We're not all rich and retired ....auctions end at all times of the day. If you're a working man and you neeeeeeeed something that closes at 12:00 noon,,,,or 00:02, chances aren't all that good that you have much of a chance without a program.

And other people have 3 or more "pages" of bids at a time...VERY hard to keep track of all the closing auctions. MUCH easier to bid the max that you are willing to pay right when you first see the chip.

I have never used a progam, but recently have been sniped several times. You can view a snipe program by doing a ebay search, and buy a good one for under $10, that would once again level the playing field