I was under the impression that the purpose of an auction was the seller trying to maximize his selling price over what he could possibly realise in a private sale.
The buyer on the other hand wants to buy the item as cheaply as possible

There is no advantage to get into a bidding war at the beginning.
As a buyer, all it could possibly do is cost you more money.
On the other hand, you could very easily utilize the proxy bid system. By entering your MAXIMUM bid you would demonstrate the MAXIMUM YOU would pay.
If someone outbids you at the end by "legitimate" bid or through a snipe program, what is YOUR complaint?
Sounds like SOUR GRAPES to me.