I don't rely on snipe services - unless they jack
you to your max *instantly* instead of in incriments,
nailing your highest at the last minute and having
the snipe program check and raise and check and raise
takes time, and it most likely won't hit your max
during that last single minute, heh
By definition sniping is bidding at the very last
minute - i.e. so close to the end of the auction
that noone else gets to reply after seeing your
bid. So you must bid your maximum as, almost by
definition, you'll not get another chance.
The advantages of sniping are its "fire and forget"
nature (which saves time, no need to follow the auction)
and the lack of emotion (you won't be tempted to try
bidding a few extra pennies "just in case he's
only just beaten my bid"). A third advantage is
that you won't have your bid nibbled up towards
your max by newbies who like to bid in minimum
increments.
If you like the emotional side of things, then
you need to place your own bids. Personally
I almost always use a sniping program, unless
I see something crop up that I want when I'm
away from my machine. In that case, I bid
near the end and take my chances.
Antonio