I use http://www.auctionstealer.com to bid on eBay items. It automatically places your bid about 10 seconds before time is up. You get 3 free bids per week.

I always decide the *maximum* I am willing to pay for the item and put that amount in auctionstealer. If I am outbid, I know the item sold for more than I was willing to pay. The system bids the minimum I can get the item for.

If I want to bid I always wait until the last 10-15 seconds (10 if I think I can get it done in time) before placing my bid and I bid what I'm willing to pay for the item. If I'm outbid in the last second, well, it wasn't meant to be mine anyway :)

I know there are proxy bidding services that will come in at the last second and place your bid. But I make my best deals when I am on at 2AM, and there is the thrill of the win... :-P

I decide in advance what I'm willing to pay and if I win, I win. If I lose--it wasn't meant to be. I even do this at the grocery store. No way am I paying $3 for a loaf of bread. Same thing with ice cream. I'm not paying $4 for less than a half gallon of ice cream. Sniper bidders are no different. You have to set a limit and then a bot stays up til 3:00am instead of me.

I'm still determining my limits on the price of gasoline. Knowing that it is cheaper in Missouri than almost anywhere else on the planet helps but it's getting close to the point that my 2 year old Scion may get traded in on a Prius if I can even find one.

I just bid yesterday. I was the only bidder until 30 sec. I had the amt in and hit send for higher bid. Still did not get it.

There is a blue color "one bid" or something like that. I think it is automatic price increase. Next time I will do that one...

Makes you mad doesn't it? Kept telling DH, I got it I got it....He said no you don't....

Another good idea is to set up a "search" on your eBay account. eBay will email you new listings. This can be a good way to catch a "Buy It Now" listing when the price is in your range.

You make it sound like the autobots decide when to bid. ;-)

They come in at the last few seconds because the BIDDER set it up that way. The bid could also be set to release one hour before the end of the auction, but what would be the point?

And staying up until 2AM is no guarantee that you'll win.

Conversely, you didn't win because you stayed up until 2AM.

Last year, I watched EBAY for months....bidding on Featherweights and OMG....I could not figure out how it was done. I'd think I finally got one and the price would jump up hundreds of dollars. Finally one was marked "buy now" it was exactly what I wanted to pay for it....and I bought it....it's a beauty.

I bid last week for the first time on a couple of featherweights and on the first time around I won, and again 3 days later I won again. I watched a few different featherweights at a time, bid on a couple of different ones with a max in mind. The second one was on behalf of a friend. Yes I was outbid on more than one, but was watching 3 or 4 at a time. The second one was on a weekend and lost out all day Sat (once by $ 5-10), Sunday I won. Next time I will try to avoid the weekend.

2 weeks later I am still waiting for delivery on mine. Delivered my friends to her last Sat, last then 1 week.

OH man, I feel bad, there have been times I went onto ebay and searched items and an item I wanted comes up with a few seconds or minutes left so I bid on it. Now it is an item I really really want for certain, then I just put in my max and leave it be from there, cause I travel a lot. If not I will end up paying more then what I actually wanted to.