arenalife

Just bid once and bid last minute with the top amount you'd be happy to win for. If you don't win, it was too much for you and don't sweat it. You'll often get it for far less than your top bid.

Bidding in the days/hours before the end only serves the seller and eBay, it's bad for the buyer. You don't want to give other buyers the chance to think about your higher amount, and that's without getting into competitive bidding wars.