Each technological trend spawns a number of other related programs and applications. With the online auction trend, a new type of software has developed that helps buyers save money on purchases made through auctions. This new type of software is called sniping software. The purpose of sniping software is to give a bidder an advantage in online auctions. The bidder uses the software to place a bid at the last possible moment so that they can come in as the winner just before time expires and prevent other bidders from placing a counter bid. To understand how sniping software works, one must also understand proxy bidding which is the method used by most third-party auction sites.
Proxy bidding allows a bidder to state a maximum bid for an item. For example, if an individual wants to purchase an office desk and the current bid is $50, the bidder can specify that they are willing to pay $100 for the desk but their bid will only go up by the specified increment, usually $1. Once the bidder places his or her bid, the current bid goes up to $51. If another bidder decided to bid on the same desk and made a bid of $55, he or she would automatically be outbid by the first bidder and the current bid would go up to $56. As long as no other bidder bids more than $100, the first bidder will be the winner. That's essentially how proxy bidding works - it allows a person to place new bids without actually being in front of their computer.
Sniping itself refers to the art of bidding at the last possible moment to win the auction. Generally, snipers do not bid at any other time during the auction since that would only succeed in driving up the price. Instead, the sniper makes an educated guess as to the highest proxy bid on a current item and the sniper will place a bid for more than that. Since these snipers wait until the auction is just about to close, they only have one shot to get it right.
The only problem with sniping for most people, particularly busy business people, is that the auctions often close at inconvenient times so that the bidder cannot be available to place the hopefully-winning bid at the last moment. That's where sniping software comes in handy. Most of these programs allow bidders to plan in advance for their bid. They decide how much they will bid and when the bid should be placed, then the software handles the transaction at the appropriate time.
Sniping software is different than auction software. Auction software allows businesses to create their own auction sites and/or listings in order to get more out of the investment recovery process. Sniping software lets companies or individuals secure better deals on items they wish to purchase through auctions and keep their initial investments low.
Companies or people that use sniping software experience many benefits. First, they are able to get lower prices on the auctioned items. The reason is that by saving their bid until the end, they mask their interest in the item and do not raise the bidding. Many inexperienced bidders end up getting into a bidding war early on in the auction's duration and drive the price up. Consequently, the companies that use sniping software save money. They are able to buy inventory, office furniture, electronic equipment, software, and other items for considerably less than they might pay in the store. Sniping software also saves businesses time. Instead of requiring the bidding to stay clued to the computer screen and the auction site as the last moments of the auction tick by, the software handles everything while the bidder goes about his or her work. Finally, sniping software prevents you from missing your chance to bid. Many business people have spotted an auction item they couldn't resist, then forgot about bidding until the auction was already closed. With the software, those people can immediately set up the program to place the bid but can schedule that bid placement for right near the end of the auction.
For companies that regularly use third-party auction sites to make business purchases, sniping software can be the best tool they acquire. By keeping prices low, making bidding more convenient, and preventing busy individuals from missing their bidding opportunity, sniping software is often worth the minimal investment and set up costs.