eBay & The Economy

I'm not sure if this is a fact, or even an educated hypothesis, but it seems to me that the ending prices of cards bought and sold on eBay is going up. For the past few months, there were great deals to be had, and I took full advantage, especially since I was home and jobless at the time. The past week or so I have noticed that every card I bid on ends up increasing to a price that I feel is too much to pay. We all have that price point in our minds that we just won't go over, no matter how much you might want that card. I'm not sure if this is a result of a spike in interest in Nick Markakis cards, the fact that baseball season is alive and well, or if it's a sign of something bigger, like this "economic downturn" possibly coming to an end. Just now, while typing this post, I got outbid and lost an auction for a Markakis gold refractor. Cards were selling for practically peanuts back in January & February, at least from my observation, and now I can't win a damn thing.

If you're a seller, this is awesome, and you're probably loving life right now. As a buyer, I obviously am not. While it's great if does in fact turn out to be a sign of the economy turning itself around, it still sucks for me since I can't keep growing my Markakis collection without spending more than I want to. I'm going to guess that it's probably a combination of the economy starting to recover, and baseball season being in full swing (pun intended). I mean, I found a job last week, so the economy as a whole has to be improving, right? It's possible people could be showing an increased interest in Nick Markakis, he has been on a tear so far this year. The only cards I really bid on are his, and other Orioles, so I really can't say if this is a widespread phenomenon.

Has anyone else experienced this, or am I slowly going insane?

UPDATE: A few minutes after posting this, I won an '07 Ultimate Collection Markakis auto for less than $8. I'm going to go ahead and shut up now.