RR.... here is a link for you to debunk
tutor2u.net/law/notes/contract-elements.html
this part on auctions, IMHO puts this matter to rest
"It is very important to distinguish an offer from an invitation to treat – that is, an invitation for other people to submit offers. Some everyday situations which we might think are offers are in fact invitations to treat:
o Goods displayed in a shop window or on a shelf.
+ When a book is placed in a shop window priced at £7.99, the bookshop owner has made an invitation to treat.
+ When I pick up that book and take it to the till, I make the offer to buy the book for £7.99.
+ When the person at the till takes my money, the shop accepts my offer, and a contract comes into being.
o Adverts basically work in the same way as the scenario above. Advertising something is like putting it in a shop window.
o Auctions:
* The original advertising of the auction is just an invitation to treat.
* When I make a bid, I am making an offer.
* When the hammer falls, the winning ‘offer’ has been accepted. The seller now has a legally binding contract with the winning bidder (so long as there is no reserve price that hasn’t been reached)"