eBay: How I Hate Thee

I can't stand eBay. Okay, not eBay. But the eBay experience. Namely snipers. Freakin' snipers. Every time I see something on eBay that I want, some damn sniper comes in at the last second and snaps up the bid, just a dollar or two above my bid. And I mean literally at the last second. This time, someone came in with less than 10 seconds left before the close of bidding and out bid me. I was out to lunch, so I lose. I understand that there's no better mechanism for virtual auctions, but damn, it still pisses me off. The counter argument is that I bid too low of a bid. But the point is, I'd almost pay a little more to get the item. Rarely would I say... "well $30 is fine, but $33 is *way* too much". But that's how snipers work. They don't put in a fair bet up front. They just want to get the item without playing fair. Sure, I've beat them at their own game before, sitting there at the last second in a bidding war. But I've got better things to do with my time. There's probably some automated programs that snipe. If that's standard bidding policy, then eBay should supply everyone with the same tools. Just because I use eBay once every year or two doesn't mean I should be penalized.