Should I Feel Bad About Last-Minute Online Sniping?

[Valmore]

So, a friend on my Livejournal got me thinking about doing some limited baseball card collecting again. When I was younger, I used to try and make complete sets of my favorite team - the Boston Red Sox - by buying packs and trading with friends. Of course, I don't really have the trading option anymore, and though I guess I could go buy a box of packs, I just didn't feel like it.

So, I searched eBay for complete sets of Red Sox, and there was a pretty sweet 2005 set available. I made a normal bid last night and went to sleep. I found out I had been outbid when I wake up. Normally, I don't like snarking someone at the last minute, but this time... I did. I waited until there was a minute left and made a slightly higher bid to win it.

Should I feel guilty?

[Adem]

No its not like its cheating.

[K'Nort]

That's called snarking? How confusing. I figured someone zapped you with a rude comment right before logging off or something.

But no, that's standard bidding practice. Nothing wrong with it. As long as people bid the maximum they're willing to pay, it doesn't matter what the timing of the other bidders is.

[Valmore]

I call it snarking... probably the only person who does.

I guess I just feel a little bad, since I hate it when it happens to me, and it's happened to me many times over the years.

[Pepsigirl]

Isn't that how everyone does it?

[Nate C.]

It's called sniping, Valmore :) , and no, don't feel guilty. You bid what you were willing to pay-and as for doing it, if you never do it, you'll never win certain things.

[GremlinClr]

Well, that's the only way I bid. It just drives the price up if you get in a bidding war with someone. If I see something I like I put it on my watch list and make a note of when it ends. With about 5 minutes left I bring it up and either bid if it's still in my price range or let it go if it's too high.

Call me selfish but I'm not helping anyone drive up the price of an item I want.

[Valmore]

Well, it was still well within my price range, so I it was okay. I always go in with a set price that I adhere to and if the price goes past what I'm willing to pay, I bow out. Usually I make my first bid my max, I just didn't this time around. I just usually try not to snipe if I can help it. This was literally the first time I've ever sniped, even though I've been sniped plenty of times in the past.

[nubly]

That's called snarking? How confusing. I figured someone zapped you with a rude comment right before logging off or something.

i thought he just forgot an L

[K'Nort]

I guess I just feel a little bad, since I hate it when it happens to me, and it's happened to me many times over the years.

See, I prefer it when it happens that way. Because then I don't have the opportunity to get all competitive and irrational and bid MORE than I can actually afford or justify.

[rudy]

On one of my first auctions as a seller, I had three people all come and bid within one minute of it closing and the price shot up an amazing amount.

It was almost orgasmic.

[The Joker]

No its not like its cheating.

What he said.

On one of my first auctions as a seller, I had three people all come and bid within one minute of it closing and the price shot up an amazing amount.

It was almost orgasmic.

Interesting.

Wait, you did say almost ...

[west3man]

It's called "sniping" by everyone I've spoken with about it.

It's not cheating. It's one of the rules of the game. Bid higher within the allotted time.

[Deathstroke]

Don't feel guilty.

But run far and wide if you ever are the person who does it to me! :evilsmile

[Brian Cronin]

I understand the frustration of being "sniped," but I personally never truly understood the anger over it.

You really can never be sniped unless the other person bids higher than your highest bid.

And, well, if they're bidding higher than the highest you were willing to bid...how is that a problem?

Just always bid what is literally the HIGHEST you would be willing to pay. If someone bids more than the HIGHEST you would be willing to pay, it should not matter if they do it a day before the auction ends or 1 second before the auction ends - they're still bidding more than the HIGHEST you would be willing to pay.

-Brian

[Valmore]

You really can never be sniped unless the other person bids higher than your highest bid.

And, well, if they're bidding higher than the highest you were willing to bid...how is that a problem?

It's really more on the timing part than the price part - that waiting until the last 30 seconds before making a bid. While it's completely legitimate, it seems kind of mean-spirited, I guess.

[Destroyerwod]

well thats how i use to bid, in the past i put up price before and discover in the end i was about sometime for like 25 cent... and then i said to myself, i would have paid that damn 25 cent difference. So yeah sometime its more on a time thing. Like the person say , ok i will pay 10$ then if someone bid when there planty of time left, the person chan change his mind and say, ok so 15$ is not so hight... etc. When you bid when there 30 sec left, this way you are near sure you will get the last bid. Bidding too early only make the price get highter and highter, if you wait for the last second, when you are only 2 to bid, the person say ``well ok im alone, i wil get it easily so he not bid hight`` then in the last seconds you put a small 25 cent over him and then you got him by surprise...

Thats how it work on ebay...one time i lost to a guy from a 1$ difference on something i really wanted, the guy bidded at 15 sec of end...he was pretty confident. I was really angry at myself...i should have put a bigger total. So then another time i put a bigger amount and saw a person put first a certain amount, realizing he was still under me, putting another, then i was still highter and so time end not leaving him the time to think if he gonna put more or not. So thats how time help. before i use to bid when there was 2 min...now i wait under 45 sec...to be really sure.

[west3man]

I understand the frustration of being "sniped," but I personally never truly understood the anger over it.

You really can never be sniped unless the other person bids higher than your highest bid.

And, well, if they're bidding higher than the highest you were willing to bid...how is that a problem?

Just always bid what is literally the HIGHEST you would be willing to pay. If someone bids more than the HIGHEST you would be willing to pay, it should not matter if they do it a day before the auction ends or 1 second before the auction ends - they're still bidding more than the HIGHEST you would be willing to pay.

-Brian

Whatever people decide is the absolute MOST they're willing to pay, adding one penny to that price won't make them no longer want the item.

So, when someone outbids you by one penny... ouchie.

[Jessie]

Well, you have to rationalize about it being "one penny". They likely have a higher price they're willing to apy. It's frustrating, yes (especially when it isn't realy available - gah), but that's how it goes. As for myself, I tend to bid with under 30 seconds left, giving me enough time to bid, and re-bid in case someone has a decently sized max bid.

[Bard]

Well, that's the only way I bid. It just drives the price up if you get in a bidding war with someone. If I see something I like I put it on my watch list and make a note of when it ends. With about 5 minutes left I bring it up and either bid if it's still in my price range or let it go if it's too high.

Call me selfish but I'm not helping anyone drive up the price of an item I want.

I used to think the other way, until I was outbided at the last minute on some things I really wanted. So I've learned and joined the bidding-snipper crowd, on occassion.

[Destroyerwod]

bottom line is just that wait til the very end of biding can save you lot of money...you usually get the item cheaper...

Yesterday i outbid a person, he put a bid of 4$ on a picture, i got him by 25 cent...why? because i wait til the end and it seem the guy was sleeping because i did not see him try to rebid, so basically if he had be there, he would have probably say, i would pay that 25 cent more...and so i and so him and so you know the ending, the one of us that would have won would have pay bigger price.

[thik_3rd]

i never bid unless it's with less than 15 seconds left.
i've been outsniped myself, and it is frustrating, but that's life.
those programs that bid for you are cheating though (and take the fun out of waking up at 4:17 am to get that item you want with a minute left.)

[Jessie]

those programs that bid for you are cheating though (and take the fun out of waking up at 4:17 am to get that item you want with a minute left.)
Yeah, that's the worst. Everyone's afraid of honest, hard work these days.

[Bard]

There are such programs? Boy, I really feel out of the loop.

[Brian Cronin]

Whatever people decide is the absolute MOST they're willing to pay, adding one penny to that price won't make them no longer want the item.

So, when someone outbids you by one penny... ouchie.

Oh yeah, I bet it is really frustrating.

-Brian