Auction sniping is the process of watching a timed online auction (such as on eBay), and placing a winning bid at the last possible moment (often seconds before the end of the auction), giving the other bidders no time to outbid the sniper. Some bidders do this manually, and others use software designed for the purpose. A bid sniper is a person or software agent who performs auction sniping.

There are also online sniping services, where the software agent is run from a website rather than the sniper's own computer. This decreases the failure rate of the snipe, because the website is expected to have more reliable servers that might be quicker to react.

Legality and acceptance by auction sites

While auction sniping is frowned upon by some people, it does not break any of the rules established by eBay. However, eBay Germany did ban sniping services in 2002.

A few other auction sites (such as iGavel, and the New Zealand auction site TradeMe) automatically extend the bid deadline by a few minutes if a bid is placed in the last moments of the auction to give other buyers time to react. Another possible method of sniping prevention is to end the auction at a random time (i.e. ending the auction at an undisclosed time in the final hour).

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Fri Aug 7 16:42:36 2009

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auction sniper review bid png
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Reviewing your bid before sniping

1657c05fb8a764683a7b9cf390f27b7d BayGenie eBay Auction Sniper jpg
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From Yahoo Image Search: "Auction sniping"
Fri Aug 7 16:43:50 2009

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BayGenie eBay Auction Sniper Pro 3.3.1.5 - Rapidshare Downloads ...

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Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:42:55 GM

BayGenie eBay . Auction Sniper. Pro 3.3.1.5 Have you ever lost a bid on eBay because someone else put a higher bid at the last seconds? Placing a bid.

AuctionSleuth 3.0.2 ~ 0DayCar
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hu, 06 Aug 2009 11:39:00 GM

AuctionSleuth incorporates eBay . snipe. tools, Overstock.com . snipe. tools and . auction. search tools for the major . auction. sites eBay, eBay Motors and Overstock.com auctions. AuctionSleuth includes both automated searching and . sniping. ...

Top Ebay Tips and Tricks When Bidding on an Item | Hot Selling ...
ebayhotselling.com
Top Ebay Tips and Tricks When Bidding on an Item | Hot Selling ...

unknown

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:52:27 GM

Of course, most of you would have known that I would mention . sniping. . . Sniping. , if you don't know, is when someone bids at the very last second and snatches the . auction. . . Snipers. make the unsuccessful bidders feel cheated - and sometimes ...

From Google Blog Search: "Auction sniping"
Fri Aug 7 16:43:38 2009

Peacocks and Passions on Display in Senate Climate Debate - New York Times
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Peacocks and Passions on Display in Senate Climate Debate

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At other points, they have been a raucous display of political peacocking and sniping among witnesses and elected officials who appear far from consensus. ...



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eBay Expert Tips: How to Find What You Want - San Francisco Chronicle
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eBay Expert Tips: How to Find What You Want

San Francisco Chronicle

Automate last-minute bidding: As eBay veterans know, due to the phenomenon known as " sniping ," the only bidding that matters in an online auction happens ...



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Kearin family reunion held in Ramona - Madison Daily Leader
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Kearin family reunion held in Ramona

Madison Daily Leader

... the damp ground made tracking the snipe in and around the DSU campus very easy. On July 3 at Nicky's Restaurant, a traditional Irish auction was held. ...



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From Google News Search: "Auction sniping"
Fri Aug 7 16:43:32 2009

is auction sniping popular?
Q. just curious
Asked by -:- AME -:- - Wed Nov 26 15:32:35 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Use it all the time!!
Answered by Mawia - Wed Nov 26 15:39:35 2008

How exactly does sniping on Ebay work?
Q. Say I decide to "snipe" something. I enter in my maximum bid and choose the 5 second cut off. Does that mean that my sniper software will automatically outbid the other person 5 seconds before the auction ends up to the amount of my maximum bid? Or will it automatically start bidding and then keep bidding (if I am out bid) until 5 seconds before the auction ends? Can someone explain exactly how this works? If an item I'm bidding on is currently 10 dollars but I put my bid in at 40 dollars, is the sniping software going to bid 40 dollars 10 seconds before the auction ends, or is it going to continue to bid UP TO 40 dollars before the auction ends?
Asked by Holly Golightly - Wed Jul 30 00:23:36 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. im pretty sure it will continue to outbid anyone till ten seconds or it reaches its maximum bid
Answered by Ace P - Wed Jul 30 00:42:37 2008

How do you bid on eBay?
Q. Do you put your maximum bid in and leave, or do you watch the auction and only bid in the last minutes? Me, I like to snipe :-) Gets your heart moving too!
Asked by SweetPea - Fri Jan 4 14:58:59 2008 - - 4 Answers - 0 Comments

A. I wait until the last few minutes of the auction and then start bidding.
Answered by Jay (cynical) - Fri Jan 4 18:17:21 2008

From Yahoo Answer Search: "Auction sniping"
Fri Aug 7 16:43:45 2009

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Fri Aug 7 03:14:41 2009

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