How To Set Up Automatic Bidding Ebay

eBay logo on a gradient gray background.

Have y'all ever been watching an auction on eBay that you have the tiptop bid placed on and so, suddenly, correct before the auction ends, someone places a higher bid than you, winning the auction? Y'all've been bid sniped.

What Is Bid Sniping?

Bid sniping is the tactic many bidders utilize to swoop in and win an auction at the very last second. They do this past placing a bid higher than the current bid just seconds before the auction ends. Doing this prevents the current highest bidder from having futurity dorsum with a counter bid, causing them to lose the auction.

Bid sniping doesn't always guarantee the sniper will win an auction, though. During the final minute down to the final few seconds of an sale of a very popular item, many bidders may be bid sniping at the same fourth dimension. So, if 2 bidders snipe at the same fourth dimension, the highest applicant of those two volition take home the prize.

Equally frustrating equally it is to be bid sniped, this tactic is both common and allowed on eBay. However, at that place'southward a fashion yous can exist ameliorate prepared for bid sniping so that you're not always losing those auctions.

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Take Advantage of Automatic Bidding

You lot can use automatic bidding in each and every eBay auction you lot participate in, and you can have full reward of it without having to adjust any special settings since automatic bidding is a built-in feature in every eBay auction.

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What happens with automated bidding is you tell eBay what the highest amount you're willing to bid on the detail in the auction is, and then eBay will automatically identify a bid on your behalf if someone else outbids you. eBay will proceed to do this until your cap has been reached.

These are "invisible" bids, so to speak—other bidders won't be able to see what the maximum corporeality you set up for the auction is. So, if someone were to come along and endeavour to snipe you during the concluding few seconds of the auction, and the corporeality they bid is less than the maximum amount yous prepare for the sale, then eBay bids for yous automatically and the sniper gets sniped.

The corporeality eBay bids for you lot is based on the price bracket the particular currently falls in.

Item Price Bracket

Automatic Bid Increment

$0.01–$0.99

$0.05

$i.00–$4.99

$0.25

$5.00–$24.99

$0.l

$25.00–$99.99

$1.00

$100.00–$249.99

$2.50

$250.00–$499.99

$5.00

$500.00–$999.99

$10.00

$thousand.00–$2499.99

$25.00

$2500.00–$4999.99

$fifty.00

$5000.00+

$100.00

An of import note to keep in heed is that these bids are legally binding contracts. If you gear up $5,000 as your maximum bid, only are but hoping to pay $300, and so someone comes and bids $four,900, eBay will automatically bid $5,000 for you. If you lot win the bid, you are legally obligated to pay that amount. So, only set the maximum bid to what you're actually willing to pay for the item. Annotation that your maximum bid doesn't consider shipping in the equation—that's handled separately.

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To set your maximum bid, become to the item y'all want to bid on, enter themaximum corporeality you're willing to spend in the text box under Current Bid, and and so click the blue "Place Bid" button to the right.

Place your eBay bid.

A confirmation window will appear. Click the blue "Ostend" button.

Click Confirm.

Your bid is at present placed. Notation that, even though nosotros put $10,000 as our bid, if nobody else bids on this auction, and then we'd simply pay $7,870—$100 more the electric current bid. If someone later bids $eight,000, and so eBay volition automatically bid $eight,100 on our behalf. This will continue until the maximum limit we fix has been reached. If the auction ends at $8,100, then we just pay $8,100—not $x,000.

Now, if someone comes in and tries to bid snipe you in the terminal few seconds, yous still stand a adventure of winning.

The auction game can be quite stressful at times, and it's certainly not for everyone. Almost sellers will provide a "Buy At present" button, where yous can merely buy the particular at the listed toll without having to deal with an sale. Only make sure y'all don't overpay.

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