missed buying opportunities

Dave43, you know you can Snipe ebay auctions, that way you set your bid and it will place bid for you in the last momemnts?

I used to also schedule my day around auction ending times.

For eBay auctions like that, sign up and use a service called eSnipe. It's not a guarantee, but it's the best thing out there for situations like the one you described.

Mine is just a small item...someone was selling their small Sistrum amp stands for $250 for a pair. He'd put his phone number on the listing (here on A'gon). They'd already been sold, only ten minutes after listing them. I think I was among the first five to contact the seller. Not good enough.

Marco

You should start using a bid program such as esnipe. You put in the most you are willing to pay and it bids for you.
Don't ever regret what you didn't get. Something else always comes along.