How can you tell if an Ebay item is being sniped?

There were no bids on the item up untill the last minute, then I entered a bid to find I had been outbid just then, a second after. So, I bid again and again (I have a fast internet connection) there in the last few seconds, only to be outbid each and every time by the same user. Even in the last couple of seconds my bid was outdone by this user on this seemingly unwanted item…

Was it sniped by a bot? Or do people in general wait until the very end of an auction and go at an item like a crazed maniac? (Like I apparently did).