Auction

[aal318]

I'm quite upset because I was told I was winning a bid right until the last seconds of the auction of an item and even refreshed the app but then it told me that I lost and that someone put in a higher bid 11 minutes before it was sold. Is there anything ebay can do?

[tobiasd4]

This question is often asked.

But listings always end correctly. 

The system can be slow to update when bids come in at the last seconds. 

What was item number? 

[aal318]

Really? That's awful. I'm devastated 

[*guinevere*]

The winning bid was placed at 7.56.07. I take it yours was the bid below which was placed at 4:47:21.

This was a genuine bidder who bid the highest bid. The highest bidder always wins, sorry.

[aal318]

I'm aware of that but since ebay told me i was the highest bidder even when i wasn't I feel like there's some sort of way to redo it

[**peaseblossom**]

ebay always say that until you're not the highest.   It can only take a second for someone to bid higher just at the very end of an auction and win.   

Most experienced buyers snipe in the final seconds.  It avoids a bidding war that makes the price go up and up.    Also I've found the app is often slower to update than a desktop.

[aal318]

Okay so I want you to reread my first post then read what you just told me. 

[**peaseblossom**]

lol, fair dos.   But my bit about the app might be relevant.   I've found it doesn't show up recent bids.   I've watched auctions end with apparently lower prices than reality.

[red_magpie]

ebay told me i was the highest bidder even when i wasn't

eBay's bid notifications can't begin to keep up with the number of bids which are often placed in the closing minutes and seconds of an auction.  Even if it could, you wouldn't be able to raise  your bid in time. Some buyers pride themsleves on placing bids only two or three seconds before it ends!

The point to remember is that it isn't the latest bid that wins, it's the highest. You need to decide the maximum price you would be willing to pay, and let eBay's automatic bidding system handle it for you. It will keep on increasing your bid to keep you as the winner, until it reaches your maximum.

That way you will ether win the auction, or lose fairly to to to someone who was prepared to pay more than you. That's how auctions work.

It's quite a good discipline, actually, as it prevents buyers from getting carried away by a bidding war and bidding far more than they intended. As often happens in "real" auctions.