I am really starting to hate E-Bay

[turpin]

Agreed. I felt the same way, hanging out trying to get the lowest price possible, and missing out at the last second. Then I discovered the automatic bidding function, which has a lot of advantages. You decide the most you want to pay and put that bid in. Ebay bids automatically for you according to pre-set bid increments, and keeps you updated as the bid price approaches your maximum, or if you win or lose. The key is to look at what other similar or identical items have sold for and put in a bid in that range. You will only pay whatever the auction raises the bid to, not necessarily your maximum.

Check out some of the buying tutorials for more info. Ebay can be a good friend. The key is to know the value of what you're bidding on. Don't hesitate to aske the sellers questions.

[Kilted in Maine]

I know about the automatic bidding and should have made better use of it.

My first "loss" was a kilt pin that had no bids at all. I had been eyeing it for a couple of days leading up the the end of the auction. I was also watching the counter and there were no additional views. So, I thought I was a shoe-in, placed a bid and lost it when some one swooped in literally "seconds" before the close.

The second was a kilt that I did use the automatic bidding and actually increased my max (problem btwn "what I want to pay" and "what I can justify to the wife"). I went beyond the later. Again, this was minutes before closing came in and won it.

You are right, probably lost for a reason - must keep looking!