BTW, I always bid my maximum and don’t bother with sniping. Doesn’t stop me winning things I want at reasonable prices.
It depends how much I want something. If I’m half interested I just put a sensible bid in, always with a few odd pence at the end. If I really want it then I will use the 2 window technique (together with an odd amount) to keep an idea on how things are going, just make sure you get to the final “do you really want to bid window” otherwise you can end up verifying your account which means you will lose. It’s always better to just wait until the last few seconds, even if it’s your first bid on the item (that way you are not chasing the price up and telling somebody else you are interested).
I’ve lost interest in ebay recently (I was a real addict a few years ago). I think there are too many shops and dealers on the site now which you have to struggle through. That said I’ve got some great buys over the years and sold a pile of stuff that would have gone to the tip (I once got £175 for a childs wooden playhouse that I thought I would need to chop up and burn).