Bloody eBay

So, I decide to bid on this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=261072570279#ht_8237wt_960 and as we're away the weekend the auction finishes I decide to put aside my concern that the seller mostly sells cheap items and enter my best bid & see if the eBay proxy bidding works for me.

Funnily enough, within the hour a new bidder enters a sequence of bids to double the price to close to my limit. The bidder has a feedback score of 13 and 9 retracted bids in 6 months, with a bidding history focussed on watches.

I'm irritated enough to retract my bid, but have sent the seller a message to "alert" him to this activity in the meantime. While I'm happy to negotiate a private sale price with him, this sort of bidding really pisses me off.

Wondering if I should just retract anyway & see if the other bidder then also has to retract...

There are so many of those late MK watches around I'd just let that one through to the keeper and aim for the next

I wasn't happy with the sellers reply, which was a bit of a "I don't know what you're talking about", so I have asked him to agree to the cancellation of my bid. We'll see what happens.

Bidding, other then the last few seconds, is useless, unless you are bidding on an item that nobody wants.

Normally I would use a snipe program, but for some reason I decided not to this time.

Anyway, his reply was

I understand what you mean now.
But your feeling wrong buddy.
You may easily report the listing to eBay if you have such suspicious.
I don't mind cancelling your bid, that's completely up to you.
As a buyer you have 100% right to retrect your bidding anytime you wish before listing ends.

Thank you again,"

So, my bid is retracted and miraculously all the schill bids disappear other than the first one. Maybe that's the way the proxy bids work, but I'm happy to leave this one alone.

Yea, I just wouldn't be involved in that, I'd report it too