gardenglory said:I think it really is what was mentioned at the beginning by Larry. Its pick pick picking at someone who has a high bid in, hoping they dont ever reach that persons high bid, they just want to make sure they pay more . Spite bidding as I call it. Not the same as wanting to win.
Although I understand, but that would not look different from something I might do. If someone has become the high bidder on an auction I am interested in I may bid a higher amount. If I am outbid by the high bidder's proxy bid I may bid again. Each time I am outbid by a proxy bid I reconsider just how much do I want that auction. Depending on that I might not have wanted to bid more than $3 per seed originally but I might go to $4 per seed. If I am still outbid by a proxy bid I may reconsider and drop out or I might go to $5 per seed. Depending on how much I can convince myself, that for example, $5 per seed = plant is better than $100 per fan, I might try again. Or I might stop having reached my limit and give up. That might look like spite bidding but it is not - I have just been "outlasted" by the proxy bids.
As an example, a few days ago there was a seed auction that I wanted. Someone I know had bid a relatively small amount (in comparison to previous auctions for the same cross). And I wanted the seeds. So I bid an amount that I was willing to pay for the seeds. I was outbid by a proxy bid. I knew that the high bidder had both won and lost previous auctions for the same cross. I had not won any auctions for that cross. I could have continued bidding hoping to find that a winning bid would be acceptable to me in cost but thinking that might not be possible. Or I could stop bidding. I stopped. But the end result was that I raised the person's bid and their cost but not for any negative reason. In fact I felt unhappy that I had given up
and that I had cost the bidder more.
