I have noticed a lot of similar behavior. Many bidders seem to have no concept even of regular "street" prices for items, let alone average prices on eBay. They also evidently lack the patience to wait for another auction. I recently bought a Rex 6000 PDA after a couple of weeks of monitoring auctions and placing bids. This item is discontinued, but there are still a couple of retail web sites that sell it for around $100.00. The recent sale prices on eBay for a new, sealed-in-the-box unit range from $66.00 to $102.50 less shipping. (I paid $71.00 and might have won the $66.00 auction if my AuctionSniper bid had gone through.) Those bidding $80.00 or more for the Rex evidently were completely unaware that the same item was available on eBay for a set "Buy-It-Now" price of $79.50 (since increased to $85.00; 37 still available). As a buyer, I find it frustrating to see people bidding up prices unnecessarily, but I guess it's great for sellers.