What is the ruling on dealing with an online auction website that charges a fee for each bid, and where the winner is the highest unique bidder, with bids concealed and computational tools provided to determine the winning bid?

The bidding method in which the bidder pays a fee for each bid he makes, and which relies on repeated registration and charging fees that may exceed the actual cost, is a trick to unlawfully take people's money. This is because it conceals the real bidding and exploits the participants. This process resembles gambling, where many lose their subscription fees while the organizers and the one to whom the item is awarded profit at a price lower than its value. Therefore, it is not permissible to engage in this process.