3rd time this week this happened to me, getting really tired of it. All 3 times I was the only bidder and then like the last minute (quite literally) someone (or the sellers buddy or another account) decides to bid on the item cause they don't like the price of it. I think I'm ebayed out.
Usually people snipe ebay bids at the last minute so as not to artificially drive up the price of an item. I suspect that 1/4 of all of ebays bids take place in the last minute of an auction.
+1
When I use ebay, I bid in the last five seconds or not at all. I know what things are worth and I know exactly how much I'm willing to pay. Sniping is the only way to let the chips fall where they may. I get it or I don't. Either outcome is better than letting people sit there and decide they can afford another ten dollars. Bidding early is like waving a giant pricetag telling the rookies how much a game is worth. It's like playing Clue: If you know it's Ms. Scarlet with the candlestick, stopping guessing Ms. Scarlet and the candlestick! Otherwise everyone else at the table will know you're on to something.
I don't understand why people feel like possessions are stolen from them when they're outbid. This premature sense of ownership that high bidders feel is the reason auctions became popular in the first place - it needlessly drives the price up.
I don't mean to sound harsh, Bigus. I hope you find your game and hopefully you weren't sniped by a reseller, but sniping has been around forever. It's easy to do price research these days and it's not like we're chained to a desktop computers with a dial-up modems anymore. Set your limit, bid late, and you'll get better deals. Good luck.