMM?!
Has anyone used 'auction snipper'?
I guess my buddy eddrick is the x#**^%c!!%4##2@@& guy who keeps winning auctions I try bidding on! hahaha
just my two cents worth......
robracer

I was just watching this tidy haul Classic "sniping" was sitting at $120ish until seconds to go and it ended going to $150ish

Great score for whoever won this silly cheap l

www.ebay.com.au..._cvip=true

My wife has band me from buying for a while would have loved this set

Don't worry Robracer, I stick to Ebay UK, I can't say I've ever bought anything from .com world!
But one just to tickle you - had a bid on a Tx a couple of nights ago (Had no bids on it) - I watched it right down to 3 seconds before I bid & it still had no other bids. I won the auction, then noticed there were 2x bids... I suspect someone may have been fuming!

Yeah I know the sniping thing is regarded a bit underhanded, but I always bid what the item is worth, I don't try to get stuff cheap by only bidding 10p at a time (Like some) & besides, I do an equal amount of selling too, so I often lose out as a result of sniping too, so it all kinda cancels out really.

Anyway, if you're the sort to get the hump cos you "got outbid by 20p by a sniper", it's pretty much your own fault - if you were willing to go that extra 20p, quid, whatever, why didn't you bid it? Chances are you may have outbid the sniper if you had - sniping doesn't leave time to put in another higher bid if what you stick on in the last few seconds isn't enough.

Of course, you could look at it from the seller's point of view - whilst you're bidding 20p at a time trying to keep the price down, aren't you actively screwing the seller over, forcing him to accept less than he'd be happy with, less than the item is worth? (In all instances, "You" is the collective, not pointing a finger at anyone)

It's interesting to hear about those who don't snipe, and/or only try to obtain items from their local eBay sites.

- Yes I snipe too
- I don't think I have manually sniped, since about 2003
- I have bought items from ebay.au, ebay.com., ebay.co.uk, ebay.ca, ebay.fr, ebay.de and more
- Also Yahoo Japan
- Also Trademe
- Also Gumtree (a local free classifieds)
- Also Tamiyaclub trades (the only reason to use that site)
- Also local stores, and even stores visited around the world.
- And probably more...

Sometimes a lot of effort, searching, pleading, trading and careful communications are the only way to get the vintage things you want. I have to confess, I have used the "would you consider selling it directly?" tactic a few times. And some of my most prized, unbelievably lucky finds have been had that way. I have no regrets at all, as the seller was always well remunerated.

Collecting is nothing if not a long journey, filled with stories

H.

I've been using a sniping service too lately (although not a lot).
Helps against overspending, forgetting the auction and bad internet connections.

Best (rare) parts score I had myself was an all Spanish webshop that was newly set up for a local seller.
With the little language I picked in '98 (when I lived there) and Google translate, I got some great vintage items at 90s prices.
Half the time things got miscommunicated or misunderstood (seller tried to use Google translate for his Spanish to English as well, which didn't help much), but in the end (about six weeks later) the items arrived.

Exactly Edou ! I like to protect my passwords and so I will wait up all night if I have to just to manually snipe. A bit of unfairness is involved in the game when ebay allows a computer to snipe at the auctions. Yet, I say "To each his own", and the joy of winning that lucky bid usually overrides the feeling of loss when you cannot. On the other end, computerized bid sniping may work out well for us when it comes time to sell !