Sellers cannot see your highest bid. They *could* increase the bidding by using shill accounts, but that's against eBay's TOS.

Hot Rod is correct.

It's also typical for bidders to put in bids on software that bids in the last few seconds of an auction. It's called "sniping". ☺ Bidders bid high, in the last few seconds and the bid can all of a sudden be outlandish, when seconds before it had been almost free. ☺ Or...you might get a deal! Good luck!

nicole - I want this collectible so bad!! I just don't want to be outbid so I went cray cray...

cray cray is OK! ☺ I always try to think how I would feel if a $5 higher bid gets my faucet or kitchen sink and I have to start ALL over. ☺ I purchased my collection of Van Briggle Pottery on Ebay.

If the item is something I really, really want, I figure out the highest price I'm willing to pay and then enter it at 8 seconds until the end of the auction. I don't like putting a high price in before the end because if it's a popular item, people will tend to keep putting in bids to be the best bid. I've never tried a sniping service. I just do it myself.

I dislike Ebay. I've used it very occasionally (not even once a year) to buy used electronic devices I like that are no longer being produced. I've usually been able to find what I want, and sometimes they were refurbished (a plus) but as time passes these few particular things are more difficult to obtain.

The experience and the sellers seem sketchy to me and these particular items are clearly overpriced. But supply and demand being what they are, you pay what you have to pay to get what's otherwise difficult to find. I always have used Buy It Now. If it's a bid situation, I move on.

I'm not a bargain hunting hound and it amuses me how many people describe having successfully bid on something to be a Win. As in, "I won this on Ebay".

seagrass here - Elmer, my eBay purchases aren't contemporary stuff. I have a 30+ year collection of souvenirs that usually fly under the radar on eBay. My collection is tastefully displayed and integrated into my interior design, the pieces live with me and remind me of times gone by...

I haven't bid on anything on Ebay for years ; now I only look at buy it now items. An old friend and auction buyer taught me a valuable lesson. He said to set an amount that you willing to pay for something and don't ever go over that amount. We both were resellers at the time, and resellers usually won't pay more than 50% of the resell value for an item. Seagrass, I hope the other bidders are resellers, and not collectors like you. Good luck !

"set an amount that you willing to pay for something and don't ever go over that amount."

I don't think there's anything Ebay-specific about this thought. Isn't this what most people do when they're buying items of any kind from any kind of seller or retail source?

I'll buy from eBay if/when they offer a lower price than Amazon but it seems they rarely do. At least on the things I've looked for.

I've bought essential oils, lavender and tea tree.

And I've bought older (pre made in China) backpacking stoves. But now I have too many so I don't look anymore.

The only time I've sold anything is when REI sent me the wrong package. I had ordered a titanium mug, was watching tracking, and was really looking forward to getting it. When it arrived, the mug was two pairs of women's Kurl pants. The invoice was for the pants, sold to a lady in California. Oops. They told me to keep them or give them away so... I sold them on eBay. :)

Seagrass, I hope you come back and tell us what you collect after the auction is over. I’m curious (nosey). Have you searched Etsy for your collectable?

I generally use buy it now or make an offer if the item has a reasonable price these days.

Once someone has bid on an item the Buy It Now feature ends. If there are no bids I will put in an early low bid. If there are already bids in I do nothing. I wait until the end of the auction and bid at the last minute(s). Heck I used to bid in the last 20 seconds if the item was running hot. I always know what I am willing to pay, factoring in the cost of shipping. That is my bid. Sometimes I will bid a few cents higher. I never bid in round dollars. Always add some odd cents. That could mean the difference between losing and winning. Heck I used to bid in the last 20 seconds. But never over what the item was worth to me. Set your price and stick to it.

Maddilee - I will let you know. Yes - I have looked on Etsy from time to time but I've never found what I'm looking for.

Try leavng a bid with an extra two or three cents over the dollar amount. Haven’t done ebay recently but it helped me snipe items in the past to offset those last second bids.