Okay, I'm amazed that Dale has let this off-topic thread continue so long, but given that he has, here's my 2 cents:
The only people of whom advantage is taken by sniping are the ones that can't make of their minds what they are really willing to pay - in other words the weak-willed. The sniper can't "steal" anything from someone who has made a determination of an item's worth and a bid accordingly. If the sniper wins, well, he was simply willing to pay more.
OTOH, sniping software/services do have the major benefit of allowing the bidder to effectively "retract" his bid if he discovers something untoward about the auction or finds a more appropriate offering.
There are many other advantages of sniping, but those two things are the reasons why I nearly always snipe and will continue to do so in the future.
...Derek Davis
Phoenix, AZ