Ebay - can anyone explain auction with best offer?

steviebabes

I was interested in an item with a starting price of £3.50, I was going to bid my maximum of £10. About half an hour before the auction end time the item went to £10 with 1 bid. As this was my maximum I didn't bid but wonder how an item would go straight to £10? I presume there was a best offer of £10 and this eliminated lower bids.

soolin

It shouldn’t work like that unless there was also a reserve or a second bidder. Usually a bid on an auction with best offer where a bid of the start price is entered knocks out the BIN entirely but remains at the start price unless there’s either a reserve or a second bidder. 

 If this was a straight auction then there must have either been a second bidder or a reserve. If an offer was made then either it is accepted or declined, but the bidding would end as soon as an offer is accepted.