Two bids from one bidder each the same amount?

[kyron_83]

     I have an item for auction and received one bid on it for $80.  A few days later it showed that there were now two bids but it was still at $80.  I looked at the bidders and it shows the same person bid $80 twice.  I don't understand why that is even possible.  Did the bidder do that on purpose to try and scare others off?  

     It just bothers me because it makes no sense.  I would appreciate any knowledge on this.  Thank you!

[eburtonlab]

One bidder cannot bid the same amount twice. However a bidder can raise the hidden maximum bid amount, which would appear as a second bid at the same amount, since a bidder's maximum bid amount is hidden unless another bidder's bid approaches within an increment or outbids it.

[lamber9347]

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@kyron_83 wrote:

     I have an item for auction and received one bid on it for $80.  A few days later it showed that there were now two bids but it was still at $80.  I looked at the bidders and it shows the same person bid $80 twice.  I don't understand why that is even possible.  Did the bidder do that on purpose to try and scare others off?  

     It just bothers me because it makes no sense.  I would appreciate any knowledge on this.  Thank you!

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This is exactly how it works. Your bidder placed an initial bid and later on came back to post a much higher bid. That second bid remains hidden until another bidder comes along to place an even higher bid. That's how the system is set up to work. You have no way of knowing how high your first bidder bid, so it shows as a second bid was placed. Sometimes a bidder will place a second bid to let others know they really want this item and are prepared to pay higher than what you see. It's all a bit of a gambling game and that's part of the fun. Best of luck to you.... 

[eunster1313]

How bidding works

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/bidding/bidding-works?id=4003&st=12&pos=1&query=How%20bidding%20wor... 

[vintage-car-magazines]

They didn't bid $80 twice. He increased his Max Bid and the High Bid is still $80 because you can't bid against yourself.

There's High Bid and then there's Max Bid.

Max Bid is the most a buyer is willing to pay. High Bid is what people see and will only use as much of the Max Bid as necessary. The Max Bid is hidden.

As others bid, automatic bids will be placed to increase the High Bid...UP TO....the Max Bid.

You saw the $80 High Bid....you don't know what the Max Bid was. It may have been $80 or it may have been higher. The second bid was the buyer increasing his Max Bid to ensure he's still the high bidder if more bids are made. 

That new Max Bid might be $85 or hundreds or thousands. You'll never know unless that buyer gets outbid. That means the bidding has exceeded his Max.

There's nothing odd going on....it's normal and actually a good sign for your auction.

[kds99]

Except that I have suspected some buyers create the appearance of four bidders bidding on my auction to discourage future bidders from competing.

[soh.maryl]

What would lead you to suspect that and how would multiple bids discourage future bidders?

[gracieallen01]

@soh.maryl 

Newbie seller?

[vintage-car-magazines]

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@kds99 wrote:

Except that I have suspected some buyers create the appearance of four bidders bidding on my auction to discourage future bidders from competing.

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If it's something I want, and the price is what I'm willing to pay....or less....the number of bidders is irrelevant. I'm not going to pass up getting something at a great price because 4...or even 100 bidders....drove the price all the way up to something less than I'm willing to pay.

[fashunu4eeuh]

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@kds99 wrote:

Except that I have suspected some buyers create the appearance of four bidders bidding on my auction to discourage future bidders from competing.

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More bidders does not really discourage competition. Someone doing so would be an exercise in futility, so no need to worry over it.

If you suspect something untoward is happening in your auctions, consider using fixed price listings with Immediate Payment Required. 

[kds99]

I guess you're right. I always forget that I as seller can see the number of bids but the buyer cannot. Sometimes I see the first bidder on an item bid several times in rapid succession for some unknown reason before anyone else bids.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Everyone can see  that in the bid history, unless the auction is set up as "Private."

[eburtonlab]

@kds99 

Sometimes I see the first bidder on an item bid several times in rapid succession for some unknown reason before anyone else bids.

Some bidders always seem to bid in minimum increments. Often it is possible to infer their current high bid from this. Some bidders are just indecisive and like to raise their high bid as the auction progresses.

Bidders (and other users) can see the number of bids, but this rarely (if ever) discourages anyone from bidding. In fact, a high number of bids may encourage some bidders to bid even higher.

[paneraiwatches]

Whenever you see that you can easily “test” the high bidder’s proxy by bidding the minimum bid in the smallest increment possible until your user ID comes up in between the high bidder’s highest bid and his second to highest bid in the bidding history. Drives them crazy when you do that.

[kh-cathy]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.