1. First, and most important, decide the absolute maximum amount you would pay for the item and add two cents (I'll explain why, later). The amount must be such that if it goes for any amount more you will NOT be upset. Write it down and do NOT change it, ever!

2. Wait until about five minutes before the auction closes; there's no reason to tip your hand early.

3. Bring up the auction in two different browser windows. One will be to watch and the other to bid.

4. Enter your bid in the "bid window" and your password in the proper field and your absolute maximum price (that you wrote down in step #1) so that it only takes one click to bid -- but don't click yet!

5. Wait until one or two minutes before the auction ends. Continually refresh the "watch window" to see if there are other bidders. If the current high bid remains below the maximum you're willing to pay keep going; otherwise, abort. Remember, the amount you wrote down IS the maximum you would pay and if the item goes over, it is now out of reach.

6. Still with me? As soon as the clock ticks over to one minute remaining, click to bid, cross your fingers and wait the remainder of that minute. Feel free to refresh the other window every few seconds.

In auction parlance, this procedure is called "sniping". It has several advantages from your point of view. It not only hides your intentions from other bidders, but if your bid turns out to be the winner, there's no time for the opposition to bid agains you. I've used this strategy often and won nearly every time.

Worry about paying too much? Don't. The auction algorighm used by eBay and others will only autobid for you at the auction minimum increment. Your chance of paying the "maximum you would pay" are small.

For example, suppose the item currently has a high bid (at the one minute mark) of $101.15. and a mininum bid increment of $1.00.

You've decided that the maximum you would pay for this (because you've done your research to ascertain the item's true value to you) is $200.02. When your bid is placed (at the last minute) for $200.02, eBay's autobid procedure will bid $102.15 for you (the minimum increment). If there are no other bidders, you're done and the item is yours for $102.15. But what if there are other bidders?

The current high bidder may have a substantially higher bid already entered than the $101.15 currently shown; you have no way of knowing. But the eBay autobid system "knows" and, as soon as your bid is entered, will bid another $1 for the other guy. And then bid another $1 for you, and so forth until the other chap's high bid had been reached. Then it will bid $1 more for you and the item is yours -- probably for less than your max of $200.02.

What about the two cents? A lot of bidders bid with an odd penny to break any tie with another bidder at the "same" amount. Adding another penny catches such people at their own game!

That's all there is to it. And it removes all the emotion from the process. Emotion (in auctions) is your enemy! Good luck!

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