Outsmarting the Competition on eBay

You're not a loser if you lost at eBay. You just don't know the fine art of sneaky bidding, otherwise known as educated bidding. Sports teams study

their rivals, and political candidates scout out what the opposition is doing. Bidding in competition against other bidders is just as serious an enterprise. What you need is a strong bidding strategy to help you outsmart the competition and win more auctions.

Your two cents does matter — at least at eBay. Here's why: Many eBay members tend to round off their bids to the nearest dollar figure. Some choose nice, familiar coin increments like 25, 50, or 75 cents. But the most successful bidders at eBay have found that adding two or three cents to a routine bid can mean the difference between winning and losing. Get in the habit of making your bids in oddish figures, like $15.02 or $45.57, as an inexpensive way to edge out your competition. For the first time ever, your two cents may actually pay off!

That's just one of the many strategies to get you ahead of the rest of the bidding pack without paying more than you should. Note: The following strategies are for bidders who are tracking an item over the course of a week or so, so be sure you have time to track the item and plan your next moves. Also, get a few auctions under your belt before you throw yourself into the middle of a bidding war.