Ebay

[Puffin]

If you had put a bid of £100 in, it would automatically just beat the current highest bid by the next biddable amount. E-bay does not do anything on its own. Example: 1st bid £20 but will only show £0.99 until you bid £10, e-bay will outbid you simply because it had the 1st bid of £20. Then you put the £100 bid in. The £20 bid is now beaten and goes to £21 and then every subsequent bid up to your £100 after that you have been out bid until you put in a higher maximum bid. Savey?

I am having trouble understanding this. I apologise as I realise that I am an out and out numbskull. However I have seen things like Bargain Hunt and Homes Under The Hammer on TV where things are sold at auction. If there was a bid of say £20 for a stuffed Parrot, and I offered £100 the auctioneer would accept my bid of £100 and be looking for £101 or whatever. If I bid £100 on ebay and the previous bid was £20 it would wait until someone else put in a bid of say £100 and it would only increase the current bid in £1 increments?

[MikeMusic]

Ebay isn't like a 'real' auction

If you want something work out what you are prepared to spend and bid as late as you can

You will often see things at say £5 for days on end - bargain
In the last half hour or so that can go up to £1000 - probably not a bargain

[Beobloke]

Yes Dave, it goes some way to explaining how it works. How do I get an "auto bidding system"? Is this what is called a "sniping" tool?

You don't need a sniping tool - just put the maximum you are prepared to bid in near the end of the auction. Yes, a sniper might win it from you in the last second but if you're gutted about this then you didn't bid high enough!

[Rare Bird]

When you bid now you can set 'Automatic bids' up where they will bid for yer..

[Puffin]

When you bid now you can set 'Automatic bids' up where they will bid for yer..

Oh right. Thanks.