Everything you need to know is already posted in this thread so I guess I already have. If you want help beyond that, you're gonna need to work on not being so sarcastic for no apparent reason. I only do favors for people I like and a string of snide, smug comments doesn't score you any points with me.

That's an understatement.

Me too, but if the bid you enter is actually the most you're willing to pay, then it's easier to swallow because the winner ends up paying more than your max, so even though you lost the item, you can still walk away from it feeling okay about it.

agreed.........

We have something like that over here but its called trade-me.
Usually the case, the seller or his friends are the ones doing the bidding ..in a hope that the buyer will go higher..[ a few have been caught out like that]
I refuse to buy from those places anymore..sometimes the prices are ridiculous..
especially for phones and computer shit.

Yep.

AuctionSniper all the way for me.

If my Dad's selling scuba diving equipment and it's not going for much he tends to do that. Gets his brother to place a bid.

..and what happens when nobody tops his brothers bid?

That hasn't happened yet. But what probably would happen is he would keep it and his brother would leave him feedback.

thats pretty messed up.

Yeh. I don't know. Come to think of it, the feedback thing is pretty unlikely because if he did that he'd do it all the time. I'm not sure.

I rarely bother with Ebay...too much hassle. I know you can get awesome deals, but honestly? The stuff I like to buy isn't expensive enough for me to really care. Plus, its way too easy to get ripped off.