sniping?

[Bethany K. Dumas]

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004, John McChesney-Young wrote:

>Hey, I have to agree with dpross- at -ibm.net on this one. Sniping is
>okay when it works for you, but is very frustrating when it doesn't....
>so, the best bet is to give yourself and e-bay time to process the bid(s)
>in advance of the closing hour, bid what you're willing to pay and hope
>for the best.

And I have to disagree with your best bet, based on my two weeks of
experience on eBAY. Last week I lost a dining table I had my heart set on
- to a last15seconds sniper. But from that experience, I figured out how
to snipe (though I did not yet know the term) - and on Wednesday night I
bid successfully for a much nicer table at a much lower price - in the
closing seconds.

The next day - Thanksgiving - I spoke with a friend who buys often on
eBay. Her sniping technique involves sitting at two high-speed computers
as the bid close time approaches - so she loses no time between her bids.

I was fascinated by the WSJ article yesterday because it summarized most
of what I had just spent two weeks learning.

I am of course speaking only of eBay bids - not other kinds of <auctions>.

Bethany