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Jim VBI think I know what Mark means. On Ebay, say the opening bid is $10 and the reserve is $100, and you bid $120. No one else bids the entire auction. For the duration, the auction will show the actual bid at $10 and "reserve not met". But upon auction closing, your bid will be put in at the reserve price and you will win the item at $100.
Hence, you are bidding against the reserve.