Sniping is bidding in the final moment so nobody has time to respond. On a fixed-ending auction it works, which is why it exists.
On Metzee it does not, because the clock does not stop while people are still bidding.
Why it fails here
A bid in the last ten seconds pushes the clock back out. So a snipe does not end the auction — it restarts the final stretch, and the other bidder gets their response.
The auction ends when bidding stops, not when a number reaches zero. The last ten seconds
That is a deliberate design choice, and it changes what winning takes: not reflexes, but willingness to go higher.
The exception
Sudden death. One auction format stops when the clock stops, with no extension. There the last moment really is the last moment.
It is a distinct format and you can see which one you are in. On those, being present matters in a way it does not elsewhere.
What to do instead of sniping
Set a maximum. Enter the most you will pay and the app bids for you, one step at a time, up to that figure. You are not sitting on the screen hoping to be fast.
Two things to know: a maximum can only go up, because it has already bid on your behalf — and it is not available on sudden-death items, where the whole point is that nobody is bidding for you.
Leave a pre-bid before the auction opens, where the store allows it. The app sends you there if you try to set a maximum too early. How bidding works
Why this is better for you
A format that rewards sniping rewards whoever has the best connection and the fastest thumb. One that extends rewards whoever actually wants the thing most.
It also means you cannot be robbed by lag. A bid that was in time is in time, and your screen being a second behind does not cost you the item. What if two people bid at the exact same moment?
What it does mean
Endings take longer. Two determined people can extend an item for a while, and the increment does not grow as the price does, so the last stretch is slow. What is an increment?
You need a ceiling before the item starts. Because there is no natural stopping point — the time keeps being given back until one side stops. How to not get carried away
More: the last ten seconds, I was winning and then I was not, how bidding works.