eBay appears to be limiting the number of bids one bidder can make withing some time frame that eBay has decided on. Why? We don't know, we weren't told anything about it.
Why are you bidding in little increments? This is not a going, going, gone type auction. Bidding at or near the minimum bid announced on an auction is a recipe for frustration, not winning.
The only bid you're really competing with is the leading bidder's not-revealed actual bid. Their showing "high bid" is only what ebay calculated as the lowest amount that would win if the auction ended right now.
You can run with the big dogs if you understand the eBay automatic bidding system works.
- EVERY bid made by EVERY bidder is an "automatic" bid.
- The current leader's actual bid is always hidden. What you see for their bid is calculated by eBay's automatic bidding system.
- It's up to you to decide what the most you're willing to spend and able to afford to bid on an item.
- If you bid that amount, all in one bid, you have your best chance of outbidding the leading bidder's actual bid!
- When you bid, eBay's bidding system always compares your actual bid with the current leader's unrevealed actual bid.
- Which ever of those two bids is lower is OUTBID by the other. (if your bid matches the leader's bid to the penny, you're outbid.)
- The outbid bid is placed as second highest bid and is FULLY revealed.
- eBay calculates a NEW current showing bid for the current leader, by adding one bid increment to the outbid second highest bid. If that amount is higher than the leader's actual bid, eBay uses their actual bid instead.
