I just love ebay! I have to limit myself. I'll be on continually for a month or so and spend WAAAY too much money, then I'll have to not even look for a couple of months.
My best score was a Seth Thomas Grandfather Clock with Moon Phases, not a battery powered, but true pendulum & weights. Seth Thomas doesn't make Grandfather clocks anymore. It is six feet high and has four different chimes and is gorgeous. I got it for less than $400.00! And it runs beautifully!
Have you heard of Auction Sniper? That's what I use for stuff I really want. It places your bid for you, as little as 3-4 seconds before the end of the bidding. And their servers are VERY fast.