There are many things I consider when deciding 
how to bid, or even if I'm going to bid at all.

1. Accessability.

Where is the auction? What kinds of payment are 
accepted? Does the seller ship internationally? 
These all answer how easy it will be for someone 
else to bid/win. I can judge who is my competition
and how strong my position is against them.

2. Ease of bidding.

Basically: When does the auction end? All agree 
babysitting auctions is advantageous, but it's an 
advantage if others *can't* be (or probably 
aren't) babysitting it for some reason.

3. Cost of aquisition.

What are the shipping costs? Will I need to pay a 
deputy? Are other fees involved? These costs cut 
into the bidding power I have at my disposal.

4. Other bidder hosers.

Is there any reason the auction might not be seen 
by, or be less attractive to, other bidders? Is 
it mislisted under the wrong title or catagory? 
Does it have a short run? Are other big ticket 
items for auction at the same time?

Generally, the less I have in my favor, the more 
insistant I am about sniping. The more I have in 
my favor, the more likely I am to bid a little 
before the end with a relatively high bid (still 
under my maximum).

Of course, how much I want something also plays a 
role. If I'm only some interested and don't have 
much in my favor, I might not bid at all. But the 
more I want it, the more aggressive I get. If I 
want something badly, I'll usually place a small 
bid as soon as I see it, then bid a little before 
the end (as I mentioned above), AND snipe.

Many Sharp Smiles,
--Drac