Not too long ago Ebay changed their bidding policies for last minute bidding and now the auctions can run longer than the set closing time if there is activity, unless that changed again. Helps the seller get a few more dollars, helps Ebay get a few more dollars, and whacks the sniperbot users by driving the price up a bit higher until everyone's max is reached except the last one. You pay, then you pay some more.

I've bid early, won some, lost some. I've snipped in the closing minutes of an auction, won some, lost some. Thinking about it I don't think I've bid on or sold anything in well over a year or two on Ebay. Craigslist is what I've been using lately.