I placed a bid of $41.00 on an item,the page says that the bid I placed is $5.50

[straussie]

I placed the first bid on an item that had only 0.99 cents as start price, my bid was $41.00.On the page where the item is for sale it says the maximum bid so far is $5.50 and that I am the highest bidder,I dont understand how come my bid of $41.00 is not being accepted,I really dont want to loose this auction as I have been searching for this car part for a long time( car will be complete finally if I win). Is there a mistake of some sort or have I set an auto bid type of thing in motion,where until the price goes over $41.00 I will keep getting to the highest bidder position? Thanks for any answers.