When you place an auto bid on an item, you enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the item. If the item is $1.00 but you know it is worth $15 to you, you put your auto bid maximum amount to $15. The seller and other bidders cannot see your maximum bid amount. Then our system places bids on your behalf starting with the next bid increment for the auction. The bid increment is the amount by which a bid will be raised each time the current bid is outdone. It is predetermined based on the current highest bid.