Can users program an automatic counter-bid respons

I recently placed a bid in an auction, and at light speed before my finger left the clicker on my mouse, I got a message that I was outbid. It was the same bidder that I was trying to outbid, and his price was $0.50 higher than my bid. Is there a way to program in automatic response bids at the minimum increase above what someone bids after you bid? Somehow, this does not seem fair

I'm guessing his high bid was already significantly higher than either of yours and that what you were seeing were simply incremental bids (i.e. just enough to outbid your highest bid) managed by the auction/bid application itself.

The "current high bid" for any auction is not necessarily that high bidder's own maximum bid. In most cases, it's merely the lowest "high-enough" amount (plus a minimum buffer, ala $0.50) which outbids any or all other competition.

Sample scenario:
1. Bidder A inputs $500 and, for now is the first and only bidder. Let's say the opening price was set at $0.00. The bid application would increment
the opening price by a "buffer" until either any/all other bidders were outbid, or until Bidder A's maximum bid was reached.
2. Current auction "high bid" increases to $0.50, and (since there are no other bidders) sits there. Bidder A's max remains unknown and "ready" for more auto-bidding action.
3. Bidder B inputs $400 as his max. No other bidders.
4. Bid app increments price until either all other bidders are outbid or until Bidder B's max is reached. In this scenario, his $400 max is reached before Bidder A is outbid. Almost instantaneously, Bidder B receives his "outbid" message -- not because Bidder A saw the current auction price shoot up to $400 and decided to counterbid higher, but because he'd already bid higher.

The simplest way to bid in an online auction is to:
1. Determine your own true maximum bid based on your own budget -- the actual price you'd be ready and willing to pay for that item -- and bid that amount.
2. Wait, watch, & hope.

Cheers & best wishes.
-Dan