How lowest unique bid works

The cheapest bid nobody else picked wins the item. Not the highest — the lowest one that only one person chose.

1. 1Pick any amount you like, down to the cent, and pay the entry fee for it.
2. 2Nobody can see your amount while the auction is running.
3. 3When the clock hits zero, every paid bid is lined up from lowest to highest.
4. 4Any amount two or more people picked is out.
5. 5The lowest amount left, picked by exactly one person, wins. Second and third place win a prize too.

Six people bid on one phone:

• ETB 1.002 peopleOut: not unique
• ETB 2.002 peopleOut: not unique
• ETB 3.001 personWins
• ETB 4.001 personUnique, but higher

1.00 and 2.00 are out because two people picked each of them. 3.00 was picked by one person only, so it wins — even though 4.00 was also picked once, 3.00 is lower.

A very low amount is tempting, which is exactly why other people pick it too. Think about the amount everyone else will skip.