I do both ...
I bid early with the amount I'd LIKE to pay ... then I'll wait till the last 15 seconds to submit my MAXIMUM bid if necessary ...
However, I _never_ bid to just to get above the reserve price ... I bid what I want ... if the seller wants to offer a second chance, then I may negotiate ... This works REALLY well, when buying vehicles from dealers (Three cars so far, all for under the reserves, let alone the book values)
@shley