I have bid on eBay with 10 seconds left, without any extra software. It is very easy to do.
If you have a slow internet feed it is a bit of a risk because of the delays. But I think you can bid upto the last second just using the normal eBay platform.
Why would anyone place a bid ten days before the sale ends, that is just going to allow others to beat you by $5 or less. It may pay to make an early low bid to show some interest so the item is not withdrawn. A long lead time gives potential buyers time to do some research and see the product, so it is useful. I think it is a mistake to enter a high bid too early, that will just allow unscrupulous people who may or may not be connected to the seller to push up the price.
And what is wrong with waiting for the last minute, do we have to let someone else win just because they bid ten days ago or they put in a automatic bid so they could sleep through the end? Technology allows buyers to bid up until the last second, so buyers take advantage of the opportunity.
If you see an item on eBay you actually want to buy, as opposed to an item you just want to look at and post a comment on a bulletin board, set yourself up to be online and awake for the last 5 minutes of the auction. Avoid doing stuff that lets anyone else know you are following the item, like bookmarking or putting on a watch list. Write down the details on paper. Monitor the item using the simplest method and don't set reminders and stuff. Then turn on eBay with 600 seconds to go and set up to place your maximum bid. It may be too expensive so you have to drop out, or it may still be affordable. At about 30 seconds start to enter your max bid and get ready to hit the send button at around 20 - 10 seconds. All you need is $1 more than everyone else and you win.
Monitor the other bids and try to work out what their max is and beat it by say $5, often its not hard if you are taking notice. If you can afford the outlay, make your max bid $5 higher.
If you get outbid at 10 seconds. If you can afford it, be prepared to increase your bid, you can still do this with 10 seconds (or less) left if you have a fast internet connection. But, you have to work out how much you can afford before you open eBay to do the final buying. Write it down and keep it in front of you so in the excitement you do not over commit.
eBay is set up to buy and sell product. If you follow the rules and are honest, you are allowed to take advantage of all of the features. Both buyers and sellers are allowed to work within the rules. You can call it "Sniping" which seems to have a negative feeling, or you can just work with the rules and focus on the goal, IE buying or selling a product.
If you are looking to buy more expensive items, avoid making your first buy or sell an expensive item. Pick up or sell some cheaper things to learn how it works.
No matter what you are buying on eBay it is likely that there is a community of watchers, like UU, following that item. Expect that it will be mentioned on bulletin boards you have never heard of. Work out how much the item is worth to you, avoid the opinion of experts but use their opinions as guidance only. If you want something enough, it does not matter if the experts told you that you paid too much, or sold it for too little. Most "experts" like to buy low and sell high and they are in the on-line communities watching eBay and other selling platforms, specialising in the item you are interested in. I have cause a stir in the price of some typewriters for a week because I just paid the highest price and ignored the advice of the "experts", now I have typewriters and they don't.
