I never bid on anything until the last 3 seconds of an auction. I use
https://esnipe.com .
Enter the auction number, the max you will pay, and the number of seconds prior to end time to bid.( you must enter your ebay id and password as well)
There is a fee that works out to be $1 per 100(25 cent minimum), $10 maximum of end price but they offer a 14 day free trial