Sniping, the controversial practice of bidding at the last minute on eBay auctions, is in full swing during the holiday shopping season. Two companies that provide "automatic" sniping services are offering shoppers special deals this month.

eSnipe, one of the largest sniping services, is having a 1-day promotion on December 19. Snipes that normally cost between $.25 to $10 will cost $.05 between December 19 at 8:00 p.m. through Saturday, December 20, at 8:00 a.m., Pacific Standard Time. See Web site for details: http://www.esnipe.com/NickelBidNight2003

Another sniping service, BidSlammer, is running a promotion for the month of December, giving registered users double sniping power. BidSlammer gives double the snipe bucks for each purchase, so if you buy $20, you get $40 of credit toward eBay snipes. http://www.bidslammer.com