I would have won this item but the bid failed to go through because of an expired permission that I wasn't even aware of (looked through the supposed "bullet proof" list) and now I just want to know how to test to make sure it's actually going to function for me the next time at all.

Hello Nick,
Thank you for your question about testing your login credentials. You can snipe any item for less than its current price. If it says you bid too low, you're ok. If it says your authorization is expired, it's not ok.
Please let us know if you have any other questions. We welcome any follow-up comments or suggestions you may have.