I sell a lot on eBay (I sell under two different user names, both PowerSeller accounts) and an occasional buyer. If I want an item being sold via a normal auction-style listing - i.e. not a fixed-price Buy It Now auction - I never ever place a bid until the closing seconds. You are doing yourself no favors by bidding earlier. I use auctionstealer.com to place my bids, they give you up to 3 free bids per week and their default snipe time frame for free users is approximately 12 to 15 seconds before auction end.