Saved by the bid

I've been there too.... and on the other side as well.... regretting that I didn't place that one more bid to win it. 

They say it all works out in the end.

It's happened to me a few times too.

The thing is, you don't really know if it's just 'one more bid' you should have gone. They other bidders might have set their limit a lot higher than your next bid.

If there's one thing I've learnt about Ebay, it's to decide - well in advance of the auction's closing time - what your maximum bid is going to be. If it gets beat, so be it. If you're sat there in the last minute or so trying to win the item, you get caught up in the thrill of the auction and more often than not, you'll end up paying too much.

And sometimes it gets ridiculous. I've been watching the prices used Canon 50mm EF f1.8 lenses are fetching - quite a few of them are fetching in excess of £70 + postage! When you glance over at Amazon, you can buy a brand spanking new one for a little over £80 with free p&p. What possesses people to buy the former?

Yup - decide what you're willing to pay and never place a bid more than 3 seconds before the auction closes. That's my MO. I've never overpaid for something ever using that technique (as there's no time to get caught up in the madness) and got a few bargains as well.

Most important never ever, ever visit eBay while drunk.....the crap I've bought not following that advice.