There is still the minimum increment you have to consider when biddding though. If the price is in a range where 50 cents is the minimum increment over the current bid, and someone gets a bid in before you make yours, then your increment is no longer going to be sufficient.
Example
Price on auction now is $1.00, Minimum bid increment is 50 cents.
You are hanging on until the last second to put in your bid of $1.51, but a split second before you put your bid in, I put in one for $1.50, but you can't refresh fast enough to see it and still put your bid in. Your bid is now rejected because you have to beat mine by 50 cents and $1.51 isn't going to do it, your bid must be at least $2.00. That's the way it always has been, this isn't something new they just started. Live auctions are the same. The auctioneer would start an item at $500 then go to $600 then $700. He doesn't accept bids in less than the minimum increment, he'd be there all day while the bidders nickel and dime each other to death.
Example
Price on auction now is $1.00, Minimum bid increment is 50 cents.
You are hanging on until the last second to put in your bid of $1.51, but a split second before you put your bid in, I put in one for $1.50, but you can't refresh fast enough to see it and still put your bid in. Your bid is now rejected because you have to beat mine by 50 cents and $1.51 isn't going to do it, your bid must be at least $2.00. That's the way it always has been, this isn't something new they just started. Live auctions are the same. The auctioneer would start an item at $500 then go to $600 then $700. He doesn't accept bids in less than the minimum increment, he'd be there all day while the bidders nickel and dime each other to death.