$500 is not for bidding, but for the listing fee and the "Success Fee" (commissi...

unperson on March 9, 2010 | parent | context | favorite | on: Retweet.com sold for $250k on Flippa

$500 is not for bidding, but for the listing fee and the "Success Fee" (commission). The creator of the auction pays this amount; if that happens to be the same as the winner of the auction, then they lose this amount.