Hogspear is entertaining, if nothing else. Sad experience has taught me the two rules of eBay:
1) If you like it (and think you want to buy it), don't mention it to another soul.
2) It ain't over till it's over. The only time to bid is when there is no time for anyone to bid after you.

Others may wax philosophical about bidding strategies, auction mania, feeding frenzies, etc. I figure the safest thing to do is to be absolutely sure you want something, be absolutely ruthless about what you are willing to pay ( no whining when someone else gets it for a nickel more) and then go about the most efficient means of buying it. I haven't used sniper software, but there is very little question that it works. The best buys on eBay are the items that are misdescribed or the ones that somehow get missed otherwise.