Yes,it happens,if there are a lot of people selling same/similar item,their items will show at the top of page (best match) if they are top rated / offer free p&p / been on ebay for a long time / offer it cheaper etc .
I have tried with my 2 accounts , BIN listings on one and auction listings on the other one,and for some reason BIN listing get more views/watchers/sales than auctions ...
Personally when i look for something i need,i always (well most of the time) select "BIN" , because i havent got time to bid / lose then bid & lose all over again.
If you start your auctions at really low price it will get more views/watchers/bidders , but you are risking of auction ending at lower price than you want to sell it ...
Why not try BIN ?