This is going to be short, but informative I hope! The rush of the auction is a blast admittedly. However, it is dangerous especially for those of you that hate to loose. Last night I found myself in a "bidding war" and I ultimately was the winner from 15 min. to close to 30 sec. to close. Yes, I was out bid by $20.00 and lacked the amount of time to place the higher bid required to win. I would have been more than willing to spend another $100 dollars+, but instead the auction was over and I lost. No big deal, but I still kept help but wonder what I could have done differently to make sure I won. Sure, I could have entered some exorbitant amount three days prior to the expiration, but who is to say I want to pay that especially if the bidding actually gets that high. If someone knows of a way to monitor how many and which buyers are monitoring the same listing at the close, please let me know. Until then, the best one can do it seems to me is to either have several computers up and running with higher bids and constantly refresh the browser or adjusts the browser to refresh accordingly. I will not lie, with thirty seconds to go, I was sure I had won. When the higher bid came in, those thirty seconds seemed like 1 second. I was so excited and nervous that I didn't know what button to hit first to make a higher bid which again I was more than willing to do. The last minute bidding is the essence of what drives buyers, sellers, and ultimately the entire process. Sure, I have a store with eBay, but my action thus far has been in the auction format and I understand very clearly why. So for you buyers that are like me and love to wait until the last minute because as we all know this is when bargains can be purchased and bargain hunters can be left with their heads itching which will inevitably lead to the old fashion, "I'm confused so I'll scratch my forehead gesture". Best advice I can give and the same advice will be followed by yours truly in the future. YES, FEEL OUT THE BIDDING, SEE IF THERE IS A FRONT RUNNER THAT MORE LIKELY THAN NOT HAS A HIGH BID $500+ WHAT THE CURRENT BIDDING IS SHOWING. Once this is discovered and one can ascertain whether there is in fact a bargain to be had get ready for war. YES, YES, YES, WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE HAVE AT LEAST THREE COMPUTERS LINED UP FOR THE CHALLENGE AND POSSIBLY MORE THAN JUST YOU IN OPERATION. WHEN YOU SEND IN YOUR BID, INSTANTANEOUSLY SEND ANOTHER, AND THEN ANOTHER, THIS IS A SURE FIRE WAY OF WINNING THE ODDS. Sure, you will lose, but not as bad as I did last night. "I felt like a sitting duck and this guy comes out of nowhere and he was clearly more seasoned and prepared than I was, not monetarily, but strategically, and that is what makes this so much fun. Hopefully, we'll get to do it again. Until next time, Jason