The only way to beat snipers, is to bid more than their maximum!
I usually put my maximum bid in early, and monitor the auction from time to time. Revising if required.
You can't blame snipers for losing an auction!

Location: Bonnie Galloway

I'm with John on this.

It's unfair to sellers, as well as buyers.

Location: Herefordshire, with an "E", not a "T"!

I don't win every time but I just wait until about 8 seconds away and put in my max bid. Works for me. Plus watching for the items with odd finishing times which usually gets a better, ie lower price.

I'm with both David and Nicholas,

Most people will know I sell and buy on ebay as pearl_opal so I have a good understanding of ebay.

First of its an ugly site and a horrible way of selling. But as it's killed 50% of the shows in England. People find they have to use it.

As a seller I find if there are no bids on an item, you might as well finish it early. So I wouldn't just waite for the last second bid if you are serious about an item.

With buying I would put a medium bid in at the start to show interest, and a final bid as the seconds count down.

As for snipers above, you have to outbid them to get the item, as simple as that. Also I think they pay 10% on top of the perchase price for this service?

So if it was band then surely that bidder would bid 10% higher.

There were 3 switch panels on last week by the same seller. I think the most expensive sold at £112. And the cheapest at £86.

These panels have sold on eBay for over £200. Each in the past.

stall holders at spring beaulieu wanted from £130 to £190. so it's not a matter of coming over to England and getting parts for give away prices.

If you didn't get one of these panels at £112 I think you need to be more realistic with your bidding.

tony.

Location: HUNCOTE on the pig

Thanks, guys - I have been bidding early & often, but the PA Speedo I had my eye on shot up from maybe $200 US to over $350 US in the last few minutes, mostly in the last 10 seconds.

Over time, I'm beginning to appreciate what I lost when our moving company lost my box of original instruments in 2001.

- Immer strebend, as the Germans say
- John (no deep pockets here)

Location: Way over in NW USA

Whilst the internet can be very useful there are a lot of websites selling stuff with poor, incorrect or no description, usually the bigger the company the more useless is their website. Click on the find us button and you get a map which is as much use as a chocolate fire-guard. If it's information you need get at least 3 corroborating answers otherwise you will get the product of the authors imagination. Whilst most of the search engines are as much use as a chocolate fire-guard. It will test your patience to the extreme.

The way the snipers earn is through an affiliate scheme, not by adding fees to the buyer etc. Anyone can set up an affiliate scheme with eBay, Amazon etc. The eBay one is here.

Once you have one of those you then need to "drive" traffic to the sites. Creating a sniper tool is a great way of doing that.

The user pays the same amount, the seller pays the same amount but the person who "supplied" the buyer to ebay earns a bit of commission from the fees that eBay charge, (anywhere between 10% - 50% of the ebay fees I believe). Think of it as a "finders fee".

Those links you see on Facebook and email newsletters for barn finds etc that link out to ebay and others, this is how they make money. And with high value items there is good money to be made.

I use ebay a fair amount and tend to use a sniping tool for bigger purchases or things I really want. I have found that if you put your highest bid in early it acts as a target for others to beat, leave it to the last 10 seconds and there isn't the time for others to react. My advice is use one, it doesn't hurt anyone and if it helps get what you need then great.

Location: Buxted

@ Austin:
Thanks for your honesty

Location: Way over in NW USA