Auctions can be great places to get bargains -- and if too many people get caught up in the frenzy of an auction everyone but the seller/consignor and the auctioneer will lose. And by that I mean the bidders can cut each others throats and their own throats by bidding too much and too fast.

So what tips do you have for winning at auctions?

The one tip I try to follow is that after I carefully price something I really want i "jump my bid" and that means I bid more than the current bid. This might show others that I'm serious about winning the item and they don't stand a chance to outbid me and it also might show that I have deeper pockets and I'm not afraid to outbid any competitors.

Here's how jumping the bids might work. Say the auctioneer is seeking a bid at $25 and the auction calls for bids at $5 increments. I have done my research and I know that the item is worth $100 and is likely to sell for that -- so I put in my bid at $80 jumping the bids from $25 and dazzling anyone else who might consider a bid at $30.