does that really surprise you ... hmmmm they own Ebay...then got PayPal Dan James G Cowles <shelbyparts (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote: I had a friend tell me Ebay owns it >From: "Ronald Robertson" >To: "James G Cowles" >,, >Subject: Re: When 'Snipers' Do Your Online Bidding for You >Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 18:27:41 -0500 > >I can't even guess and it's driving me nuts! >Who? Who? Who? (lol) >Ron >----- Original Message ----- From: "James G Cowles" >To: ; >Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 5:26 PM >Subject: RE: When 'Snipers' Do Your Online Bidding for You > > >>Take a guess who owns auction sniper >> >> >>>From: "Dan Drury" >>>To: "CARMEMORIES" >>>Subject: When 'Snipers' Do Your Online Bidding for You >>>Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 09:48:21 -0600 >>> >>>I thought you guys might find this interesting...... >>> >>> >>> >>>When 'Snipers' Do Your Online Bidding for You >>> >>>By HANNAH KINNERSLEY >>>January 5, 2006; Page D3 >>> >>>If you've ever lost out in an online auction at the last moment, chances >>>are you were sniped. >>> >>>That is, the winning bid was probably placed by so-called sniping >>>software and the actual bidder might have signed off hours earlier. >>>Sniper software isn't illegal and it has developed a following among >>>online bidders. But the practice isn't encouraged by auction sites such >>>as eBay and Yahoo. >>> >>>The main advantage is that a sniper can enter the bid data faster than >>>most people can type, allowing a bid to be placed at the last second >>>after all other bids have been set. Snipers also make it unnecessary for >>>the bidder to be physically present at the time of the bid -- a big bonus >>>if the auction for your desired item ends at midnight, Pacific time, and >>>you live in New York. >>> >>>There are two main types of snipers: Web-hosted ones that require users >>>to log in, and downloadable software that manages bids and snipes on a >>>user's computer. >>> >>>Web-hosted snipers work with any operating system and have a reliably >>>fast Internet connection, a step up for bidders still accessing the Web >>>from dial-up connections. Snipers can be preprogrammed to bid at the >>>latest moment, and automatically synchronize with eBay's clock. And >>>because bidders can input the item number and bid amount at any point >>>before the end of the auction, they don't need to be online, or even have >>>their computer on, at the time of the bid. Users enter their maximum bid >>>and the sniper will bid in increments up to that amount. >>> >>>The drawback of Web-hosted snipers is that unlike a one-time purchase for >>>a piece of software, users pay either a monthly fee, a set fee for each >>>bid, or a percentage of each win when they use it. For regular eBay users >>>the costs can add up. >>> >>>Prices for sniper software range from $14.95 to around $50. For users >>>nervous about giving out information online, it can be preferable to a >>>Web-hosted sniper, which requires your eBay user name and password. The >>>software, however, will only be as fast as the bidder's Internet >>>connection, and when eBay changes any part of its auction software, >>>sniping software will often require an upgrade or patch. >>> >>>To find the best bet for successful bidding, we tested five snipers for >>>ease of use, and in a nail-biting grand finale had them bid against each >>>other in four auctions to see if we could find a consistent winner. All >>>the auctions were for girls' party dresses, and each one ended at >>>10-minute intervals over the course of an evening. This gave us time to >>>adjust our maximum amounts and how many seconds before the end of an >>>auction to bid. >>> >>>Bidnapper, a Web-hosted sniper at www.bidnapper.com, had a helpful >>>tutorial on bidding strategy and bid increments, and a straightforward >>>interface that allows users to see current and previous bids at a glance. >>>After every auction Bidnapper sent an email to us explaining why we had >>>lost, (usually the bid was too low,) or telling us that we had won. >>>Although Bidnapper won two auctions against manual bidders, it failed to >>>even register a bid when facing off against other test snipers. >>> >>>Silent Snipe, available for Mac (OS X) and Windows 98 and higher can be >>>downloaded from www.silentsnipe.com. The program won one auction where >>>the bidding was heated but, because of the time between each bid, >>>appeared to be manual rather than automated bidding. It didn't fare well >>>against our other snipers at auction. >>> >>>Auction Sniper, at www.auctionsniper.com, turned out to be the sniper to >>>beat, winning three out of four auctions against our other snipers and >>>charging only for the winning auctions. Logging in and entering auction >>>information was quick and easy, but Auction Sniper also has a feature >>>called Snipe It Now! that lets users install a button on their browser. >>>When they find an item they want to bid on, Snipe It Now will >>>automatically enter the item number in a pop-up box and set up the snipe >>>automatically, making it the easiest sniper to use. >>> >>>Powersnipe, available from www.powersnipe.com, is both a Web-hosted >>>sniper and downloadable browser tool for Mac and PC that will help you >>>search eBay and collect auction information for sniping. Powersnipe won >>>one out of four auctions against our other snipers. Powersnipe had the >>>simplest interface, but under previous auctions that were not won, no >>>reason was listed so it was hard to know if we were underbidding or >>>bidding late. >>> >>>The last Web-hosted sniper we tried, Phantom Bidder, is available at >>>www.phantombidder.com and works with eBay Motors as well as all >>>international eBay sites except Korea. Phantom Bidder offers two pricing >>>plans, a monthly fee for unlimited bidding or bid credits that can be >>>bought and are only used up when an auction is won. Although Phantom >>>Bidder has some helpful features, like a Black List option that remembers >>>sellers that users have had bad experiences with, it didn't win any >>>auctions against our other snipers. >>> >>>Our experience taught us that snipers can be helpful for bidders who are >>>managing a lot of auctions close together, and for those bidding in an >>>auction that ends when they can't be online. >>> >>>Write to cranky (AT) wsj (DOT) com >>> >>> >>> >>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> WEB SITE PRICE OPERATING SYSTEM AUCTION COMPATIBLE COMMENT >>> auctionsniper.com Three free auctions then 1% of each winning >>>auction, up to a cap of $9.95 Platform independent. eBay The most >>>consistently successful, and made it easy to manage multiple bids. >>> bidnapper.com One year unlimited service, $46.95 or 10 winning >>>snipes, $19.95 Platform independent. eBay and Yahoo auctions Archived >>>complete auction info so users can track favorite sellers. >>> phantombidder.com $9 a month to subscribe or $6 for 10 bid >>>credits. Platform independent. eBay, eBay Motors and international eBay >>>sites (except Korea) Black List feature avoids preset sellers in >>>individual auctions and bid groups. >>> powersnipe.com One-year subscription $59.99 Platform independent >>>U.S. and international eBay sites. It didn't let us change timing of the >>>bid to make it closer to auction's end. >>> silentsniper.com $19.95 to download version 2.0 Mac OS X and >>>Windows 98 and higher. U.S., U.K. and German eBay sites Sign-in screen >>>opened behind the auction-management tool, causing confusion at first. >> >>_________________________________________________________________ >>Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! >>http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ >> > > _________________________________________________________________ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar – get it now! http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ --------------------------------- Yahoo! Photos Got holiday prints? See all the ways to get quality prints in your hands ASAP.
