It's just the way auctions are. Even a real life auction. Sometimes there is a reserve but rarely if ever does the auctioneer start the bid at the reserve. It's a way to generate interest.
I may have an item that I want to get $50 for but I'll start the bid at $9.99 to save on listing fees. Doesn't mean I want to sell it for $9.99. For added safety I could put a reserve on it just in case ebay is down, or some other thing doesn't give the item the traffic I'm hoping for.
Often if you start the opening bid at $50, nobody will bid. I've seen it happen many times on other people's auctions......if the opening bid is high, or close to what people want for the item, it often gets less, or no bids. It's a psychological thing, really.