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New Feature: Snipe Lead Times
posted: Mar 1 2014
At popular customer request, we have added a new feature for you to customize your sniping Lead Time. "Lead Time," quite simply, is the number of seconds we place the bid before the auction closes. So if an auction ends at 12:00:00, and the Lead Time is 5 seconds, we will place the bid at 11:59:55.
With this feature, we are effectively placing the responsibility of the Lead Time in your hands. We prided ourselves for NOT offering this feature and always using the very aggressive value of 5 seconds. That way, you are freed from having to worry about it. But we have had more requests for this feature lately, especially from people that bid on high-dollar items (why? see below).
What Bid Time Should I Choose?
We have always used 5 seconds, so if you want to use the system as usual, use 5. Our formal recommendation, however, is a minimum of 7 seconds.
The way we analyze this is to make a bell curve (called a "histogram") of the successful Lead Times. In analyzing a million snipes, 5 was as close as we could get and still guarantee service. As with all things statistical, there is a tradeoff. The closer you get to closing time, the higher the risk of Internet delays or eBay timeouts.
Add Extra Time for High-Priced Items?
Yes, we think so. Near the end seconds, you actually want your bid to be a bit earlier if it is a close call. For more information, read our great help article: Why is 5 seconds the best snipe time? We definitely do recommend adding some extra seconds for high-priced items you really want. Once an item gets above 1000 USD, GBP, or any currency really, you really want your bid to be first due to the minimum bid increment. At that high price level, you are likely to experience more "close calls" where your opponents' bids are close to yours.
Good luck and we hope you enjoy this new feature!
- Your Friends at BidSlammer
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