As seller and buyer,I have different opinions on sniping.
I think that if you are a buyer that it is not great strategy to bid early on an item.We all [bold]have bid on an item early, and perhaps have left a good size bid only to have someone out there with with deep pockets, or a "I am going to beat this guy no matter what attitude" who will keep on bidding simply to outbid you. This person may not even know the true value of the item but figures that if there is a bid that high then it must be worth it.Basically,in this scenario,against this type of bidder,you will not get this item unless you go back and do the same thing to him. Another bad reason for the early bid is that there are people out there who are too lazy to look up their own items and will key on one or more competitors to see what they are bidding on at the moment and then will go in at the last moment and snipe the auction with seconds left.Basically they are letting others do their work for them and then they are reaping the reward.

Years ago I collected sterling and celluloid advertising bookmarks.There were several collectors out there who would spend hours combing through auctions looking for these and then they would place bids on them.This was before eBay had the "items I am watching" feature so buyers had to place small bids just so they could keep track of everything.I stumbled across these collectors/bidders and I would bookmark their pages so that I could see everything they had bids on and then I would swoop in at the last minute and snipe their items.(And no...I didn't feel bad....not even remotely...about doing this).
Some did catch on,and started to wait until the last few minutes to bid so it made it harder for me and others to snipe their auctions.

There are still bidders out there who will try to track other buyers bidding habits, so I think that most times,the snipe saves you money.
Now I go in during the last few seconds and leave my max.If I get it...great...and if I don't...there will always be another sale to win.

NOW...as a seller....I hate sniping! As a seller I think that sniping in the last minute causes me to lose money and I do think that if a bid comes in the last two minutes of a sale,that the aution should be extended for an extra 5 minutes to give the sniper a chance to get outsniped but I have discussed this issue before and it falls on deaf ears.

I also get apprehensive about my auctions even getting bids.Most bids on an item come in the last few hours of a sale(except for chips...that is so strange),so...for the first few days I always wonder if my item will even sell.It almost always does,but it drives me crazy...and then those snipers come in at the last moment and all is well.

As for being outsniped by another member: well...them's the breaks.If they want it more than I do then they are more than welcome to it as I have set my limit. Like I said....there will always be another thing to bid on.