[masraum]

Another recommendation. Let's say that you want to buy X, and X is currently $10. You're happy to pay about $25 for it. Make your last bid $25.76 or $26.01. That way, if another person has the same thought "I'd pay $25 for that," and they bid $25 at 10 seconds, but you bid $25 at 4 seconds, they'll win the item because they bid before you. By adding a tiny bit and making it a penny or so above the next closest round number, you'll be the higher bidder and you're more likely to win.

One caution. If you decide to put in a bid for $50 on a $40 item, and you put it in a minute or two before the auction ends, the seller, could have a friend put in a bid to run up folks that bid early. I had that happen once. I put my max in a couple of hours early. A user put in 3 bids, the final bid being ridiculously high (like $3000 for a $50) which ran my bid up to it's max. They then retracted their bid saying that they had put in a typo. I'd be amazed if that was anything other than the seller or the sellers buddy. Still, I paid what I was willing to pay, but I don't do anything other than snipe at the last second any more.