I don't bid much these days because
Ebay has become pretty unfriendly for private sellers and bargains have become increasingly rare. When I did bid, I just decided in advance how much I would actually be prepared to pay, and absolutely stuck to that figure. I didn't see any point in sticking in a maximum bid before the last second of the auction. It just tells the other interested parties that there are other players in the game which encourages them to up their bids. The excitement was sitting with one finger over the "Bid" tab, and the Speaking Clock in the earpiece of the phone, hoping to beat the tedious commercial sniping sites to the finish.