How To Snipe on Ebay

Learn How To Snipe On Ebay

First - what is sniping? Sniping is bidding last minute. In some cases, it is "last-second" bidding. Someone may be the only bidder on an item for days and feel sure they were going to get that item. Someone else comes along just near the end and outbids them.

The point of sniping is to bid so close to the end that the original bidder would not have time to go back in and outbid you. So, you win! Maybe. The risk with sniping is that you don't have time to go back in and bid again either. If the original bidder had a high enough bid, eBay's system lets them outbid you even if there is only 1 second left.

So, sniping must be taken very seriously. You must bid the very highest amount you are willing to pay, and the original bidder cannot feel safe with a very small buffer in their bidding amount. And, there may be two or three others waiting until the end to snipe right along with you. Watching the last five minutes of an auction can be amazing!

How do you snipe? We can tell you exactly how through Netscape, and the same principal applies to any browser. Here are the steps.

  1. Go to the item page at least 10 minutes before the auction closes. If the price is too high already, you may not want to still bid at all.
  2. Minimize this page so it goes all the way across the screen but only three quarters of the way down.
  3. Click on "Communicator" at the very top of your browser, then click on "Navigator." This opens a second window. If you don't get a new blank window, check at the bottom of your computer screen to see what else is open that you can close. Some of the newer sneaky ads actually open in a new browser window.
  4. Minimize the second browser so that it is also about three quarters of the screen. Using the top blue part of this window, bring it down (with your mouse) so that the bottom of it shows from underneath the first browser window. Now you can see both browser windows at once and click from one to the other easily.
  5. Go to the item page with the second browser window.
  6. Sign in (so you won't have to take the time to add any information while bidding).                      
  7. Reload the first browser to see the price and how many minutes are left.
  8. Go back to the second browser and type in your bid.
  9. Click on "Review Bid."
10. Click back to the first browser to see how much time is left. Is your bid still high enough?                   
11. Keep reloading until there are only 30 seconds left (use the stop button after you see the time - you don't need to wait for the photos again). If the internet and eBay are acting with normal speed, you may even wait until there are only 20 seconds left.
12. Click on the second browser window and click on "Place Your Bid."
13. Click on the first browser window and reload.
14. It should be almost over and you should see your high bid. If no other snipers are at work, you probably just won, and the original bidder is mad or disappointed!
15. Last, you need to keep reloading until the auction is officially closed just in case another bidder outsniped you.

So you find the item you desire, you get all set to snipe, you make that last-second click - but you lost your internet connection! It does happen. AOL has its good points, but how anyone could bid successfully on eBay is a wonder. Check the ad below if you don't already have DSL (they even have a special offer right now). On the other extreme, you've seen photos that never load - those were probably hosted through AOL. For eBay shopping in general: if you think DSL is too expensive, ask yourself just how much your time is worth.

One way to get your snipe bid in at just the right time is to use a sniping service. You simply give them specifics in advance (when the auction ends, your top bid limit, etc.), and your sniping is done on time no matter what kind of internet connection you have, even if you forget to check the auction's end, or even if you aren't home. You can even try it for free.