Anybody has the opportunity to bid at any point during the auction, they have exactly the same opportunity to bid throughout the auction no matter what you do (even if you have zero interest or don’t even know it exists).
Literally nothing you do or don’t do affects others opportunity to bid.
If you bid the maximum you are willing to pay immediately - you win if no body out bids you.
You lose if someone outbids you.
You have admitted that when you snipe you up your bid ergo sniping inflates the price.
You have won auctions at low bids - because no body else outbid you.
If you bid your maximum - the highest “you” can drive the price is one bid increment higher (to outbid you)
If you snipe with a “play the system” increment (to beat the bidder who values the item the same as you)
you can drive up the price by your “pts” increment plus a standard bid increment.
When several snipers “play the game” there is the chance of a couple of them being “really clever” and sniping with a “silly” amount - so the £50 item goes for a few hundred/thousands* (plus a few pence ;-) )
I am happy if you want to keep sniping despite the facts that you provide.
* Not all snipers honour these silly bids - but technically they are a legal contract that can (technically) be enforced by law…… not practically but hey ho!
I once sold some thing I valued at about £20 for £157 - the £157 bid was definitely sniping.
BUT the guy paid - so maybe it was just my valuation that was wrong!
I did once sell a porcelain ornament for £500 when I expected about £30….. that was definitely my “not knowing” and a viable selling price :-)
Fortunately we had bought a few similar ornaments as a job lot in a (real) auction - 4 in all hidden by an awful chalk/china kitchen pot… Happy Days!!!