Learning to use Ebay is a process. Those coming in often fall prey to the "Ebay Sniper", a bidder that comes in within the last minutes (sometimes the last seconds) of an auction and bids their maximum amount, winning the auction usually before any of the other hapless bidders even realize they've lost.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When on Ebay..snipe! Its that simple.
When choosing your sniping target make sure the item is ending at at time you can be present for. If you see that it ends at 8:30 pm Eastern, plan to be on line at 8:15 pm Eastern. This gives you time to deal with any minor computer issues, get settled into your sniping jammies and have your sniping soda beside you.
Have a CLEAR amount that is the MAXIMUM you are willing to pay for your item. If you go into this auction without an absolute LIMIT and run into another sniper, you could end up regretting your win, should you survive. If the item is only worth $15.00 dollars to you, that's all it is worth.
Wait as long as possible to snipe.
Do NOT bid in incrimiments. Bid your maximum, every time. If you have sniped correctly there will be no time left for a second try.
Remember to factor in your shipping and handling costs as well as the auction total. Nobody likes sticker shock!
To review: Choose a target you can be present for the end of. Have your maximum bid in mind before you ever start to snipe. Wait as long as possible to take the shot. Once you have taken the shot, do it all at once! Do not bid willy-nilly! Last but not least, remember to factor in the shipping and handling costs of your well deserved goods.
For those who are scared off by the above, you can snipe with one computer and a dial-up line.
Open two windows on the auction that you want to win.
About 5 minutes before the end of the auction, in one window, place your snipe, hit return, when ebay asks you to confirm - CHILL
In the other window, go to the BID HISTORY page - at the top it should give you the time left - REFRESH (CTRL-R) now what time is it? That time difference is the time it takes to bid (BID TIME)
Keep refreshing the Bid History window, watching the time.
In the Confirm window put your mouse cursor on the confirm box
when the TIME LEFT is 5 seconds MORE than the BID TIME. HIT THE MOUSE KEY
