Reserve Auction with Only One Bidder-Does the seller see high bid?

[flyinhawaiiangirl]

If an auction has a reserve price on it, and there is only one bidder who bids their highest amount, and the auction ends without the reserve being met, or another bidder raisng the bid price, does the seller get the opportunity to see the bidder's high bid and decide if they want to offer the item to the buyer?

[nowthatsjustducky]

As long as there is a bid and the reserve is not met, you will see all max bids, including the high bid.  When a shopper puts in their max bid on a reserve auction, it will go to their max if it does not meet the reserve.

[flyinhawaiiangirl]

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@nowthatsjustducky wrote:

As long as there is a bid and the reserve is not met, you will see all max bids, including the high bid.  When a shopper puts in their max bid on a reserve auction, it will go to their max if it does not meet the reserve.

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Thanks so much lucky rubber ducky! I had bid on an reserve auction, doubled their open bid price, but was still under the reserve. When the auction ended, I had bid 3 times trying to uncover the reserve but stopped when I was past what I felt the item worth.

It was instantly relisted, and I bid higher again, but still haven't found the reserve although there was now an "make an offer option" as ebay so helpfully populates on your behalf on a relist. And the seller added BIN $400. My high bid is roughly just under half of that, so he probably won't ever accept my high price but no one else is even trying.  The seller apparently opted for the catalog Ebay provides and it prepopulated numerous field incorrectly, just begging for a NAD.

So next I notice the seller picked up on the listing being not fully correct, and relisted the item AGAIN this time no BO, but BIN still at $400, but this too, has the reserve I haven't met. Curious on the fees this seller is racking up, I set up a similar listing, and the seller is getting charged $15-22 each time he lists this item with the reserve based on my high bid and his BIN price. He also failed to cancel the first relist, so his page shows 2 items for sale, both the same thing, but one has the catalog pic and the other has his pic.

Perhaps since I took my bid a little higher than before, he'll be more open to sending an offer, but I doubt it's worth it once he's billed for 3 (or more) reserve price fees.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@nowthatsjustducky wrote:

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 ....  When a shopper puts in their max bid on a reserve auction, it will go to their max if it does not meet the reserve.

No, if the reserve is not met, then the bidding shows just like any other auction, with the highest bid showing as one bid increment above the second-highest bid.  If there is just one bidder, then the bid will stay at the opening bid price. The seller cannot see the amount(s) of the lone bidder's bid(s).

If a bid is placed that meets or exceeds the Reserve, then the high bid showing will jump up to the reserve amount.

[a_c_green]

The above reply is correct and saved me a lot of typing.  You cannot get the auction price to move any higher than the opening price if you're the only bidder. If there's a Reserve set, you will still remain stuck at the opening price unless or until your bid meets or exceeds the Reserve, at which point the price will rise to the amount of the Reserve, and it will be yours if no one outbids you from there on.

[flyinhawaiiangirl]

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@a_c_green wrote:

The above reply is correct and saved me a lot of typing.  You cannot get the auction price to move any higher than the opening price if you're the only bidder. If there's a Reserve set, you will still remain stuck at the opening price unless or until your bid meets or exceeds the Reserve, at which point the price will rise to the amount of the Reserve, and it will be yours if no one outbids you from there on.

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So if I read this correctly, the seller never has any idea how much I'm willing to pay unless someone else bids too (what if their bid price doesn't hit the reserve price either?), or if I hit his reserve price he set? Would it be improper to send the seller a message either asking what the reserve price is, or let him know how much I'm willing to pay?

[nobody*s_perfect]

Do not let the seller know how much you're willing to pay.  Not only does that put you at a negotiating disadvantage, it could also be seen by eBay as a solicitation to sell the item off-ebay which is a serious violation and could get both of you in trouble.

On the other hand, it's perfectly OK to ask the seller about the amount of the Reserve. If he wants to sell the item, he'll tell you.

[a_c_green]

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@flyinhawaiiangirl wrote: 
So if I read this correctly, the seller never has any idea how much I'm willing to pay unless someone else bids too (what if their bid price doesn't hit the reserve price either?), or if I hit his reserve price he set?

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Basically, the seller cannot see the full amount of your bid unless someone else outbids you. (Technically, a rival bidder can also reveal your high bid by coming within less than one bid increment of your price, but that's a separate discussion.)

If two or more of you are bidding against each other, the price will go up, but one of you still has to bid high enough to meet the Reserve, or no one will win it.

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Would it be improper to send the seller a message either asking what the reserve price is, or let him know how much I'm willing to pay?

You are free to ask the seller what his Reserve price is, but he is also free to not tell you.

[flyinhawaiiangirl]

@nobody*s_perfect
@a_c_green

Thank you both for your information. For whatever reason, I THOUGHT the seller was able to see the single bidder's highest bid once the auction ended and the reserve wasn't met, so the seller could send an offer to the highest bid if the seller was comfortable with the final bid amount.

It's frustrating that as a buyer I can't let the seller know I'm willing to pay much more than what the opening bid is set at, but not necessarily the BIN price. If the seller keeps relisting with a reserve, they are going to be hit with some fees I don't think the seller is aware of. So far, the seller is out roughly $60 with no sale. Another relist, fees go up $20 more....