EDIT:
Never mind.
The problem resolved itself.
See edit below.
Starting today (or maybe yesterday), eBay’s search is now screwed up.
This search worked yesterday, but it doesn’t work today.
I don’t know what the new proper syntax is, and I hope that eBay reverts to what was working yesterday. 
EDIT:
Right after I created this thread, now eBay search is working properly. 
So…
eBay search might be fine today, but eBay is screwed up in at least part of California.
I tried to snipe an auction earlier today, and the snipe didn’t go through.
I thought the problem was with the sniping website, but it turns out that eBay has been screwed up since about 12:30 PM PST.
To find out if it’s affecting you, log into your eBay account and try to access your “Messages.”
If you get an error message, you are affected.
Hopefully eBay will eventually fix the problem.
There seems to be a series of server desyncs. Yesterday on cpf, posting something immediately told me it had been done 2 minutes prior…I wonder if that would affect your bid snipe, or other time-sensitive actions.
eBay seems to be working correctly now!
I was able to access my messages, and I was able to relink my eBay account to the sniping website.
EDIT:
I feel sorry for eBay sellers that had auctions end during the time that automatic snipes were not possible.
Their auctions could have sold for less money. 
…
If this happens again, perhaps I’ll try to do a manual snipe. 
to be fair, arbitrary programs like ebaymbot are not appreciated 
why not just put the highest you’re willing to bid off the rip, then let ebay’s autobid system ramp it up as people’s offers fall short?
Because sniping an online auction often results in winning the auction at the lowest price possible (if the snipe goes through like usual.)
If one chooses not to snipe an online auction, one is at a competitive disadvantage.
When possible, I use technology to obtain a competitive advantage. 
The snipe might go through, but wouldn’t work against a bidder who enters their maximum bid, lol…you’ll just see a battery of “outbid” increments up to the max posted amount…
i.e., current price is $1.12. I enter a max bid of $10.18. Bids increase at $0.25 increments. A few random bids go through, raising the bid price to $5.50.
Condition1) 2 seconds left, you autosnipe with your offer of $7.29, and see an outbid of $7.54, with a battery of failed incremental bids between $5.50 and $7.54, and I win.
Condition2) 2 seconds left, you autosnipe with your offer of $10.20, and win at $10.20, I’ll see a battery of incremental bids between $5.50 and $10.20, and you win.
Condition3) You autosnipe with an offer of $10.20, but someone autosnipes with a larger caliber and we both see a series of incremental failed bids up to $10.45, and neither you nor I win.
**adding
Condition4) Winner of condition 3 is a shill bidder, seller is a scumbag and says “actually C3 winner backed out so you can have it for $10.20…” to which you report the seller for dishonest selling practices. Ebay no like those kinds of sellers, because they attempt to circumvent the system and fake force a max price.
Depends…If it’s augmentation beyond your own capabilities, that’s no good…If it’s a direct transference or translation of your abilities, then arguably acceptable.
i.e.
A virtual pixel-triggered autoclicker? No good!
A low latency internet/mouse that directly translates your actions to “in-game” actions? Acceptable.
I realize that, but that doesn’t negate the fact that the way online auctions are designed, bidding in the last seconds gives the bidder a competitive advantage.
No one has time to react to the a bid placed in the last seconds.
If you cannot understand that, don’t take my word for it.
Do your own research on the subject.
I don’t use technology to cheat in multiplayer online games–I don’t even play those types of games, but if I did, I wouldn’t cheat if it were not allowed.
Sniping an online auction is allowed–it’s not unethical or illegal.
Some people don’t like those who snipe online auctions, but it makes practical sense to do so.
That advantage exists in the conventional “live” bidding auction, not in the silent “max bid” style unless your snipe is higher than the max bid…current bid and max bid are different terms, lol.
**I should add that “current bid” is synonymous with “high bid”, but they don’t necessarily indicate the “max bid”
Actually it doesn’t.
In a conventional “live” auction, the auction ends after a certain amount of time has passed since the highest bid, so the bidding can go higher and higher if people are in a bidding war.
In an online auction (like eBay), the auction typically ends at an exact time. 
so in essence, I used the wrong terminology, and your strat is mitigated by ebay’s max autobidder system, lol
No, my strategy generally works because…
Aight, you’re self-convinced, no way I’ll convince you otherwise..
Look, if an auction is at $10, and my maximum bid is $25, and I place the bid 24 hours before the auction ends, that gives everyone else a chance to try to learn what my max bid is, and they might outbid me.
If I place my bid a few seconds before the auction ends, it’s a different story, and there’s less of a chance of me being outbid.
I’ve been using eBay since 1998.
I know how it works.™
no, that’s how to win the auction, lol. That’s not the same as getting the lowest price possible.
**my silent max bid might be $35, so if you sniped for $25, I’d still win at below MY desired price. That’s where your strat would not work…
Okay, it’s pointless for me to try to educate you on this issue.
I give up.
You strat is about preserving peace of mind if you don’t win, and getting the win if you really want something. I get it.
I imagine that if you were privy, 9+ figure portfolios would win most auctions anyway.
Although we had a disagreement, I think that it was pretty civil.
The “old me” probably would have found a way to escalate things to something ugly.