Snipers...

[ninanina]

Ok, I did get just a little frustrated and thought I'd tell you guys about it.

 

Yesterday, I bid on a buncha' hi-grade Superboys (late 100's) and had the winning bids lined up for about 10 of them and got sniped royally on all of them from the same bidder.

 

No problem, I'll just bid on another 7 that I've got on my Watch-list tomorrow.(today)

 

So, again I've got the winning bids on about 6 or 7 when in the last few seconds, again I get sniped by another ebayer. Ok, I figured what I'll do is bid $30 for the $24 book and let him have it for $31.00. Sure enough...he wins it in the dying seconds fir $31. So, on the last book...which had an Overstreet value of $12 in NM....I put in a bid for $50.

 

Guess what happened.....

[Aces]

You won it!

[mister_not_so_nice]

Happy Seller?

[sterlingcomics]

I've been in that situation before "by god, if they want it that bad, let them PAY!"....

 

It's cost me plenty...now I just snipe and fuhget about it!

[Jeffro.]

I've been in that situation before "by god, if they want it that bad, let them PAY!"....

 

 

This should be your mantra. I got into a bidding war once when I was an ebay newbie. Never again.

[_OGjimbo-migration]

Is a sniper a program?

[nik]

I think people get into bidding wars because of their egos sometimes

[Heresy]

That's why, unless it is something you feel you have to have no matter the price, you set your top price and never look at the auction again until it is over. Sometimes you get a nice surprise and sometimes you get to see someone else pay way too much.

[Jayman]

Not to mention that unless it's an ULTRA-rare book another one will turn up soon enough.

That was an ebay lesson I learned early on.

[Mac Man]

If you were meant to own the comic, it will find its way back to you eventually for the right price at the right time.

 

And OGJimbo- snipers are individuals on eBay who outbid you on an item in the last couple seconds so that when you think you'll win the item.... BAM! You've been outbid in the last second, usually losing the item for only from .25 - 1.00 more than your highest offer. Obviously, this can be very frustrating.

[chromium]

Is a sniper a program?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auction_sniping

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Is a sniper a program?

 

[alecholland]

Yesterday, I bid on a buncha' hi-grade Superboys (late 100's) and had the winning bids lined up for about 10 of them and got sniped royally on all of them from the same bidder.

 

That's funny because yesterday I just won a bunch of hi-grade Superboys on Ebay.

 

(jk)

 

Another Superboy collector eh?

I don't use Ebay anymore. Them folks is I just buy off the boards now. I stopped buying off Ebay 2 years ago when I found this place. You can't beat accurately graded comics at good prices. Might be a little more than Ebay sometimes (depending on what you are looking for) , but you get what you pay for here. Just my two cents.

[Rob]

Why do you bid before the closing seconds anyway? You're giving away what other bidders need to bid to win it. That's dumb.If you had $30 on there, sure he's gonna bid $35 to beat you (and he won it at $31). But if you let the other high bidder stay at $20, maybe that guy would have sniped $25 at the last second (it's true, people only bid what they need to win....rarely do people bid their absolute max). When you put your $30 with 3 seconds to go, you beat his $25 and won it for $26. Sniping is the ONLY way to win auctions.

 

And critics say, "No, it's the AMOUNT you bid, not WHEN you bid." That is true, but if you wanted a comic for $50, and bid $50 early, you open yourself up to letting other bidders raise your high bid from $30, to $35, to $40, etc. Why pay more than you have to? Keep the high bidder at $20, let him think he's won it, then swoop in and bid $50 at the last second, and you won it for $21. Not $45. I use AuctionSniper.

[Jeffro.]

Why do you bid before the closing seconds anyway? You're giving away what other bidders need to bid to win it. That's dumb.If you had $30 on there, sure he's gonna bid $35 to beat you (and he won it at $31). But if you let the other high bidder stay at $20, maybe that guy would have sniped $25 at the last second (it's true, people only bid what they need to win....rarely do people bid their absolute max). When you put your $30 with 3 seconds to go, you beat his $25 and won it for $26. Sniping is the ONLY way to win auctions.

 

 

I agree. Getting sniped a few times during my early ebay days convinced me this is the way to go.

 

 

 

And critics say, "No, it's the AMOUNT you bid, not WHEN you bid."

 

Actually, it's both the amount you bid and when you bid.

[ninanina]

Why do you bid before the closing seconds anyway? You're giving away what other bidders need to bid to win it. That's dumb.If you had $30 on there, sure he's gonna bid $35 to beat you (and he won it at $31). But if you let the other high bidder stay at $20, maybe that guy would have sniped $25 at the last second (it's true, people only bid what they need to win....rarely do people bid their absolute max). When you put your $30 with 3 seconds to go, you beat his $25 and won it for $26. Sniping is the ONLY way to win auctions.

 

And critics say, "No, it's the AMOUNT you bid, not WHEN you bid." That is true, but if you wanted a comic for $50, and bid $50 early, you open yourself up to letting other bidders raise your high bid from $30, to $35, to $40, etc. Why pay more than you have to? Keep the high bidder at $20, let him think he's won it, then swoop in and bid $50 at the last second, and you won it for $21. Not $45. I use AuctionSniper.

 

Ok, let me make this clear. I got sniped 2 days in a row and after getting burned about 17 x's by 2 different bidders who obviously believe in "sniping" I was going to teach this guy a lesson. If he didn't learn anything paying $31.00 for a comic which guided at $24 in 9.2, if he wanted this one it was going to cost him $51.00. I was pretty sure he had the book on his radar and he did win it for $51.00. Yeah, it was vindictive....would I do it again?

 

 

In a heartbeat.

[ninanina]

Yesterday, I bid on a buncha' hi-grade Superboys (late 100's) and had the winning bids lined up for about 10 of them and got sniped royally on all of them from the same bidder.

 

That's funny because yesterday I just won a bunch of hi-grade Superboys on Ebay.

 

(jk)

 

Another Superboy collector eh?

I don't use Ebay anymore. Them folks is I just buy off the boards now. I stopped buying off Ebay 2 years ago when I found this place. You can't beat accurately graded comics at good prices. Might be a little more than Ebay sometimes (depending on what you are looking for) , but you get what you pay for here. Just my two cents.

 

Ummmm...that wasn't you that paid $51.00 for the Superboy...was it?

[alecholland]

Yesterday, I bid on a buncha' hi-grade Superboys (late 100's) and had the winning bids lined up for about 10 of them and got sniped royally on all of them from the same bidder.

 

That's funny because yesterday I just won a bunch of hi-grade Superboys on Ebay.

 

(jk)

 

Another Superboy collector eh?

I don't use Ebay anymore. Them folks is I just buy off the boards now. I stopped buying off Ebay 2 years ago when I found this place. You can't beat accurately graded comics at good prices. Might be a little more than Ebay sometimes (depending on what you are looking for) , but you get what you pay for here. Just my two cents.

 

Ummmm...that wasn't you that paid $51.00 for the Superboy...was it?

 

No, really I was just kidding. I forgot that I have bought something off Ebay a while back but it was from Greggy so I didn't count that one as a regular Ebay purchase. I don't buy from anyone other than board members anymore.

[fineart/comicart-migration]

It's not like you forced him to pay $51 for the comic. He chose to bid up to $51, so he's probably quite happy with his purchase.

 

As for bidding, I have had this happen more than once... Someone bids early for an item. Sometime before the absolute last second, you outbid them and become the top bidder. Then the original bidder sees they have been outbid, thinks "oh, I'd better bid higher", and does so. Now you're in the position where you either lose the item or have to pony up more money.

 

This doesn't have to happen very many times before you turn into a sniper. If you're looking for group approval, bid an increment at a time. If you're certain about what you're buying and what its value is, I can't see any rational basis for not sniping.

[_OGjimbo-migration]

Is a sniper a program?

 

 

Oh my god!!!! I was hanging out on Ebay the other day and I saw that guy! I just thought he was an avid gun collector looking for a good deal on a gun rack or something, I had no idea he was sniper.