Just a small question.

[pengillian101]

I signed up on EBAY in 2001 as a buyer and have 100% feedback, but I only buy once in awhile.

Just recently, I bid on an item days before the end of the auction that nobody else seemed to care about and no bids other than mine showed up. I figured it was mine.

Yet - 55 seconds - yes 55 seconds - before the auction ended someone else placed a $.50 CENT bid more and won it. I looked at the buyer's profile and everything is snapped up at the very last second.

That really sucks and has happened three times! Any remedy other than placing a high bid to start with?

[Vinca]

1. That's happened to me, too. If it's something you really, really

want you need to sit on it and put in your maximum bid during the last minute of the auction . . . and you still might lose it. What I don't like is how secretive the bidding process has become. It's virtually impossible to tell if there might be shill bidding going on. I seem to be buying only "buy it now" things lately.

[democraticinsurgent]

2. check into a sniping service

There are many available if you google. A lot of buyers use these, they set the price they want to pay and the bid is placed within seconds of the end of the auction.

I've used them with quite a bit of success.

Not a fan, really, but due to similar experiences to yours, i decided to use the tools the other folks were using.

[democraticinsurgent]

3. More on sniping auctions--I just won an auction with a snipe

Try www.justsnipe.com, they give you a few free ones per month, which is all i ever use. It sure beats a) getting outgunned by another sniper or b) having to wait by the computer until the auction ends, something you can't always do.

Remember that you can always be outsniped. I generally decide how much i'm willing to pay and let the chips fall. Usually, I win if I'm willing to pay a fair price.