BAM eBay Blog

Virtually everyone you talk to about eBay will tell you that the way to win great deals is by sniping. As we all know, sniping means waiting until the last possible moment to place a bid with the intention of beating out anyone else's high bid at the last moment. And one of the best programs to do that with is by using the BAM software tool for winning on eBay.

Letting your bid ride

But sniping isn't always the answer. A lot of people snipe and win, but conversely, a lot of people snipe and lose. Although there is no doubt that you will greatly increase your chances of winning when you use the BAM software, there are some times when it is better to place a bid early and let it ride.

Here is how that works

Let's say you see an item that you want, and you know what you want to pay. After all, if you have been doing a little research, you will have gotten the general idea about how much the item is going for and how much you'll expect to pay for a winning bid.

So, at the beginning of the auction, punch in your top bid and walk away. That's it. Just by doing that, you'll be surprised how often you'll be winning instead of losing, and there isn't a lot of stress to this method at all.

Set Prices and Sniping

The reason why this works is because most people, like you, have a set price that they are willing to pay. Because most people win by sniping, they are counting on their one and only last and final bid to win the item. Since they punch in their bid at the last moment, there is generally no time left for another bid. If that last bid is less than your original bid, they don't have enough time to bid again and...you win!

This technique works best if there are several of the same items listed. The first few will be gobbled up quickly by high bidding snipers, but after that, the winning price will stabilize and an original first bid may be very likely to hold up through to the end.

Bid Increments

Many people employ bidding by increments to see how high the price may be. Ebay allows you to bid a minimum each time you bid, but won't show you the highest first bid—yours--until it is reached. This works in your favor if someone decides they only want to pay a set amount for an item. They will bid in increments until their set price is reached, and they will give up at this point if they haven't reached their set price. Granted, if they bid higher than you they will win anyway, but for those bidders looking for deals, they will either be hesitant to bid a higher increment, or they will give up and wait for the next listing.

Think Out of the Box

Sometimes doing something that is not of the norm is the way to winning items on eBay for the best price possible. That's called thinking out of the box. And in this day and age when sniping is considered the best way to go, bidding early might be the difference between winning and losing. So take a shot, bid early with your highest possible bid and see what happens. And when you win you'll be smiling all the way to the check out button. Hey, you heard it here first, because as always, knowledge is the key and BAM's got your back!

Bid on smaller items to learn

If you are either new to eBay or you are having trouble winning items you are bidding on, consider first learning the ropes and then using that knowledge to bid and win.

Learn about bidding and winning by bidding on small inexpensive items just to get the feel of it. You can adapt the way you bid by winning these items, because the habits you form here will carry over when you are going for more meaningful or more expensive items. This is the time to try and perfect any sniping program you are using. If you make mistakes here, you can correct them now before you bid on more valuable items. Plus, winning smaller item boosts your positive feedback, and that's always a good thing.

Try bidding in the final seconds

Practice putting in bids at the last second and see how fast your computer reacts. There may be a lag time between when a bid is entered and when it actually shows up on eBay. This knowledge will be extremely valuable when waiting for the last few seconds to make a bid. If you know, for example, that once you press the “Bid�� button that it takes 5 seconds before it registers on the site, you will know that your final bid must be placed a minimum of 5 seconds---at the very least---before the auction ends.

Learn about shipping and handling

Understand how to use any shipping calculator that is placed on the site, and inquire about handling charges. You may think that you have just won a valuable item for a great price, but if you don't calculate the shipping charges and find out about the handling charges, you may be in for a rude surprise. Many people bump shipping charges up and will also add in handling charges for one reason or another. You may end up paying more for shipping and handling than the item is worth. Learn how to apply shipping and handling charges to smaller purchases, and ask questions if you are unsure.  See this blog post for more information about shipping, handling and taxes: Know total price of eBay item before you bid.

Practice and save

Using these principles will get you the best deals for the money, and by understanding how the whole eBay experience works, you'll always win an item and pay for it with the best price possible.

Start out small, learn the ropes and then bid to win, because as always, no matter what you bid on at eBay, BAM's got your back!

Sniping Definition

eBay sniping is simply placing your bid on auction seconds before it ends. I believe sniping, if used properly, can help you win more auctions and help you save money.

How to Snipe on eBay

You don't need anything special to snipe on eBay. All you need to do is wait until the auction you're interested in is about to end and place your bid manually through eBay. Anybody can do this and a lot of people do, believing that they have a better chance of winning the auction.

If you do not want to be at the computer when the auction ends, you can use eBay sniper software to snipe for you. Sniping has become popular so there are numerous companies offering sniping services. Some offer software that you install on your computer. Others offer internet sniping services.

Sniping Program that You Install

The biggest advantage of using sniping software is that you do not need to save your eBay credentials on some server. Your credentials are stored on your local computer. Other advantages include having more control over your bidding. If you change your mind, you can cancel your bid close to the time when your snipe is scheduled.

Disadvantages include the need for your computer to be turned on and sniping software running when it's time to place your bid. Also, if you have power outage or you lose internet connection, your snipe will not be placed.

Web Sniping Services

The biggest advantage of using web based sniping service is that you don't need to have your computer turned on and you're not dependent on your internet connection.

Disadvantages include the need to store your eBay credentials on sniping server. This means that your user name and password is stored in some database where it can potentially be used without your knowledge. You also have less control over when you can cancel your snipe.

Sniping Software or Web Based Service

There is no right answer to this question. This depends on your preferences. Some people prefer using software, others prefer using website. I've used both. I've used web sniping service for many years and I've been using my software called Buyer Auction Manager ever since I added Sniper module. My computer is turned on almost all the time anyways and my internet connection is reliable so it works well for me.

Why Snipe on eBay

Placing your bid on eBay auction in the final seconds allows you to avoid bidding wars. It prevents others from increasing their bid if you outbid them because there is not enough time. If used properly sniping can help you save money and win more auctions.

How to "Properly" Use Sniping

Placing your eBay snipe one second before the auction ends is not the way to go. If you do this, you'll lose auctions that you could have won. Best way is to place your bid when there is not enough time for somebody who's bidding through eBay to increase their bid, but early enough so your bid is placed before other snipers.

I've lost more than one auction even though my bid was higher than the person who won. How come? eBay uses proxy bidding so your bid needs not only be higher than the highest bidder but also it needs to be higher by bid increment. This means that if maximum bid of the highest bidder is $1100 and that's the current bid, for your bid to be accepted, it needs to be $25 higher ($1125 in above example).

I usually set snipe buffer between 5 -7 seconds and it's worked well for me.

Not Every Auction Should be Sniped

When you use eBay sniping software or web sniping service, there is always a chance that your snipe will not get placed. If there is an item that you need to have and cannot afford to lose, just place your maximum bid through eBay.

Also, if the seller lists an auction at market price and there is not much interest, you might as well place your bid directly through eBay.

Finally, if current bid is close to what you're willing to pay (one or two bid increments from your maximum price) you have a better chance of winning that auction by placing your bid early.

Conclusion

Sniping, if used properly, can help you win more eBay auctions and save money. Snipe at a time when regular user does not have enough time to increase their bid but early enough so your bid is placed before other snipers.

If you'd like to try sniping for yourself, check out my eBay Sniper Program. It comes with 30-day no obligation trial.

Robert