Yes. If y don't buy bids, you can't bid. You need to figure out what you are willing to spend on an item before jumping in. If say, $50.00 is your self imposed limit on an item, watch auctions for that item before you bid in one yourself and see what it actually sells for during the week or a few days before you go after it. If you ar looking at the history of past auctions to find what it typically sells for (the winning auction price) make sure you note the time of day and day of the week. If the item seems to repeatedly goes for $25.00, figure out the price of your bids, then make sure you stop bidding when the item reaches $25.00 and/or sooner, when you have used $25.00 worth of your bids.