What you are experiencing is call automatic, or proxy, bidding. It happens when someone else has place a bid before you that is higher than the amounts you are entering.
The auction prices are raised in increments, and as a general rule the current price will be one increment higher than the next highest bid.
For example, a $5+ item requires a bid increment of 50c. Let's say it starts at $5 with no bids and someone comes along and places a $20 bid. The price stays at the opening amount of $5 with the first bid.
If I then place a $10 bid on that item, I will be automatically outbid by the previous bidder because theirs was higher, and the price will go up to $10.50, even though the other bidder placed an amount of $20.
As you can never know another bidder's amount until you exceed it, it's better to work out the absolute most you are prepared to pay for an item, then bid one as close to possible to the end of the auction (either manually or with what is known as a sniping program, which places the bid on your behalf at a designated time, usually within the last few seconds). That way, you'll never get caught in a bidding war, and if you win, hopefully it's for less than you were prepared to pay. If you lose, you at least know that you didn't lose because you didn't bid your maximum price.
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