After you have placed bids on a few things on eBay, the chances are good that, at one point or another, you will be beaten at the last minute by an eBay sniper. While this can be an extremely frustrating experience (and while its a reportable offense on eBay), the administration at eBay rarely acts on the report. Unfortunately, there is only one way to beat the sniper: you need to become the sniper yourself. The great news, however, is that once you understand sniping, you can use these skills to win auctions at prices far lower than you would otherwise have thought possible. Manual Sniping Winning auctions through manual sniping is not very difficult. This is true especially if you have time to spare and a reasonably fast Internet connection.

You must begin by writing down when each auction you are bidding on ends, and then make sure you are sitting in front of the computer at the bidding page at the last possible minute. In this position, you will be able to outbid the current winning bidder or defend your own winning bid. It is important to remember that, for manual sniping, you must set your maximum bid very high. If you do not, you may be automatically outbid and the auction will have ended before you can bid again. In addition, it is not possible to compete against someone who is using an automated sniping service. If the service is good, it will outbid you nearly every time.

In the competitive world of online sniping, you will need to find a sniper of your own. Automatic Sniping Begin your search for an automated sniping service by typing the words, ebay sniping into your favorite search engine. You will find multiple online services that will snipe for you for a small fee. These services will often provide you with a free trial period, so it is worth giving it a try. There is also software available that will do your sniping for you. Such software can be purchased online in programs like iSnipeIt or SnipeRight.

The advantage to these programs is that you can pay for them once and use them for as long as you want. After you have installed the software on your computer, you will be able to enter which auctions you want sniped as well as the maximum amount you are willing to pay. The software will then place the bid you requested whenever there are only a few seconds left in the auction. The primary disadvantage of this type of system is that you will need to leave your computer on for much of the time so that you do not miss the end of your auctions.

A Sniping Alternative If sniping in the ways described above seems too clandestine and unfair, there is another, less technical way to avoid sniping. You can simply email the seller and tell them that you were the victim of a last-minute sniper and really like the item. If the seller has another item to sell, they will often agree to sell it to you for the auction closing price.

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