Bid Snipers!!!!!

Sometimes I use them if the item will end when I am out or asleep. Its useful if you don't think you will have the willpower not to keep upping your bid, so I put my maximum on and forget about it. Its saves me a lot of money as I won't be tempted to add just a bit more in the last few minutes, and if I am outbid, I reckon I wasn't meant to have that item. I don't mind when people use them on my auctions either, its just part of how online auctions work and as long as my object sells for more than the starting price I'm happy with the result.

eBay has sniping software built in. It's called the "maximum bid" system. If the maximum bid you place is truly your maximum then someone who's bid exceeds yours has soundly defeated you regardless of when the winner placed it. Manual bid sniping can also backfire badly. If you make a really high bid and someone else is sniping as well you could be in for a really expensive purchase! It is much safer to set your maximum, let it ride and may the highest bidder win.