So I finally broke down and signed up for ebay. Theres something I really want and its currently going for 90$ with a day and a half left in the auction. I figured that I'd ensure I got it and download JBidwatcher. Now that I have it and I'm logged in and all that I'm trying to figure out how the whole sniping feature works. Anybody else use this stuff? I want to place a maximum bid of 170$, but the auction is much lower now. If I place the snipe at $170 is it going to bid at 170 and leave me paying 170 for something when the last big could have just been 100? Or will it just big one over what the previous bid was until it reaches 170?
It works exactly like any other bid on eBay, but it places a bid of maximum $170 (in your example) @30 secs (or what time you have set) before the auction ends. So if the current bid is $100 at the time of your "snipe" your bidding will commence @ $102 (I think it's $2 increments over $100) and it will follow any subsequent bids up to your max-limit, $170. So you won't have to worry, it works like a regular bid, jBidwatcher just places it for you at the very latest moment... BUT you can still be outbid by other snipers that has set their snipe @ $190!
Thanks Johan, the help section was a little confusing with the software. Its set to run through internet explorer, does that slow it down at all?
I run mine "stand-alone", so I can't help you there. (And I use Macs, so I don't know what an "internet explorer" is, really )
I haven't used that particular program, but most ping ebay near the end of the auction to estimate how long it will take the system to place the bid. The software adjusts accordingly.
Perfecto. I guess I'll leave my snipe at 30 seconds. Hopefully the auction doesnt jump up much towards the end. That would totally suck. My snipes $80 over the current bid. Hopefully people lost interest and I'll own it!
Haha. Fortunately thats not what I'm bidding on. And fortunately from looking at other auctions it doesnt seem to be a super hot item. There also dont seem to be too many last second bids for the others. Hopefully the other people aren't sniping. Especially considering they all placed their bids 5 days before the end of the auction.
No, I DON"T know that. It's kind of tough to bid "the non-lazy way" when an auction ends while I'm sleeping or at work. And proxy bidding blows.
I would set the snipe closer to the end, but I figure 30 seconds is enough if my computer wants to run slow. And doesnt jbid just keep bidding if anybody else tries to bid after my snipes in? I realllly want this thing.
This is why I like EZ Sniper. My computer's performance has nothing to do with it, and they make allowances for heavy internet traffic so the snipe always goes through. I don't win every auction I snipe on, but my bid always gets through.
Maybe it works the same with jbid? I dont know. First time ever using it, on the first auction I'm ever bidding on. I refuse to pay for software to bid for me when I could do it my self. My computer isnt slow but I'll clear out all temp. files and the whole 9 yards before the auction tomorrow just to keep sure. It keeps time with ebays servers and not my comp so it should be okay either way.
