why did i have to pay my maximum bid on ebay?

Click the "bid history" link on the page you listed. Notice the phrase "Reserve met" right under your winning bid amount. The seller had placed a £220 reserve price on that phone, so your bid was automatically increased to meet the reserve amount. It was just a coincidence that your max bid and the seller's reserve price were the same amount.

you purely will pay the optimal if somebody else bids up the fee. to illustrate, the most suitable bid changed into $33. the subsequent bid must be a minimum of $34. You enter $fifty 5. If no one else bids, you get it for $34. each and anytime somebody else bids, your bid is keen to $a million more suitable yet no longer over $fifty 5. consequently, you will get it for $34 or $fifty 5 or any fee in between. If somebody else bids $fifty six or more suitable, you're not any further getting it.

Did you notice if there was a reserve? Maybe your max bid equaled that reserve?