Some sellers have a reserve price on their item. A reserve price is the minimum price a seller is willing to accept for the item. The seller is not obligated to sell the item if the reserve price is not met.

As a buyer you are not shown the reserve price, only whether the reserve has been met. (The bid history page also shows a notation when the reserve price is met.) Bid on the item as usual by entering the maximum amount you're willing to pay. If the amount you bid does not meet or exceed the reserve price, a “Reserve not met” message is displayed. Otherwise, your bid is displayed as the current bid. When the auction closes, the item will sell to the highest bidder who meets or exceeds the reserve price.

Example:  The following picture illustrates a reserve price listing. Although the item has received a bid (arrow B) the bid did not reach the seller’s reserve price (arrow A). The seller is not obligated to sell the item unless a bidder meets or exceeds the reserve price. Therefore, no successful bid has been made.