I always snipe, although when I am not paying enough attention, I frequently miss the end of the auction:).
I have only bid early on 2 auctions, the first I did not read the description fully and ended up paying far more than the item was worth, the second occasion was because I really wanted the item and the early bid may have given my bid precedence if it came to a tie at the end, as it happens I had to snipe at the end and left it too late and lost the item.
