Sniping works just like putting in a maximum bid yourself that is higher than the current high bid. Whether you do it yourself or by esnipe. You can often watch the bids escalate in the last seconds as other folks' maximums kick in and are superseded by your own. Of course, just as you say, there is no time for manually inserted higher bids after the sniping bid is entered. But sniping is still advantageous even if everyone is doing it since you use the amount you are actually willing to pay. Other folks, seeing no obvious competition, may be tricked into placing a low maximum bid in hopes of stealing it.