My auto bid matches latest bid rather than outbiding it?

[emcd2882]

Hello members! I recently set a max bid on an item. Naturally ebay auto bids for me when someone else bids but my auto bid just matches the bid instead of outbidding it. Is this normal? It still says i'm in the lead but i'm concerned it might be a glitch in the system. 

[reallynicestamps]

When there are two identical bids, the earlier one is the winning bid.

And if you lose to someone who pays more than you were willing to pay, he's a sucker for overpaying, amirite?