Auction Bidding and Sniping Help

For a complete help and tutorial guide please download the Auction Sentry software and click the help link at the top of the screen.

Questions and Answers

1. When I use the Mass Add by Bidder ID feature why doesn't it always find all of the auctions I've bid on?

   Auction Sentry uses eBay's "Search by Bidder ID" function to implement its Mass Add by Bidder ID feature. Any listing that does not display the high bidder ID will not be returned by the Search by Bidder ID function on eBay and thus won't be found by Auction Sentry's Mass Add by Bidder ID feature. Examples of such listings are Private Listing where bidders IDs are kept hidden for privacy reasons and listings where the price has gone up above $200. When a listing's price goes above $200 eBay starts reporting the bidders as "Bidder 1", "Bidder 2", etc.

2. I am getting an error like this stating "Access violation… program terminated" followed by another error like this stating that the application has "stopped working".

   If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 2003 with "Data Execution Prevention" (DEP) turned on for all programs and services then that is the most likely cause. To check your DEP setting in Windows Vista do the following:

   1. Click the Start button and select "Control Panel".
   2. In the left pane of the Control Panel click on "Classic View".
   3. Double-click on the System icon.
   4. In the left pane click on Advanced system settings. You will probably get an UAC prompt asking to verify that you wish to continue. Tell it yes.
   5. Click the "Settings…" button under Performance on the Advanced tab of the System Properties screen that is displayed.
   6. Select the Data Execution Prevention tab on the Performance Options screen that is displayed.
   7. If you have "Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select" already selected then you need to either change the setting to "Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services" or add Auction Sentry to the exception list. To add Auction Sentry to the exception list do the following:
      • Click the "Add…" button at the bottom of the screen.
      • You will then see an "Open" dialog. You need to navigate to the folder that Auction Sentry is in and select the program: "c:\Program Files\Auction Sentry\AuctionSentry.exe".
      • Once you have added Auction Sentry to the exceptions list click the OK button. You will need to restart Windows before the change takes effect.

      • Once you have completed the steps above Windows should allow Auction Sentry to run with DEP turned on.

3. I changed computers or reformatted & reinstalled the software and now my old key won't work. How do I fix this?

   Please go to http://www.auction-sentry.com/KeyRequest.asp to request delivery of a new key. You must enter the registration number that is displayed on the software's Registration screen. The latest version of the software will take you there and fill in the registration number for you if you click the "Request Registration Key" button on the software's Registration screen.

4. I am getting the error message "Error while unpacking program, code LP5" when I start Auction Sentry. Why is this happening?

   This problem is usually caused by Computer Associates' product "CA PestPatrol" which has also been rebranded for use in AOL's "AOL Safety and Security Center" software. If you are using either software that is the cause. Computer Associates' software has a bug that prevents Auction Sentry from running. To fix the bug you need to add the program AuctionSentry.exe to CA PestPatrol's (or AOL Safety and Security Center's) exclusion list. There is a utility that will do this for here. Just run the utility to add Auction Sentry to the exclusion list and remove the LP5 error.

5. Auction Sentry said I was outbid but my snipe amount was a slightly higher than the closing amount. Why does it say I was outbid when my bid was higher?

   Your snipe amount may have been below the minimum acceptable bid amount. eBay applies bid increments to determine the minimum acceptable bid amount. If your snipe amount falls below the minimum acceptable bid amount before your bid is placed then you have in effect been outbid. The bid increment is based on the current price. You can click here to see eBay's bid increment table.

6. I purchased the software previously and have reformatted or replaced my computer. Do I need to pay again to reinstall and use the software?

   You can always download and install the latest version of the software from http://www.Auction-Sentry.com/Download.aspx. Click the Request Registration Key button on the software's Registration screen to request a new key.

7. What is the shortest / best snipe time I can use when setting up a snipe in Auction Sentry?

   The optimum snipe time for most users is between 5 and 10 seconds. I use a cable modem and usually set my snipes for 5 seconds with them going through leaving 2 or 3 seconds to spare but of course "your mileage may vary". It all is dependent on the speed of your connection when the snipe is placed, the responsiveness of eBay's servers at the time the snipe is placed, and how closely synchronized your PC's clock is with eBay's. It is crucial that you have all of Auction Sentry's time synch features turned on. You can do this in the Time Synchronization tab of the Options screen. Synch at program start, every hour thereafter and 5 minutes before snipe time.

   There is an exercise you can perform to determine how much lead time your system needs to place a bid. I always have a test auction going that you can place test bids on. I always cancel my test auctions before their scheduled end time so you don't need to worry about winning it if you place a bid. You can find my present test auction by doing a search on "AS Test Auction - Nothing For Sale Here". Make sure the seller ID is "auctionsentry". Add the item to Auction Sentry and then do the following:

   1. Place a bid on the auction through Auction Sentry using the Bid Now option on the Bid screen. Auction Sentry will report to you how many seconds the bid operation took.

   2. The first "Bid Now" bid that Auction Sentry performs includes a log in step that normally is performed a few minutes before a scheduled snipe comes due so that first bid (above) should have taken a bit longer than a snipe operation would since it needed to log in before bidding. Once Auction Sentry has signed in for the first Bid Now operation it won't need to log in for subsequent ones so perform at least two more Bid Now bids on the test auction. These bids should reflect the actual time a snipe operation will take. Note the number of seconds Auction Sentry says they take.

   3. Once you have an idea of how many seconds a bid operation takes for Auction Sentry I would advise adding two or three seconds to that time and using that as your default snipe time. The extra few seconds is just a safety margin in case there is a slow down with your PC, your Internet connection or with eBay's server when a snipe bid is sent in.

   Remember: it isn't always the last bid that wins. It's the highest bid that wins. Set your snipe amount for the most you are willing to pay for the item. eBay's proxy bidding system will apply only the portion of your bid needed to win the auction. Your goal is to get your snipe in close enough to the end of the auction that any manual snipers using their browser will not have enough time to refresh their browser, see your bid come through and then submit and confirm a bid for a higher amount.

Troubleshooting

1. The Bid screen will not open when you click the Bid button or select "Bid on this Auction" from the Action menu.

   This problem is usually caused when the file MSSTDFMT.dll is unregistered on your machine (possibly by another application being installed or more likely uninstalled). Perform the following steps to fix the problem:

   1. Most likely the dll you need is still on your hard drive and only needs to be re-registered. To re-register the DLL click Start, Run… and enter the following in the run box and hit Enter:

   Regsvr32 MSSTDFMT.DLL

   You should get a display telling you that the dll was successfully registered. If you did not then proceed to Step 2.

   2. If you were unable to register the dll then download the file from the here and copy the file to your "C:\Windows\System32" folder (If you are using Windows NT then it should be "C:\WINNT\System32") and repeat Step 1 to register it.

2. Auction Sentry is failing to log in to eBay to place a bid or retrieve my auctions from my eBay Watch List. When I try the "Test eBay log in" button on the Identification tab of the Options screen it says the log in failed.

   eBay is requiring a numeric security code to be entered on the eBay log in page before you can be signed in.

   eBay starts displaying a required numeric code on the log in page when a user's account has had multiple failed log in attempts that appear to have been the work of someone trying to guess their password. It also does this sometimes after the user changes their password due to a security warning from eBay. Auction Sentry can't log in while this extra requirement is in place. Normally eBay stops requiring the extra numeric entry once the user has signed in and out again several times using their web browser. Try signing in to eBay using your web browser. If eBay requires that you enter a number displayed in a graphic image to log in then please do the following:

   1. Shut down Auction Sentry and don't start it again until after eBay stops requiring that you enter the security numbers on the log in page.

   2. Using your web browser log in and out several times (as many as 10) over the next 10 minutes).

   3. Wait another 20 minutes and try signing in through your browser again.

   Once eBay stops requiring the numeric entry on the log in page you can start up Auction Sentry again and test the log in feature using the "Test eBay Sign In" button on the Identification tab of the Options screen. Make sure you have the correct eBay ID and password stored on that page.  

   There may be a Non-Paying Bidder Alert on your account

   Accounts with a non-paying bidder alert flag receive a pop-up response from eBay when the user signs in. This response blocks Auction Sentry's log in attempt. Try signing in to eBay from your browser to see if you get a NPB pop-up warning when you log in. If you use a pop-up blocker shut it down before signing in with your browser so that you will see the pop-up. If you get a pop-up alert this is the source of the problem. If you have a NPB alert on your account you need to clear it up with eBay before Auction Sentry will to be able to sign you in to place bids.

   You are using a proxy server to access the Internet and need to configure Auction Sentry to use the proxy server when signing in

   Check the Proxy Server settings on the Proxy Server tab of the Options screen. Make sure it matches your system's proxy server settings (if you don't use a proxy server then "My computer uses a proxy server to access the Internet" box should be un-checked). If you use an ad blocking proxy server such as AdSubtract the box should still be un-checked as Auction Sentry can't use such proxy servers.

   You can test Auction Sentry's log in capability using the test button on the Identification tab of the Options screen

3. Auction Bid button disabled and "Bid on this auction!" menu item grayed out.

   PC Date Setting Set to a Future Date

   This is almost always caused by the PC's date being set in the future. If the current date and time setting is after the auction's close date and time Auction Sentry disables the bid feature on that item since one cannot bid on an item after its close time. Bring up your computer's date setting by double-clicking on the clock at the right hand bottom corner of your computer screen. If you can't find the time display at the lower right hand corner of your screen then go to Control Panel and double-click on "Date and Time". From the date and Time Properties window you can correct the date. IMPORTANT: If your computer's date setting is off then Auction Sentry will not be able to place snipe bids correctly for you. Auction Sentry only synchronizes your PC's clock. It does not adjust your date setting.

4. Auction Sentry takes a long time to start (over a minute).

   Internet Connection

   The most common cause of this problem is that the computer is not connected to the Internet when Auction Sentry starts. Make sure your computer is connected to the Internet. Auction Sentry will not connect your computer to the Internet for you.

   Web Site Problems

   If you have ever tried to open a web page in your browser when your Internet connection is down you've seen that your browser may take over a minute before it gives up and says it can't find the page you are going to. This also occurs when you are connected to the Internet but the web site you are going to is either down or very slow. If you have configured Auction Sentry to check for upgrades on program start (General tab of the Options screen) then the first thing the program does when you start it is go out to the Auction Sentry web site to look for a newer version. If the Auction Sentry site is down or experiencing problems this will slow down the program's start. The next thing Auction Sentry does when it starts is load the file of the Auctions Group that was last used. It then goes out to eBay to retrieve updated information on each auction. If one of the auction sites that is hosting an auction you are tracking is down or experiencing problems it can significantly slow down the time between you start Auction Sentry and the appearance of Auction Sentry's main screen.

   A Large Number of Auctions To Load

   When Auction Sentry starts it loads the most recent Auctions Group file used. If that file contains a large number of auctions (20 or more) it can take it up to several minutes to update its information on all the auctions. The main screen won't appear until it has retrieved information on all the auctions it is tracking.

5. I set up a snipe bid and it was never placed!

   Internet Connection

   Your computer's Internet connection may have been down when it was time to place the bid. Even with services that provide a "constant connection" such as DSL and cable the Internet service can be interrupted.

   Auction Sentry Not Running

   If your computer was not running Auction Sentry when it was time to place the bid the bid would not have been placed.

   Computer Turned Off

   If your computer was turned off for any reason it would not have been able to place the bid.

6. I set up a snipe and Auction Sentry told me that the snipe failed because the auction was already closed!

   Your PC's clock was off

   If your computer's clock is not synchronized with eBay's it will fail to place your snipe at the correct time. You can ensure that your computer is synchronized with eBay's by configuring it to synchronize at program start and re-synchronize at regular intervals. You can do this from the Startup tab of the Options screen.

   Your PC was "busy" when it was time to place the bid

   If your computer was doing something that takes up a lot its attention (such as running a screen saver that takes up a lot of it's resources or running hard drive maintenance such as de-fragmenting) it can delay it from placing your bid. Disable your screen saver if you use one and turn off any maintenance tasks that your computer is configured to perform during idle time.

   Your PC was in "sleep" mode or it's hard drive had spun down

   If your computer has a "sleep mode" that engages when it is idle or if the hard drive spins down when idle this can prevent or delay if from placing a bid. You should deactivate these features on your computer or allow Auction Sentry more time to place the bid (specify a longer period before the auction end for the snipe time)

   Auction Sentry didn't have enough time to place the bid before the auction closed

   Timing a snipe bid can be tricky business. The amount of time it takes Auction Sentry varies slightly from computer to computer and varies greatly depending on the speed of your Internet connection. See the Bidding Strategies topic for advice on figuring out how much time to allow Auction Sentry to place snipes.

7. Auction Sentry Says My Snipe Failed for an "Unknown Reason"

   This means that Auction Sentry attempted to place your snipe for you but received a response from eBay that it didn't understand. When this happens a file is written out to Auction Sentry's application folder (the default is c:\Program Files\AuctionSentry\) called something like "BidProblem1625398686_2006-08-08_22.27.53.htm" where the green number is the auction's item number and the blue part is the date and time it tried to place the bid. This is the page that the auction site returned when the bid was attempted. You can double-click on this file to open it in your browser.

8. "I can't see the whole Auction Sentry window (it won't fit on my screen)" or "I can't see all the columns that are supposed to be in the grid (Time Remaining column is missing)".

   You are running Auction Sentry at too low a resolution. You must set your display to at least 800 by 600 to use Auction Sentry. Right-click on your desktop and select " Properties" from the menu that appears. Select the "Settings" tab in the Display Properties window that appears. Where it says "Screen Area" set it to 800 by 600 or higher.