Automatic eBay bidding with JBidWatcher
I found a neat little program, with which you can monitor eBay auctions and make a last minute bid, or actually even last second bid 
It is called JBidWatcher, and is available for Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
I have installed it on Ubuntu, using the help provided in this thread over at the Ubuntu Forums.
This is an updated version of that post:
Requirements: you must have the Sun version of Java installed.
1. Download the latest version of JBidWatcher (2.5.3pre3) here, but you may want to have a look on the official website to see if a new version has been released int he meantime… If there is a newer version available please leave a comment to let me know.
2. You can install JBidWatcher anywhere, I created a directory /usr/local/share/java and copied it there.
# sudo mkdir /usr/local/share/java
# sudo cp JBidWatcher-0.9.9.jar /usr/local/share/java
3. Make a bash script to run it.
# sudo gedit /usr/local/bin/jbidwatcher
and paste the following:
java -jar /usr/local/share/java/JBidWatcher-0.9.9.jar
Make the script executable:
# sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/jbidwatcher
You are almost set. Just run from command line
# jbidwatcher
and enter your ebay user name and password.
4. You can make a .desktop file for JBidWatcher to have it in your menu:
# sudo gedit /usr/local/share/applications/jbidwatcher.desktop
and insert the following text:
Encoding=UTF-8
Name=JBidWatcher
Comment=Ebay watching and bidding tool
Exec=jbidwatcher
Icon=jbidwatch.xpm
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Categories=Utility
GenericName=JBidWatcher
It is up to you where to store jar file, the author suggests your home dir.
The site has a Quick Start Guide, available here
Enjoy! 
2625
It is indeed usefull, but it would’ve been better if I could run it on my gui-less server… That way even if i’m not home and my laptop is off, it still works :>
It’s a bit of work, but if you got a server… why not setup a virtual machine, install an OS with a GUI, install JBidWatcher on it, and then remote into it with your laptop when needed?
Also, you could have a look (google) at a Free VPS. There are a few companies out there that offer very low spec free VPS, that would be sufficient to install an OS with a GUI and run JBidWatcher on it