Actually you and everyone else have access to a "snipe program" as you call it. It's called esnipe.com, bidrobot, etc... It is available for anybody to use and it's not cost prohibitive. The playing field IS level, you have just chosen not to use the technology available to you to play within Ebay's rules.

This has been said before but I'll say it again: What it boils down to is whoever has placed the highest bid wins no matter when the bid was placed. If you get beat by a bid placed days ago or a snipe bid it still means someone else wanted that item worse than you did.

I think the whole crux of your argument is that when you get sniped, you're not getting the bargain you thought you were going to get. Decide what your max bid is and if you win, great, if you don't, there will be another one another day.

Cheers!

Bill R-4581