How does maximum bidding work on ebay

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Why can't I reduce my max bid? Sniping needs to stop, and I have a solution. Bids I cant place a bid for items in auction model..

About Buying Item Why cannot we direct pay with debit card for buying item? I am very new to eBay. About this board. Buying related questions? New requirements for refurbished cell phones and smartphones. Unanswered Questions. Buying items. Can't get in contact with seller. If nobody uses the "Buy It Now" button, the item goes to the highest bidder when time is up.

If an item you're interested in has a "Place Bid" button meaning that it's an auction item , you'll have to bid on and "win" it in order to buy it. To do so, enter a dollar value into the box your bid and click "Place Bid. Before you decide to bid, however, there are some things you should know:. In a traditional non-eBay auction, bidders frantically place competing bids.

When bidding slows to nothing, the auctioneer pounds the gavel and the item is sold. On eBay, auctions are open to bids for exactly 1, 3, 5, 7, or 10 days. When time is up, the high bidder wins, even if people are still frantically bidding.

You must place a bid that is higher than the current bid. Below the bidding box, you'll see the text "Enter some amount or more. You may pay less than your bid if you win. When you win an auction you always actually pay only a small amount more than the next highest bid —even if your bid was thousands of dollars more.

If your bid wins, you must buy. Your bid on an auction is a legally binding contract. If, when time runs out, your bid is the highest, you have purchased the item and must pay the seller for it. Use 1-Click Bid to place small bids. In the last 15 minutes of an auction you've bid on in the past, you can instantly bid one increment higher than the current bid by clicking the "1-Click Bid" button.

Other bidders may be using the automatic bidding system. Because many shoppers use eBay's automatic bidding system, eBay auctions may not behave in ways that make sense to you. Through the system, eBay will bid automatically on behalf of the high bidder against underbidders. This allows bidders to bid very high while at the same time ensuring that they never pay more than the absolute minimum needed to beat the next highest bidder.

Here's how it works:. The following scenario helps to illustrate how the eBay bidding system works:. Day 1. Day 2. Day 3. Jack's maximum is still higher, so eBay immediately bids on his behalf again and adjusts the minimum accordingly. Or, if the seller breached one of our policies, we may have had to cancel the listing. Sellers sometimes set requirements for potential buyers based on their payment or shipping preferences. For example, some sellers may not ship to the country or area where you live.

If that happens, you'll see a message asking you to contact the seller when you try to place a bid. Let them know you'd like to bid, and they may change their requirements to allow you to take part. It's important to us that auctions are always fair and honest. Sometimes a member who knows the seller — perhaps a family member or friend — bids on an item to drive up the price. This is known as shill bidding and isn't allowed on eBay.

When you see an item for sale on eBay, the listing will include the payment methods you can use to buy it. If you have any problems paying for your items, we can help troubleshoot the issue. Skip to main content. Enter the key words you want to ask for help. A dialog will open as you type your search terms.