Nothing is constant

Everything varies within certain limits. It's one of the first principles of understanding nature. Even equilibrium is dynamic, almost never static unless you're talking about mechanical equilibrium.

My point is that there are lots of variables to be considered in online auctions, not the least of which is who's online at the time the auction is closing (since on eBay the last hour is generally the most important). When I won my MS64 1976 Eisenhower I participated in 3 auctions all by the same seller for the same item, each 3 days apart. Since the item is the same, the seller is the same and the time period (6-7 days) is not significant we can assume this is a fairly controlled, constant environment. Now, the first 2 auctions went for $10-11 before shipping. The third, the one I won, ended at only about $6.50. Why? Well, who knows? Maybe no one else was online to catch the auction and bid against me. Maybe their internet connection crashed or their was a storm and their power was knocked out so they couldn't place a bid in time? I'll never know. I just know I got a nice price on a certified 1976 Ike.