When bidding, in order to be successful and get the lowest price possible I follow a few tried and true methods. I realize these tips will not be any news to experienced E-Bayer's, but are meant to help the newbie.

1) First and foremost, the price. If you see an item you would like to bid on, set a price for yourself that is the MOST you are willing to pay for it, and STICK TO IT! Do not allow the excitement of the bidding raise what you feel it's worth! Most of us ( sellers and bidders ) have been caught up in the moment and paid more than we know the item's worth. The max bid you set in your mind may be for many reason's, i.e.: rarity, sentimental value, difficulty in obtaining it near your location, etc...DO NOT put in your max bid just yet. Just keep that figure in mind as the auction progresses.

2) Set your cell phone, p.c., or other device to remind you to check on the status a 1/2 hour or so before the auction is scheduled to end. This is of course assuming you will be able to check on it at that time and not be otherwise indesposed ( vacation, asleep, no access to p.c., etc...). If you know you are not going to be able to watch the last 30 minutes or so, then by all means, put in your max bid at the last possible moment. Some of the reasons I don't bid until very late are; I don't want to call undue attention to the item. There are alot of E-Bayer's that will quick scan the listing's in order to see what's being bid on. If they see a bid, they WILL check it out to see if it's of interest. If it is, at that point, they ( I ) will usualy mark it in their/my "item's I'm watching" section. Alot of times, if there are no bids yet, other's will pass right on by without really looking at the listing. It also helps the other party(s) to guage interest in that item and plan their bid strategie accordingly. If there doesnt appear to be any interest, they just might bid lower or not at all. For example, let's say there are other's interested in the item you are interested in. If all of you hold your cash until the last moment, and your max bid is highest, it doesnt give the others much time to respond. Hence, you have a better chance of winning at a lower cost. The last thing I will do is get into a dollar by dollar bidding war until time expires. As most other's know, waiting until the last possible moment to put in your bid is called "sniping". A hard lesson for the newbie is to watch their coveted item sit for a week at their inital low bid, just to have it taken away at the last moment for 25 cents more. We've ALL been there. Dont let this happen to you.

3) Put as many of the same item your interested in on your watch list. Again, setting alarms/reminders on each. Don't assume you will never see another one like the one your watching. There has been a few times I've been watching, waiting for the right moment to strike, when WHAM! Someone(s) bid way higher than I was willing to go. At that point, I'm done watching that particular item and will delete it. If I have several of the same I'm watching, chances are I'll get it sooner or later. There has been NO time in the past, where "time" was of the essence in winning a particular auction. E-Bay is HUGE. Chances are, you will see that item again. Be patient. Let the other bonehead over pay. It's also handy to check the sellers other listings. Many times, they will be selling several of the same item. 

4) Using "search". Even if your sure you've spelled your item of desire correctly, try several other "mis-spelling's". Surprising how many mis-spelled auctions there are. If you search for "Diamand" ring, and someone has posted their item with this incorrect spelling, you just might be the only bidder because others are looking for "Diamond" ring. Assuming the seller doesnt catch the error and correct it, you have a better chance than you would otherwise. I had a Nissan awhile ago. I would search using combinations such as 300ZX, 300-zx, 300 ZX and "Nisson" 300zx. All brought different results.

5) Before bidding at all, CHECK SELLERS FEEDBACK RATING!!! Personaly, if someone has anything lower than about 97%, I wanna know why. Then, READ the comments ( feedback ). While nobody is perfect, the dishonest ones seem to stand out. If a person has one or two negatives, there just might be a good reason. Read up and decide for yourself. Remember you dont know this person and if successful, you will be sending some of your hard earned money their way. By reading both the positive and negative comments, you can at least get a decent picture. BTW...out of all the E-Baying I've done for several years now, I've only come across 2 people that were screwballs. Last, check if the seller has changed their "user" name. Again, why? Could be legit, but you never know. If your concerned, E-mail them and ask why. If a person takes offense or refuses to give details, their off my list. Usualy, an honest person is glad for the chance to clear up any confusion or concerns.

6) Dont just look at the price, CHECK THE SHIPPING $$$. As E-Bay keeps increasing their fee's, more and more people are setting the opening bid at next to nothing and their shipping/handling at what they want out of the item in the first place. For example: 21" flat screen monitor! Opening bid: .99 cents., shipping $179.00. Nothing wrong with this, just check it out. If the seller does not show the shipping, E-mail him/her for the exact cost for shipping and handling to whatever your zip code is. If they can't/won't give you that, DONT BID!!! I made the mistake of not asking for shipping charges once. I paid dearly, but that was MY fault. That said, dont E-mail someone for shipping charges or other details with only hours to go. Most people wont bother to respond at that point. Can't say I blame them. I'm not sitting by the PC waiting for every question. As a seller, I check daily, but don't count on getting info at zero hour. Lastly, don't begrudge a person a few bucks for their time to box it up and send it on it's way, but again, you need to know the EXACT shipping/handling cost.

7) Dont fall for 2nd chance offers. There are some legitimate ones out there, but the chance of getting hoaxed are too high for me. I have come across a couple of sellers that will have their buddy's bid up an item if their worried it may sell too low. E-Bay frowns upon this type of fraud ( it's called "shilling" ), but it happens. E-Bay can't check out all the sellers all the time. Doing the homework is YOUR responsibilty. If  I'm contemplating buying from someone I'm unsure of, I'll check their past feedback for sales over a period of time to the same person. It may very well be that this is a preferred seller of the other person, then again, it could be their best friend. Doesnt hurt to check. Trust your feeling's Luke! There are scammers that will watch auctions to see who "looses" and then send them a very convincing looking E-mail pretending to be the seller. These E-mails prey on peoples greed by telling them that the winning bid is now null and void, and if you want it you can have it for your high bid or there abouts. Best practice: Dont accept 2nd chance offers. There WILL be more of that item.

8) A last tip. I will usually enter an odd amount for my bid that is a few cents over the dollar. For example, I'll make my max. bid amount $10.06, not just $10.00. I've won and lost bids before over the few odd cents. It's not a sure way to win, but anything reasonable you can do to increase your odds you should do.

Books have been written on how to E-Bay. I could turn this into a book as well. I will update/edit this as I can, but remember...Use common sense, dont get greedy, be patient, and happy E-Baying!