Strange things going on at ebay.

[steel_9528]

This is about auctions. I recently bid on an item. I bid $10. A couple of days later I thought the item might go higher. So, I made my max bid of $20. I repeat MAX BID, $20.! For however long the auction lasted the bids never went over $10. Matter of fact there were no other bids. At the last second the bid was made for $45. Remember my max bid was $20. According to ebay my max bid was $45. I never changed my max bid. How did it get changed? I'm wondering if a person who's auctioning off something can see how the auction is going and say, have a separate account and can make a high bid in order to get more money for their junk? If they could see that the item was going to go for $10, then at the last second make a bid that would beat "my" bid. Even though my max bid was $20.  So how did my max bid get changed to begin with? If someone had bid $45 then they could have it. I wasn't worth that much to me. So, can a seller change my max bid? Then bid just high enough to lose the auction but to increase the price of the item. If that's going on it has to be someone working for EBAY. I hope that's not the case. I called ebay, they told me that the high bid was made from my device. That's not at all true. My PC and only I can use it. All my passwords are private. Besides it's just my wife and I here, no one else.  BIG LIES all around. I feel like I've been scammed.

[12345jamesstamps]

Just a thought...maybe seller blocked you before auction ended. It does happen.

[steel_9528]

Then how did I win the auction? I shouldn't have won because my max bid was only $20. Some bid $45, which would have beat my bid. Somehow my max bid was changed. I didn't do it. So, since they didn't bid say 46 dollars they lost to me. We're talking last second here. Again, my max bid was $20. It never went over $10, until the last second.  If I got blocked, I would not have won. I shouldn't have won anyway. Someone working for ebay must be helping the seller out. It's a scam. Anyone looking at the bids could see what I mean. 

[cardsforauction]

There are a few possibilities what could have happened:

1. Someone has access to your account (household or hacker)

2. You forgot you put in a Max Bid earlier

3.  The seller sent you an offer or you got an Automatic Offer from the seller and you accepted

4.  You have set up an automatic bid system that bids for you (which your not aware of ??)

5.  What you said happened which means you need to report this and ask for a further investigation (maybe true or false)

I've had eBay sending potential buyers Automatic Offers which I did not ask for but I guess there is a box checked some where.  I have no way of disabling it, I tried to in the listing but it may still send potential buyers weird offers and  it is annoying me.  Some how these automatic offers can be enabled / disabled.

[steel_9528]

If you look at the bid log, would see what the max bid is. $20! If I were to increase it, it would, should show up.  Right? The $45 max bid just appeared. How do you set up an automatic bidding system? I know nothing about this. I agree it needs to be investigated.

[kathiec]

Could you please give us an item number so we can look at the bid history? Sellers have no way to know your max bid, and with 1.7 billion listings and 25 million sellers it seems unlikely an employee would "help the seller out".

[mudshark61369]

@steel_9528,

Off hand if you won the auction for $45, is it possible when you were increasing your maximum bid you accidentally bid $200.00 instead of $20.00?  That has happened to people before.

As kathiec suggested, if you give us the 12 digit ebay item number which can be found on the auction page in the upper right corner of the Item Specifics box. with that number we can look at the auctions bid history and might be able to tell you what happened.

[soh.maryl]

We would actually have to have the item number in order to look at the Bid History.  Care to share? 

[steel_9528]

Item number: 335310860041.

[steel_9528]

Please note that the, (22 Mar 2024 at 9:42:25am PDT), entry never happened. Ebay tech said it was done on my device, but it wasn't. I would not spend $45 on less than $10 worth of coins, no matter how rare they could be. Unless I could actually hold them and see if they are for real. Never on Ebay!

[mixedbagmosaic]

The bid history looks odd.  But maybe I'm confused.

There are no automatic bids to show, but your $45 bid shows it was placed 2 minutes after your original $20 bid.  But the other bidder bid $45 right before the close.  But your $45 bid does not beat the other bidder's $45 bid, so how does that make you the winner if it's the same amount bid by the other guy?

[steel_9528]

I'm assuming here. Assume the $45 bid that I made, assuming I actually did, was already in place, the other person would have to bid over the $45, say, $45.50 in order to win. 

[bennotbill]

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@mixedbagmosaic wrote:

But your $45 bid does not beat the other bidder's $45 bid, so how does that make you the winner if it's the same amount bid by the other guy?

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Because they bid first.

[steel_9528]

Also, I was the original bidder. I started the bidding at $10, on the 19th. a couple of days later I increased my max bid to $20, I was willing to pay $20 but no higher. Somehow the max bid was changed. That's the whole problem. How or who changed it? No other bids came in until the last second. I know that happens. Snipers!  This is the point. If a seller knows the "my" max bid was $45 and bid that amount without going over, then the seller could jack up the price to get more money for Their junk without winning the auction. 

[house*of*paws]

Hi @steel_9528 

We are required to bid one increment above the SHOWING bid … and NOT someone’s hidden max bid.

@mixedbagmosaic 

Tie bids are fairly common … with the winner being determined by who placed the bid first.