[ARC5] Well OT - bidding on eBay

[Leslie Smith]

Hello All,
I bid on an item at "that place", and for a short time before the end of
bidding I was ahead.
When bidding closed, I was still ahead, and the internet/eBay/my PC
announced "You won" at $26.oo

I had 4 dollars "margin" in my bid when I read the announcement.

A short time later, I was surprised to see some-one had bid EXACTLY my
top figure 2 seconds before the end of the auction.
There is a record (in "see bidding") of my bid for $26.00, but now the
FINAL bid went up to $30.00

The amount of money involved is small - $4.00 (and that's Aussie
dollars, not US dollars, so it's less in US currency).
However, I want to understand the process whereby the hammer can fall,
and the auctioneer can say, "Sir, to you at $26.00" and then (later)
discover it's "to me" but at an additional cost.
I don't see how software can work like that!

Has anyone else here had that experience?'
What is going on here?:


 
   73 de Les Smith
   vk2bcu at operamail.com

-- 
http://www.fastmail.com - Does exactly what it says on the tin