Reply to "Research your purchases- it will save you money"

Unlike ClearYourMind, I'm the sort who targets what he wants and then goes after it. Of course, the kind of things I buy aren't often found on eBay at all, let alone two or more at one time.

There are other things you can do besides search for the lowest asking price and researching the sellers before deciding on an item to snipe. If others have bid on an item it's both interesting and useful to research their bidding records. Is any of them a sniper? What's his snipe timing? Does he bid "in the open" and then lie in wait with a snipe at the end? Does he bid in increments, sort of climbing up until he tops his opposition, or does he come in slam-bang with a whopper bid at the last moment? What seems to be his maximum bid on a certain type of item? All of this information is grist for the veteran sniper's mill, and it's certainly a big advantage.