This is interesting. What has me confused is where you say you were sitting at $15 for a few days? That doesn't make sense to me based on the bids.

This is how I see it working. The ad said start was $3.99

Chef... 3.99
You bid 15.00 which takes his bid up to 4.99 (his high limit)
You then should have been sitting at $5.49 for a few days till Chef.... put in his $15.01.

I am confused about the bid increments but trying with .50 increments this is how it might have been.

OPEN 3.99
Chef... 4.49
You ($15) 4.99 (his high placed earlier

ties you he gets the 4.99)
You 5.49
Chef...(15.01) 5.99
You 6.49
Chef 6.99
You 7.49
Chef 7.99
You 8.49
Chef 8.99
You 9.49
Chef 9.99
You 10.49
Chef 10.99
You 11.49
Chef 11.99
You 12.49
Chef 12.99
You 13.49
Chef 13.99
You 14.49
Chef 14.99
You 15.00 Yours and Chef...'s bids

each have money left in

proxy and bid off.
Chef 15.01

The bid history only shows 3 bids maybe because it only counts his 4.99, your 15 and his counter 15.01.

It could be different based on bidding increments if they changed at any time along the way but this could explain it.

As for the bidding up to find and hold short of the top is another difficult one to visualize. It might have to do with where the bidder puts his odd bid. Just off the top of my head, I will have to check this out. First, I think you would need to be bidding WITH the bid increment and price. (ie. .49s and .99s) based on the situation below.

If the bidding is at the .99 level, (ie. 4.99) and I bid 15.35, at the end, if you are chipping me away you might bid me up to 14.99. Then when you try the 15.49 You would end up overbidding me. If, on the other hand, I had bid 15....

This isn't working. I think you might need to be in the right sequence. If my bid brings me to an even level and you bid me to that level you won't see my end bid. However, if you were able to change the sequence, to skip my bidding position (?), then when you place a bid then you get the end bid, and my next, previously posted, bid has value left then you might see my bid up an odd amount. Say to $15.35 instead of to 15.49, based on the the .99 price. For it to work my bid would have to take me to a point where I get the last bid but don't have enough to make the full, say, .50 increment.

I will keep working on that one.