Ebay Bidding is a Joke
I would venture to say that Ebay has gotten so big that they have taken to screwing the people that made them what they are. I personally am so frustrated with the vast amount of underhanded and deceptive practices of these 90% of the companies we deal with, that I’d like to disconnect from them completely. Between Bank of America, AT&T, Ebay and others, it’s actually become a moot point complaining. They just don’t “give a rat’s ass.”
Here’s the background info to my latest aggravating episode: My grandmother 
an absolutely wonderful woman passed away at 93 years old in 1999. She was an incredible person, full of life and so much fun to be around. And, she would regularly “mimic with her tongue”, (for lack of a better description), the song “Turkey in the Straw.” It’s a song etched forever in the minds of anyone who knew her.
A couple years ago, my sister’s husband surprised her with an the Animated Animation Cell Steamboat Willie. 
It’s this adorable animated rendition which also plays the song. A few years later my other sister found one and purchased one on the internet. Each time we are together, we gather in front of this wonderful reminder of grandma, play the song and reminisce; complete with tears and emotion. It’s a touching reminder of a person that will remain forever in our hearts.
My dilemma: I want one. There were 275 pieces made. It’s a collector’s item and they are nowhere to be found. I regularly search the internet via Google and Ebay and any other means available. In the last few years I have come across two for sale. The first was $400 which I did not have at the time. The second was on Ebay this past week with a starting bid of $149.99.
Normally, when I actually search for something on Ebay, I only search the “Buy It Now” category. I never liked bidding on items. When I want to buy something, I would prefer not to play games. A direct purchase suits me fine. Unfortunately, in the case of “Steamboat Willie,” I had no other option than to bid. My plan was to continue to watch the item and sign on and bid at the last minute, not wanting to drive the price up. I decided that the highest amount I would pay would be $200 knowing that I would be negotiating with myself at the last minute to go higher. It would have been nice if I had gotten the opportunity to do that.
With two minutes left on the auction, I place my first bid at $155. From here on in Ebay’s practice is a joke. For anyone that is unfamiliar with the way their auctions actually work, I’ll tell you. When deciding that you’d like to bid on an item, you can enter the maximum amount that you are willing to pay. You place your first bid. During the auction, each time someone bids higher than your bid, Ebay automatically enters additional bids on your behalf. They continue to do this throughout the auction.
My participation in the auction went as follows: As I stated I placed by first bid at $155. I was immediately (automatically) outbid. I was notified and it was stated that I should place my next bid at $157.50 or higher. I entered $157.50 and was immediately (automatically) outbid. I next bid $165.00 and the bidding jumped to $239.00. HUH? As I was ready to bid just above that, the auction ended with an automatic winning bid of $249.39.
Now, maybe I do not understand the concept of an auction. Wouldn’t you think that if you’re bidding on an item and the highest bid is already set at $249.39, that all participants should be apprised of that information? I had no chance what-so-ever of knowing the highest bid and no chance to win the auction. Unless, of course I wanted to play the game and enter an exorbitant amount to secure the item.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s just another scam for another company to cash in. Obviously, the higher the selling price the more Ebay makes. I had wanted that item, as I stated for sentimental reasons and was upset from that perspective because I lost. However, I found myself more upset by the fact that I got played. I can assure you that I for one will never bid on another item on Ebay.
