>>I try to be fair and place normal proxy bids and will often just let an item go when I am outbid.

Why do you think that it is more fair to bid early? High bid wins regardless of when they are placed.

I place normal proxy bids as well, I just do it with 6 seconds left.

The only time I bid at the beginning of an auction is when the opening bid is my high bid, in which case it makes no sense to wait.