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Judge Dred (Fred)I couldn't imagine that the seller could drop the reserve low enough to make the highest bidder an automatic "winning bid". That just wouldn't be right. Yes, if you bid that much and the reserve was met at the time the bid was entered then you are obligated to buy the lot. But what if you bid on something else based on the fact that you were not able to purchase the other lot (reserve not met) and you were the high bidder and potential winner of that lot? It just wouldn't be right. This leads me to something else.
Recently, I had the second highest bid on a lot with no reserve. My bid was never the high bid, I was outbid by proxy when I made my bid but I did have the second highest bid. The high bidder removed his bid a few days after his high bid was placed. This made me the high bidder. I was then obligated to pay the final price if I were to win the lot. I would have purchased the lot had I won but I was outbid.
In any case does that seem right? I was never the high bidder but after someone removed there bid I was made the high bidder and obligated to purchase the lot. What would have happened if I BIN'd something else for a few grand because I thought I was never the high bidder on the other lot and the auction ended with me the high bidder on the lot (that I was not the high bidder until someone withdrew their bid)? Lets put this into perspective, if a few grand would have strapped me then being high bidder on the other auction would have been detrimental to my pocket book. It wouldn't have seemed fair but I guess that's a possibility on ebay. Sound confusing?