bidding. The whole concept is to allow you to put in your highest bid right at the beginning of the auction, if you wish, and go on vacation, knowing that you will only be beaten if someone exceeds your bid by the end of the auction.

As a proxy auction, eBay is nothing like a live auction. eBay has lousy PR, implements their rules is a very fuzzy way, and does a lot of things wrong - but not this.