I didn't know much about this since when I work with eBay I'm using a Mac, but my pal Chuck Eglinton, who runs Bidrobot.com, was happy to field this auction-related question:

Yes, I've heard of Nabit, but I've never used it. Nabit allows you to track eBay item auctions and to place bids without having to navigate to eBay with your Internet browser.

Nabit is an eBay compatible application which means that its purpose and connection methods have been reviewed and approved by eBay. I've not heard of any virus infections caused by Nabit or by any eBay compatible applications. I'm sure you know that keeping an anti-virus program installed and up to date is always a good idea regardless of the programs you install.

Nabit is of greatest value to frequent eBay users who are tracking a lot of auctions. However, if you don't use eBay a lot, or if you don't track a lot of auctions, then there is no reason to clutter your desktop and your computer's hard drive with a program that mostly duplicates a watch list you can see directly at eBay.

To see your eBay watch list, click "My eBay" then click the "Watching" link. You can save the eBay "watching" link in your browser bookmarks or favorites. You won't see the auction status all the time, like you would if you installed Nabit, but you can use this link to ebay to check your watch list whenever you like and you'll have one less computer program running on your desktop.

Which leads me to this point: Using an application like "Nabit" to watch auction bidding isn't necessarily a good idea if you want the best deal. You don't simply want to win the auction as the highest bidder, you want to win your item at a fair, unemotional, price.

You can quickly and easily find out the typical, fair price for most items if you use eBay's Advanced Search tool. You'll find eBay's "Advanced Search" link at the upper right corner of the eBay home page. Click it, then perform your search with the "completed listings only" checkbox enabled. Use the recent closing bid prices to decide what your own reasonable maximum bid amount should be.

Place your bid using eBay's bid button, or better yet, using an automated snipe program. After you've set your bid, forget about watching the auctions and forget about getting into an emotional bidding war with bidders who are willing to bid too much. Of course the "stick to your price" strategy doesn't work for rare one-of-a-kind auction items, but it does work for the majority of items that are offered over-and-over again on eBay. Also, keep in mind that you are more likely to win an item for a fair price if you bid on the auctions that end when most live-bidders are away from their computers, like in the middle of the week or in the middle of the night.

Nabit will allow you to place bids from your desktop but it does not automatically place bids for you in the final moments of the auction. Also, Nabit cannot place bids for you if you are away from your computer, or if your computer is disconnected from the Internet. If you're interested in how automated bidding program can save you time and money, perform a search for eBay snipe programs or check out my www.BidRobot.com website.

Thanks, Chuck!