WARNING!!  Due to a problem with eBay's programming, bid very carefully when an eBay auction has MULTIPLES of the same item for sale within the same auction...carelessness could have you paying FAR MORE FOR THE ITEM than you intended.

This is a problem eBay has with how their auctions are set up for multiple items sold.

Please Note:  When I'm talking about "Multiple Item Auctions," I am not talking about auctions where there is ONE lot offered, with multiple items in that one lot.  I am talking about where there is one ITEM up for auction, but there is an option to bid on several of that one item.

In normal eBay bidding, when you place a bid, your final price is determined by a certain amount over the next highest bid...as the price goes up, that amount may grow at a larger and larger amount.  But you are only paying the next highest bid for your item.  Such is not the case in a "Multiple Item Auction."  In a "Multiple Item Auction," the actual price you bid becomes the price recorded which, if you are the highest bidder, you will pay for the item.

Let me use an example to explain:

In a Normal Auction...

Let's say you're bidding on a Mickey Mouse T-Shirt.  The opening bid is $5.00 and highest bidder thus far has put it up to $8.50.  You decide to put in a bid of $20 because you really want the shirt.  When you put in that bid, the price goes up to $9.00 (the next increment over the next highest bidder), even though you're willing to pay up to $20.  Obviously, if someone else bids, say, $10, eBay will automatically raise your bid to reflect that, up to the $20.  But in this case, if the other bidder put in a $10 bid, your next bid shown would only be $10.50.

In a "Multiple Item Auction"...

Let's say you're bidding on that same Mickey Mouse T-Shirt, but they are offering the option of buying up to 10 of them.  The opening bid is the same, $5.00, and the highest bidder thus far has put it up to $8.50.  If you put in your $20 bid because you really want the shirt, the price of the auction immediately shoots up to your $20 bid!  This happens, even if there are shirts still available without bids!

In my opinion, this is an unfair auction set-up from eBay.  I've contacted them, but nothing has been done thus far so all I can do is to warn people.  I am mostly a seller, but I never want to make an unfair profit off a buyer!

So What Do I Do When I Have a "Multiple Item Auction"?

Unfortunately, if you want the item(s), you're going to have to more carefully watch the auction, perhaps putting in your final bid(s) at the very last moment.  In addition, realize that the price you enter is the price you're going to pay, so be absolutely sure you're willing to pay that price!

Another possibility is for you to put in a low bid very early, checking on it as the auction ends.  By doing this, if there are multiples of the items, you'll lock in on the lower price.  Remember: Once a higher price has been bid, it's impossible to put in a lower bid price, even if items are still available!  You can always up your bid if your low bid gets trumped, but I would rather do that and have to spend a little extra time rather than to either miss the auction item entirely or pay a super-high price.

I hope this article has proven helpful to you and will save you some money.  I'd appreciate it if you'd take a second to mark this article "Helpful" below...thanks!