I don't agree with this "fight fire with fire" mentality. What needs to happen is the sniper software needs to be banned and if you are caught using it your ebay account gets suspended. There has got to be a way to prove that it was sniper software. Bids out of nowhere at the absolute possible second need to be investigated by ebay and proven that it was in fact sniper software, then make the last bid null and void and let it go to the TRUE high bidder.

I don't use the software, nor do I ever intend to.....:D

I started out thinking that last second bidding was unfair. Of course, I had just lost an auction to a last second bidder when I was feeling that way.

Most auctions I watch go past what I'm willing to pay anyway.

When I do bid, I bid what I'm willing to pay in the last ten seconds.

Most times I lose.

Someone else was willing to pay more, simple as that.

I just had to get it out of my mind that "I'm gonna get this for the least amount possible", ... and replace it with "This is what I'm willing to pay for it"....

Sniper software is out there for now.....

If I want to play the eBay game, I have to take it into consideration, or have an even less chance of winning every now and then.

Of course, I could enter my high bid at the beginning of the auction, and get rolled over every time..... that's just being unrealistic thinking that everyone else is doing the same thing.

I'm comfortable with the way I play the eBay game..... that's just for me.

Everyone has their own line in the sand... I respect theirs too...:)

I want to add a couple of things .....

At times there is a big difference in "what I'm willing to pay", and "what an item is worth".

I just got back from winning an auction on some bass legs.

They were at $30, I bid $61 in the last ten seconds and won them for $31.

Do I think those legs are worth the $61 I bid?...... No

Am I pleased I got them for $31 ? Of course !!

But, on the project I bought them for, I got a GREAT deal on three shells, got them for probably 25% of their value.

So on this project, I have a great deal of leeway to "overpay" on some of the items needed to complete it.

Was I willing, in this case, to pay $61 for the legs, ......Yes, even though they really aren't worth it.

This has happened to me countless times. I've learned to accept the fact that someone else wanted it more than I did and was willing to pay more....period. Now when it's an item I want, I put a max bid and if I'm outbid, it's theirs. I just won a vintage slingerland strainer side gate. I put my max bid in 7 hours before it ended and expected to be outbid but won. I paid what I would consider to be an outrageous price too...approx, $60.00! That was thee max I was willing to pay. A long time ago, I bid $30.00 and was outbid and didn't bother to go higher and saw it sell for around $80.00. I told myself I'll never pay more than $50.00 but put a max of $60.00. See the snare in the background?, see what it's missing? I've been looking for one quite awhile. The one I just won is minty too, unlike my snare. I'm sorry if it may have been the same one you were bidding on, but like I said, I put my max bid in like 7 hours early, not last second.

As Kevins, olimpass and others have stated, The HIGH BID WINS Everytime!!, I honestly find this talk about Sniper software humorous, It want out snipe a High bid NEVER!!! Pay what your going to pay and take your chances, if you didn't get that one another one will come along!!

Maybe the reason for the 'outbidding' is because that person has bid a lot higher than your bid and only when you exceed that amount it will show that you're the highest bidder. It's happened to me too.

Thoughts?

i had the highest bid for about five minutes, all the way until the last ten seconds then the bid ended, then told me i was out bidded. i guess some one was just waiting until the last second and beat me by one second. i guess i just need to do what one of the forum members said he does, and that is bid on the item and set your max bid high.

That's exactly what I did when bidding on a snare drum a few months ago. I set the bid high. It was at $54 right up until the last second - I was watching - I thought I was going to get it for that price. Then - one second to go & it jumped to $76! I won it because I had my max bid higher and I guess the other bidder bid $75 in that last second but of course I got it for the next increment = $76. My max bid was much higher.........$106 I think.

Yes - if you want it bad enough I would say bid to the max amount what you can justify paying for that precious item and let it play out.