There are many savvy eBay buyers who use automated bidding programs, which are referred to as sniping software. Sniping allows the eBay buyer to place an unseen bid in the last seconds of an eBay auction allowing them to win the ebay auction at a very low price if there was no reserve.

This simple method I will now outline to you in detail can be used in a variety of ways. I have even seen eBay sellers use this as a low cost advertising tool.

By preapproving your buyers, it will flush out any eBay snipers. The interested buyer will need to email you to get approval even to bid on your auction.

One of the advantages of this procedure is that it allows total control over the eBay auction, you decide who gets to bid on your ebay auctions.

Step 1 set up your eBay auction as you would normally

Step 2 Click this Link to add an eBay User to you preapproved buyer List (Note, you can approve anyone you know with an eBay user ID that does not mean they have to buy it) http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/biddermanagement.html

Step 3 View you eBay auction it will state in Large Bold print this auction is only open to preapproved bidders).

Use this technique to gauge response on any new item you have for sale. Once an eBay Buyer emails you asking to be placed on the approved list, You should then go and check their bid history and feedback.

You can check to see what they purchased and for how much, it will give you the information needed to price the item correctly. This will also give you a profile of what the bidder buys and some great ideas of other successful ebay seller’s techniques.

Example
Start you eBay auction at 1Cent with no reserve. Immediately approve an eBay buyer you know with the link I supplied. To even bid on your auction the eBay buyer will need to email you, at which point you can check their feedback and decide if you want to let them bid or not. You listing Fee for this auction will only be 30 cents and you never have to sell the item, do not approve any bidders, it is your choice.(this is great for building inquiries to your sale, then once you have established you have some interest for your item relist without any approval requirement, you will have a bidding war ready to start!

Example 2
I have a laptop computer; I wan to generate some lost cost page views for this item. I list the laptop in a 3-day auction format with 1 cent starting bid and no reserve. I then set up my pre approval with an eBay buyer.

Add bidders at any time up until your listing ends. Remember: It's generally better to add bidders earlier rather than later for the best bidding results. Do a Bidder Search – This will allow you to understand the bidding history of the potential bidder.

Any bidder who is not on your list will be asked to contact you by email. Once the bidder has been pre-approved and added to your list, the bidder will be able to place a bid.

You will be amazed at the opportunities that present themselves to you from this simple technique, Remember you can not solicit sales outside of eBay but if someone emails you regarding items you may have in stock, you get the picture!

How to Pre-Approve Bidders/Buyers
Add Item

1. Enter the item number you'd like to restrict to pre-approved bidders/buyers. You can copy your item number from my eBay in the Selling tab or from your item page.

2. Add your approved bidders/buyers in the box below. View tips to pre-approve your bidders/buyers.

Simply Enter each bidder's/buyer's User IDs. Place a comma between each User ID or just press the Enter key on your keyboard to display each name on a separate line.

Here is the link to preapprove buyers
http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/biddermanagement.html

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