orrimarrko

I used to think EXACTLY the same thing. However, when you find out that you've lost an auction by 38 cents, and the increment is $2.50, you begin to wonder. Also, the other tip is how the bids are placed. People normally bid in relatively predictable patterns - every $5 or $10, maybe even $20. For that reason, it would be relatively logical to try and outbid someone by some increment. For that reason, I bid in off-increments, as I suspect many others do. But, when that person who wins the auction with a single bid with three seconds to go - they've sniped you. There's only a slight chance that they've actually put in a single bid in an amount guaranteed to be higher than the high bidder right at the very end. Just my opinion.

There are several sniping websites out there. I use esnipe. Basically I buy a block of credits ahead of time. Say five dollars worth. A single credit is 25 cents and good for one auction under 25 dollars. After that it's 1% of the total sale of the auction. You can set the time that the snipe is placed before the auction ends, and if you win the auction listing will be permanently saved on the esnipe website (unlike eBay which is three months). The important part here is that you are only charged if you win. This is just the sniping program that I use. There are probably better deals with different sniping programs out there I'm sure. As for strategy there are a few. If you see a serious buyer placing a bid early on like Wonder it scares off some people, because they feel they won't win no matter how much they spend. In that situation I don't like placing a bid then myself because I'm a cheapskate and I hate driving up the price of the auction if I'm quite sure I'm not going to win. If I see Crunchy biding too it's the same thing. This is a good strategy if the item is going to be like $1,200 plus, and that's when all the big fish come into play. For cheap ass bottom feeders like me just looking to get a loose & mint Snoopy and the Red Baron it's a simple snipe with no bid prior. I'm willing to pay more as I'm impatient and only want a few specific carts in my collection. Long ago I realized I would never be able to have a complete boxed collection so I bowed out before I even started. The strategy changes when there is a rare cart buried in an auction which I believe not many people will not notice. A bid is placed immediately for the minimum amount and nothing more. The reasons? You don't want the seller to add a BIN after the first person sends an email telling them the relative is dying in the hospital and their last wish is to have this cart so here's fifty bucks. Some people will also use a different eBay account for this intial bid as they feel they will be attracting less attention if they are not recognized. The second reason is that maybe a newbie will be bidding on the same auction for a mint Pac-Man and Asteroids (they know nothing about rarity, lol), and if they become the high bidder right away they tend to stop. Auctions with more bids attract more attention. The third and final reason is that *hopefully* other AA members recognize your eBay auction and don’t highlight it in the auction form if you used your normal eBay ID to begin with. Now I'm really talking about hidden auctions here, not the ones that blatantly have the rare cart in the title. If they bid on this hidden gem I have no qualms about it that. It is an auction after all, but when it's a hidden gem that you have found and placed a bid on that gets posted in the auction forum you just want to start banging your head on the keyboard. Showing auctions with cheap BIN's is always cool in the auction forum. It helps others. Also IMHO it's alright to show new auctions in the beginning stages that have a rare cart in it (that no one has bid one yet). Just my 2 cents. Thanks for the tips and info. By the way, I agree with your last point - but I believe that was an argument from another time and place...

That has to be an error of course. Game isn't worth but $20.00 maxx. Is it the relatively rare black label or the significantly less rare silver label? Guys - the Pengo for $75 is a 5200 lab loaner proto cart; not the 2600 cart.

Pm sent

It almost seems as though you HAVE to snipe in order to get the Atari goods out there. I obviously have a few questions, since I've never done it before. First, is the sniping program something on your machine (like a downloadable program), or done on a site where you pay as you go? Can some of you recommend the best site or program to use, and what something like that would cost (one time fee or recurring costs)? Second, what is the best strategy to be successful at this - place a smaller bid like normal, and then snipe with the most you'll pay? Insight from those who are experienced and successful at this is appreciated. I figure I might as well explore the option than to continue to miss out with as much time left as it takes to take a breath.

Looks like someone who just got bitten by the "box bug". http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?View...&rows=25&sort=3 See what I mean! No idea how he can afford all of that - that's a crapload of stuff. Worst part is, he only snipes, so you can't see what he's going to bid on (which will be at the last second, of course.)

I know - and I do agree with your points. (I knew that you were "half" serious too.) Your point about having your name up there with the "big boys" is a sad commentary on the state of eBay...

ebay mostly. I've got a few extras I didn't use available for $2 each. I thought you were going for CIB though? Great memory! Yes I am, but undoubtedly there will be loose carts of various types in anyone's collections - homebrews, label variations, PAL games, etc... They would be for those games. At the moment, I only have 6 MM cubes. PM forthcoming! By the way, I didn't mention it in my other post in this thread, but that is an AWESOME 5200 collection. I recently bought a brand new boxed 5200 and a pair of brand NIB 5200 joysticks, and my quest is to have a minty boxed collection - so I was drooling over yours! Very Nice!!

While I do find your point funny, it's not very accurate (as it pertains to me.) I am serious about winning ANY auction that I bid on. So much to the point that I will physically sit and watch the last 5 minutes, with multiple windows open to place a higher bid, should I be outbid. In these particular instances, I would have the highest bid for all but the last three seconds. With a decent maximum bid in the system. To have someone come over the top of the max bid with three seconds to go - and overpay at that - is extremely disheartening. Especially since I know that they aren't sitting at a computer when it happens. My point is, as it relates to your comment, is that I'm not one of those jerks who just toss a bid at something hoping to get lucky. Like I said, it's frustrating.

Ebay is bad enough, but this sniping crap sucks. Sorry, I know there are a lot of people on this site who do it, and whatever works for you, I guess. But honestly, all it takes is one of those guys with a lot of money to just type in an overbid, and you lose every auction - every friggin' time. I can't tell you how many auctions I've lost with less than 3 seconds to go - quite recently, mind you. I don't know who britishdragon is, but I'd like to shove my foot up his arse. Seriously, I'm really starting to hate eBay.

CPU - what do you mean by "re-release colored" boxes? Can you post some examples? Thanks, Steve Pics? Or examples? Like, Pac-Man, Defender, Asteroids, Circus Atari, Yar's Revenge, 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe ... blah blah. I guess pics would be more helpful, now that you mention it. For your examples, are you saying that these particular titles were released later in a different colored box from the original (but not the Red ones)? Thanks, Steve Here are a couple, I don't feel like doing more right now. That'll be 5 dollars, thanks. WIZ - Thanks a LOT for the pics - the AA database doesn't show any of these. So the left column were the regular releases, and the right column is the Atari Corp re-releases (NTSC)? Is that correct? Lastly, it is difficult to tell in the pic, but the Tic-Tac-Toe boxes look the same to me. Is one slightly darker than the other? Again, I appreciate you taking the time to show the pics. Thanks, Orri-

Still hoping that someone has some of the conversions for sale, preferably that look like these: Just let me know! I'd prefer the ones sold from the Atari Age store if at all possible. Thanks, Steve

Man - not a single person with a minty fresh 5200 game to sell... Tell me it isn't true.

Fantastic collection! The best I've seen pics of. There are bigger collections out there I'm sure, but since they haven't posted pics (or they're too hard to see - sorry Rick!)... My only question is: Where did you get all of those Music Mate cubes? I keep looking, but never find any. Again- very, very nice.

They're Atari Corp. re-releases.

Rom, Is that confirmed to be all of them? Just wanting to make sure. Also, do you know, is there any difference between the carts in those SE boxes and the "non-SE" boxes? (Date, text, etc.) Thanks again, Steve

I call them Activision's Originals: http://www.atarimania.com/lst_soft.php?MEN...ID=3&VISU=TABLE Well done sir!

My guess would be that FND has his for sale, otherwise why did he post it here? Unless it was a "look what I got" kind of thing, which has no place in a wanted forum I certainly appreciated the pic - that was what I was hoping for.

Hmm... According to your list, the box version that I'm referring to is the first one released for each title. (That is, if I'm reading it correctly.) Also, the list also means that a game like Barnstorming only had one type of box. Is that correct? Thanks, Steve

CPU - what do you mean by "re-release colored" boxes? Can you post some examples? Thanks, Steve Pics? Or examples? Like, Pac-Man, Defender, Asteroids, Circus Atari, Yar's Revenge, 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe ... blah blah. I guess pics would be more helpful, now that you mention it. For your examples, are you saying that these particular titles were released later in a different colored box from the original (but not the Red ones)? Thanks, Steve

Thanks Phil!

I was curious to know more about the Activision boxes with the "A New Game Cartridge" in the black sash across the bottom right corner. Where does this fit in their release timeline? Late? Are they re-releases? Is there anything different about the cart and or the manuals for these? Finally, what titles were available with this box? All of them? I've seen Fishing Derby, Freeway, Laser Blast and Skiing. Thanks for any help on this. Orri-

After searching the forum for an answer to this question, I couldn't find an actual list for this. Does anyone know what games were released with the black and silver "Special Edition" stickers on them? So far, I've seen Superman, Backgammon and Video Chess. Thanks for any help on this. Orri-

Still new to this, as my question will undoubtedly show. I wanted to know which release came first (or what was the timeline) - Concentration or Hunt & Score? I'm assuming they are the same game, as they have the same CX number. Also, is there a text-only version of Hunt & Score? I know there is a text and a picture version of Concentration. Lastly, how many other titles are like this (where the same game was released under multiple titles), and what are the label and box combinations for those titles? Stuff like this would be very helpful to know. Thanks, Steve

CPU - what do you mean by "re-release colored" boxes? Can you post some examples? Thanks, Steve