I read this blog with great interest. I love to snipe on ebay. It is absolutely effective and there is nothing wrong with it whatsoever. The only reason it is so effective, is because it takes advantage of other bidders who are not using the proxy bidding properly. I can't believe scientist have spent so much time studying this when it comes down to a combination of simple logic mixed with some basic psychology.

To proxy bid properly on ebay, you MUST decide to the penny how much you want something. This is psychologically a difficult (but not impossible) task which is why I disagree strongly with Charles. It is because this is difficult and many people don't do it, that makes sniping so effective.

If you're not willing to decide exactly how much something is worth to you, then how can you possibly complain if somebody snipes something at the last moment? Even when I am sniping, I still decide the exact amount I am willing to pay, afterwards I feel no regrets if I didn't get it.

If it's not broken, don't fix it.

I know this is off topic but I must bring it up. If you want to complain about something, complain about hidden reserves. Talk about stupid, I will not bid on anything with an unlisted reserve price. Ebay's own description for the purpose of a reserve is because a high initial price may tend to discourage people from bidding. Well, if you're stupid enough to pay more for something once you've started bidding than you would have otherwise, I guess sellers might as well take advantage of it.