Made bid 7 seconds before end of listed bid time for # 327101422623?

Question

Made bid 7 seconds before end of listed bid time. However winning bid was placed much before bid end time. Is this some kind of auto bidding for the winner? Confused about timing?

monroe67 · Answer

" Is this some kind of auto bidding for the winner?" Yes, it is. Generally, on eBay auctions, anybody can place what is called a "maximum bid" at any time before the end of the auction. That maximum bid is not shown immediately, though. Only that bidder knows how much his/her own maximum bid is. The seller doesn't even know what the maximum bid amount is. The bidding will continue; other people can place additional bids before the auction's end time. The winning bid increases by the minimum increment -- it might be 50 cents or $1.00 or $5.00, depending on the type of item. What happened to you is that you placed a bid 7 seconds before the end of the auction. But the winning bidder's maximum bid was more money than the amount of your bid in the last 7 seconds. That's why he/she won the auction. Auction bidders will do well to remember this lesson from Sir Mick some 60 years ago: "You can't always get what you want."