Manual Sniping is still nerve-racking

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It has been a long time since I placed a manual snipe. I was registered up with eSnipe in early '99. I found snipe programs to be a great way to not get too involved in the end of the auction. I am sure many of you know exactly what I mean.

Anyhow, I had to manual snipe today. Not ebay this time. But to get tickets to the Hannah Montana concert for my daughter. She is absolutely nuts about that show and has been for over a year and a half now, ever since she discovered the tv channel with mickey mouse ears logo on the lower portion of the screen.

First, you have to sign up to mileyworld.com as a member ($30...grrrrr) to get a shot at the pre-sale of the concert tickets. Unfortunately, the entire venue sells out in less than two hours during the presale offering. So there I am today, sitting at the computer a half an hour before the presale begins, checking everything over as far as they will let me.

It was nearly a disaster. Firstly, we were willing to go to Connecticut as the dates work better with our holiday schedule. BUT THE SITE DIDN'T TELL YOU THE TICKETS WOULD ONLY BE SOLD TO FANS WITH LOCAL BILLING ADDRESSES!! So I had these great tickets on the floor, but I was roundly rejected after I went through a solid 15 minutes of sweating bullets trying to navigate their bullshit purchasing procedures.

So, here we go with the New Jersey venue. Dates not so good, but I have not choice. Try to get the 4 tickets.....not available after only 20 minutes into the presale. I almost fell out of my chair. Onto the Long Island venue. Try to get 4 tickets.....rejected again! Call Lady Scribe in frustration and depression. Then something clicked in my head.

So I go back to the New Jersey venue and type in for 2 tickets instead of 4. Got them! HAHA. Not cheap but you only live once. I got to admit, I am ready for something to go wrong. They can decline to sell the tickets at any time for any reason....and they have a laundry list a mile long to describe a variety of reasons. It almost seems cruel to tease these kids. So we decided to not tell her until we have the tickets in hand.

btw- only 2 tickets means I get to do something else in NJ for a couple of hours while they are in the concert.
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[tfm]

I've never used a sniping service. I enjoy the rush of the last thirty seconds. I usually don't decide until then if I'm going to bid on an item. Once in awhile I miss something either because my time is off or ebay chops the last five seconds off the auction which always drives me crazy, but there'll always be another.

Glad you got your tickets, though.
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"This is cool."

[Plaag]

I'm in the same boat, manual snipe..yeah the heart pounding nervousness maybe not the best but its always a good feeling when ya win (better if you get the item cheaper then expected).

ShaneG.
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I reject your reality and substitute one of my own!

[Mars]

I'm a manual sniper too - probably because I'm too cheap to pay the extra 2% or whatever they charge and also because of some of the horror stories where something happens and your snipe doesn't go off.

[Chromatic-Knight]

I (almost) exclusively use a snipe program - auctionstealer. Set it and forget it. No last second bumping your max, no sitting around at all hours of the day or night waiting, no ebay glitches, just relax and check it tomorrow. I have never had it miss an auction ending in years of use. I think they still offer it for free - up to a certain number of auctions per week.

Great grab on the tickets

[TheShield]

I use justsnipe.com. $5 a month, no other fees. Manual sniping is quite difficult from France, when 50% of the US auctions end betwen 01:00am and 08:00am french time ! And even during daytime, I'm never sure I will be before a computer at the right moment.
I don't remember of any "misfiring" snipes since I use it, it's great.

[Beyondthebreach]

Yeah . . . I am not even sure how to bid through ebay . . .

I use Bidnip which costs 25 cents a snipe. You can install a little add-on to your computer which allows you to "right-click" on any auction page and one of the "Window" options will be to Snipe with Bidnip. This takes you directly to the enter snipe amount . . . then it's back to browsing.

I can search and set dozens of snipes this way. If I want to monitor my auctions, I use the Bidnip links and not the "My ebay" homepage.

Hell, I've set snipes on auctions that had 3 minutes to go, sat there and watched the last few minutes tick down and waited for my snipe to come in. It's a quarter well spent, if you ask me!
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"Ah, Blackadder. Started talking to yourself, I see."

"Yes . . . it's the only way I can be assured of intelligent conversation."

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Well. We included the tickets as an addendum to the other goodies that Santa delivered this year. She went last night with her mother. She dressed up in a crushed blue velvet outfit with fur lined collar and sleeve ends. All topped off with a matching fur russian hat.(She picked the outfit at the store and wanted to wear it herself!)

She was the star walking into the arena turning the heads of all the other parents towing their kids in. I didn't go but I dropped them off and waited. She had a blast as expected. Now I think I can justify not taking the family to Disney World. Sounds fair. Right?
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[grodog]

Hmmm, doesn't Nev's auctionseive (sp?) also do sniping??
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grodog
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Allan Grohe
grodog@gmail.com
http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/greyhawk.html

Editor and Project Manager, Black Blade Publishing
http://www.black-blade-publishing.com/