bidslammer experience anyone?

[keno]

I have just become aware of a bidding service called bidslammer. It places eBay bids with 5 seconds to go in an auction so that someone cannot manually counter. Has anyone used it, and what are your experiences?

I have a particular item I'm interested in, will not be able to put in my own last minute bid, and do not want to put in a bid before the last minute with a maximum price. I'm wondering whether this is the time to try it.

keno

[CNY rider]

Why don't you want to decide what it's worth to you, and put in a bid for that amount now? Then you will win the item if it's at or below your price. If it goes higher, so be it, because that's more than you think it's worth.

Or maybe I can phrase this more generally by asking exactly what purpose is served by waiting for the last minute, given the structure of Ebay's auctions?

[shaq-d]

because whatever you think it's worth (say you bid $10), it will be won at $11 in the last minute. which means you coulda had it for $1 more. which means you need to bid at the last minute. try bidding on ebay yourself. u'll c.

sd

[keno]

If I put in a maximum bid amount, that means that the bidding will automatically be pushed up to one minimum bid increment above my maximum bid, if there is a maximum bid above mine, or, if below mine, to one minimum bid increment above the greatest maximum bid amount below mine, up to my maximum bid. If this happens early on, it may create greater interest in the item and its value.

In logic problem terms, it is a form of the prisoner's dilemma, in which the solution for the prisoners is to say nothing. In this case, it is to say nothing until the last moment possible in order to reach the desired outcome.

There is no logic that I am aware of under the eBay system in which there is any good reason to bid other than at the last possible moment, even with your maximum bid, other than with buy it now.

keno

[manet]

There is no logic that I am aware of under the eBay system in which there is any good reason to bid other than at the last possible moment, even with your maximum bid, other than with buy it now.
keno

is this why i do not own a power-tap?

[bostondrunk]

is this why i do not own a power-tap?

no, because yer poor

[xspace]

I have just become aware of a bidding service called bidslammer. It places eBay bids with 5 seconds to go in an auction so that someone cannot manually counter. Has anyone used it, and what are your experiences?

After having been sniped out of more auctions than I care to admit, I now place all my bids through stealthbid.com.

Have yet to lose an auction where I'd bid enough to win, yet didn't want to biid over my limit.

Hal

[bostondrunk]

I have just become aware of a bidding service called bidslammer. It places eBay bids with 5 seconds to go in an auction so that someone cannot manually counter. Has anyone used it, and what are your experiences?

I have a particular item I'm interested in, will not be able to put in my own last minute bid, and do not want to put in a bid before the last minute with a maximum price. I'm wondering whether this is the time to try it.

keno


Most of those services are not very reliable. If it is something you really want, find a friend to bid on it for you if you can't be around yourself.
I'll do it, but I require a 15% commission....... :D :beer:

[george]

I believe there are "sniping" programs you can install on your computer that will literealy go in at the last second and out bid the last bid by the smallest incriment...

[SoCalSteve]

and have loved them!

Except that ebay knows about them and can change their "code" anytime.....which then in turn messes up the sniping software.

So yes, they do work..but, can be unreliable.

Steve

[CNY rider]

because whatever you think it's worth (say you bid $10), it will be won at $11 in the last minute. which means you coulda had it for $1 more. which means you need to bid at the last minute. try bidding on ebay yourself. u'll c.

sd


I bid all the time on E_Bay. Someteimes I win, sometimes I lose.

If I bid $10 it's because that's what I think it's worth. I'm not interested at $11.

[BumbleBeeDave]

www.esnipe.com

I just signed up for a trial and have rcocmmendations from a friend. Won my first auction with it last night.

Bidding at any time other than the last possible moment is foolish, given eBay's structure. Using sniping software--or a site service like this one--not only saves you money. It also masks your interest in an item till the last possible moment--when it too late for others to bid again. It doesn't take much looking at bid histories to see where someone has bid, then sombody else comes on there later and makes a bunch of bids in a row, upping their maximum dollar by dollar until they find out what the first guy's maximum was.

It also allows you to bid on any auction that may end at a time inconvenient to you to snipe it--like during our news meetings here at the paper for instance.

I'm definitely going to sign up for this because it also takes the emotion out of it--I decide what my maximum bid is and that's IT--no "Oh, SH*T!" when you bid yourself and somebody outbids you at the last second. That's what eBay WANTS you to do in the last few minutes to drive up bid prices--because they get a percentage of the selling price. The cost of the sniping service is minimal, especially on the smaller items, vs. what you get.

The only drawback is that you have to give them your eBay ID and password so they can bid for you.

BBDave

[keno]

because you're powerless doesn't make you a bad bidder. You're just an offline kind of brushman.

keno

[Lifelover]

www.esnipe.com

I just signed up for a trial and have rcocmmendations from a friend. Won my first auction with it last night.

Bidding at any time other than the last possible moment is foolish, given eBay's structure. Using sniping software--or a site service like this one--not only saves you money. It also masks your interest in an item till the last possible moment--when it too late for others to bid again. It doesn't take much looking at bid histories to see where someone has bid, then sombody else comes on there later and makes a bunch of bids in a row, upping their maximum dollar by dollar until they find out what the first guy's maximum was.

It also allows you to bid on any auction that may end at a time inconvenient to you to snipe it--like during our news meetings here at the paper for instance.

I'm definitely going to sign up for this because it also takes the emotion out of it--I decide what my maximum bid is and that's IT--no "Oh, SH*T!" when you bid yourself and somebody outbids you at the last second. That's what eBay WANTS you to do in the last few minutes to drive up bid prices--because they get a percentage of the selling price. The cost of the sniping service is minimal, especially on the smaller items, vs. what you get.

The only drawback is that you have to give them your eBay ID and password so they can bid for you.

BBDave



I use PhantomBidder (http://www.phantombidder.com/PhantomBidder/Default.asp) for the same exact reasons. Has never failed to place the bid. Sniping is not always useful but I don't see where it ever would be detrimental. You do have to pay ($1.00 I think) for each auction that you win using the service but there is no charge if you don't win.

I find it most effective on items that are not getting a lot of bids up front and the price is well below the expected sale price within the last couple of hours. These are the case where there is most likely to be someone else manually sniping against you and this is really the only time it provides a benefit.

[Bill Bove]

I bid all the time on E_Bay. Someteimes I win, sometimes I lose.

If I bid $10 it's because that's what I think it's worth. I'm not interested at $11.

Same here, I'll bid what it's worth to me. If it's worth more to someone else, tough luck for me. I have bid 55 bucks on the last couple of Oakley Factory Pilots that have come e-bay and have not won any of them because they're not worth 75 bucks to me.

[CNY rider]

Bidding at any time other than the last possible moment is foolish, given eBay's structure. Using sniping software--or a site service like this one--not only saves you money. It also masks your interest in an item till the last possible moment--when it too late for others to bid again. It doesn't take much looking at bid histories to see where someone has bid, then sombody else comes on there later and makes a bunch of bids in a row, upping their maximum dollar by dollar until they find out what the first guy's maximum was.




I'm not following your logic here. I'm mostly bidding on commodity type items. If I don't win, I can either bid on another one later or buy it somewhere else. So I can clearly define what I'm willing to pay. I really don't care if someone walks the price up and bids over me, because at that point I don't want it. Not only does your way not save money, it actually costs you MORE because you're paying the sniping service.

[neverraced]

Bidding at any time other than the last possible moment is foolish, given eBay's structure. Using sniping software--or a site service like this one--not only saves you money. It also masks your interest in an item till the last possible moment--when it too late for others to bid again. It doesn't take much looking at bid histories to see where someone has bid, then sombody else comes on there later and makes a bunch of bids in a row, upping their maximum dollar by dollar until they find out what the first guy's maximum was.




I'm not following your logic here. I'm mostly bidding on commodity type items. If I don't win, I can either bid on another one later or buy it somewhere else. So I can clearly define what I'm willing to pay. I really don't care if someone walks the price up and bids over me, because at that point I don't want it. Not only does your way not save money, it actually costs you MORE because you're paying the sniping service.


Sniping stops bidding wars. Often the item I want is only of interest to a few people. If you bid, they bid. Your max. is quickly reached, and anyone can come along for $1.00 and knock you out of the auction. If you snipe, people can outbid you but only based on what they have bid as a maximum amount before you bid. They aren't able to say, "what the hell, I'll go another 5 bucks to beat this clown." No bidding wars. You don't always win but your chances of winning are greatly increased, and the final amount is almost always lower than that of a bidding war, so you save even with a sniping fee. And if my muddy incomprehensible explanation isn't convincing enough, try this: many sellers hate sniping because they know it inhibits bidding wars.

[Brian Smith]

Same here, I'll bid what it's worth to me. If it's worth more to someone else, tough luck for me. I have bid 55 bucks on the last couple of Oakley Factory Pilots that have come e-bay and have not won any of them because they're not worth 75 bucks to me.

Man -
Factory Pilots - I'd own those even if I hardly ever used 'em, but like you, BB, I wouldn't pay $75!
I guess I'll just keep wearing saftey glasses when it rains....

[keno]

you threw something new into the mix and that was "commodity items". Sure, if you're looking at a pair of Conti 3000s they're everywhere and not worth the trouble. In fact, many commodity items are available with a Buy It Now feature, so you would know if you think that the item is worth the BIN price and you would just buy it or pass on it.

Say, on the other hand, you have found on eBay that Serotta Hors Category frame in just your unusual, but not exotic, size and with a paint job that makes you drool, and it's the first one you have seen like it in three years of looking and lusting. You wrote "I bid all the time on e[E_]Bay. Somet[e]imes I win, sometimes I lose. If I bid $10 it's because that's what I think it's worth. I'm not interested at $11." Is that philosophy satisfactory for you in this case? If it is, it's highly unlikely you'll ever get the frame bidding against savvy competitors out there in situations in which what something is worth is impossible to determine since there are no others like the item in the market or have they been for some time. In that case, I say do whatever you can to win the item, and just throwing in your bid at any time with a maximum upside price is a very unlikely way to win. It is much more likely that you will win by throwing in exactly the same bid through a sniper. BTW, the fees at bidslammer appear to be 10 cents plus 1% of final price, with a maximum fee of $5.00.

keno

[CNY rider]

you threw something new into the mix and that was "commodity items". Sure, if you're looking at a pair of Conti 3000s they're everywhere and not worth the trouble. In fact, many commodity items are available with a Buy It Now feature, so you would know if you think that the item is worth the BIN price and you would just buy it or pass on it.

Say, on the other hand, you have found on eBay that Serotta Hors Category frame in just your unusual, but not exotic, size and with a paint job that makes you drool, and it's the first one you have seen like it in three years of looking and lusting. You wrote "I bid all the time on e[E_]Bay. Somet[e]imes I win, sometimes I lose. If I bid $10 it's because that's what I think it's worth. I'm not interested at $11." Is that philosophy satisfactory for you in this case? If it is, it's highly unlikely you'll ever get the frame bidding against savvy competitors out there in situations in which what something is worth is impossible to determine since there are no others like the item in the market or have they been for some time. In that case, I say do whatever you can to win the item, and just throwing in your bid at any time with a maximum upside price is a very unlikely way to win. It is much more likely that you will win by throwing in exactly the same bid through a sniper. BTW, the fees at bidslammer appear to be 10 cents plus 1% of final price, with a maximum fee of $5.00.

keno

For a truly unique item, I see the point you are making. Agree with you :beer:

For a commodity item, (which is most of what I buy) I also agree with you that the sniping is probably a waste of money.

[Lifelover]

BTW, the fees at bidslammer appear to be 10 cents plus 1% of final price, with a maximum fee of $5.00.

keno

That is high!

phantombidder (http://www.phantombidder.com/PhantomBidder/Default.asp?Page=FAQ) is a fixed $0.50 each winning bid if you buy 20 bid credits for $10.00 up front. They are good as long as you account stays active ( I've not logged in for months at a time and it still is active). You can also pay a fixed monthly fee and there is no limit to the bids.

I bought 20 bid credits just over a year ago and I still have about 8 left. You only get charged for a bid credit if you win the auction. You can bid on as many losers as you like.

[jdoiv]

using a program called Auction Sentry. They have a try before you buy program and it works pretty well. Total program cost is like $15 clams. I think the idea of the auction is to try and buy something for less than what you think it is worth. Snipping programs let you try and out fox the other bidders by placing a last minute bid and beating them to the punch. It only really works if your price is more than theirs though. It can also keep the price of the item from going through the roof by restriciting the bidding time to only a few seconds. just my opinion though.

[keno]

So I attempted to start the bidslammer.com service, which provides that they will send an email immediately with a confirm procedure for opening my account. Well, I guess that the check is in the mail - no email has come yet. Now there was some valuable feedback. Better I should have Sophie, my cat, enter bids when I am unable to rather than bidslammer.com.

I found another sniper site that charges 25 cents per successful bid (after the free trials) and seems ok (they have the usual puff testimonials and claim that someone rated them #1 for something) and signed up. So far so good. Let's see what happens later in the day.

keno