A seller seems to be subverting the process

[ratcobob]

And it would seem to require internal Gixen access/collusion so I'm curious.
Several times I have set a snipe only to be outbid by exactly $1 on ebay.com/usr/nps?_trksid=p2047675.l2559. This exact item (scratch,dent, etc) then reappears on the site to be auctioned again.
I realize that any seller can buy their own item if they think the price is too low and are willing to pay the fees.
I'm curious how they can accomplish this without access/collusion. I'm not complaining as I like both Gixen and this seller. I'm just trying to learn how this works.

[mario]

This is normal - google for eBay proxy bidding, that's how eBay works.

You do not know the maximum bid of the winning bidder - all you see is the second maximum bid + bid increment. The winning bidder may have bid much more than the winning price, but again, you cannot see that.

[ratcobob]

[Siaynoqau]

"I realize that any seller can buy their own item if they think the price is too low"

Just to note a seller is NOT allowed to bid on their own items under any circumstances (nor are they allowed to let someone else do so without the express intention of actually selling the item to that person. It comes under 'Shill bidding' and is actually against the law in many places. ebay has a reporting system if you think this has happened.
pages.ebay.com/help/policies/seller-shill-bidding.html

[Gixen]