Posted By:
Steve M.The new system doesn't really bother me much.
If its shill bidding you are concerned about there's not much you can do about it anyway. I suspect that it goes on not only on eBay but at the big auction houses as well. If you stick to a price you are comfortable with and look carefully at the seller's feedback that's probably enough protection.
I do not like to bid against my Net54 friends. I check items early and often to see who is bidding. Unless it is a high price item and hits $200 off the bat I can generally pick up on who has interest in the item. If it is one of you I might send an email asking just how interested you are. If your interest appears greater than mine I will just hold off. For example I generally will not bid on PCL catchers as I know Patrick needs them more than me. When in doubt I will just shoot him an email.
Admitedly the new system makes it more difficult to see what a particular bidder is bidding on. I used to check several bidders from time to time to see what they had picked up on. Can't do that now as once an item hits $200 it will not appear on his bidder page. But you know there are bidders who will never bid on an item prior to putting in a snipe bid at the end. I think we all know who they are. 
Ted: Since you know who the winner is you can still contact him/her to see if they will break a lot.