You cannot tip your hand. Know your top price, wait until 1 minute before ending, enter your halfway bid. 15 seconds before close enter your 3/4 bid to be sure. If no one else bids you'll get it for the half way bid. If someone else enters a bid, your 3/4 bid will automatically counter theirs and only go up to the next level. So, unless theirs is higher than your 3/4 ... you'll win every time. You have to snipe in ebay ... if you don't it is likely you won't win.