Make sure there is no AON (all or none) tag on the order. If orders are places with a stipulation that they must be sold AON they will most likely not show in the bid or ask.
The bid and ask is still confusing. I have had an order in through eTrade for 100 shares at $3 for the past week - no fill, and not reflected anywhere in the bid and ask. I have a friend who placed an order for 1,000 shares at a $2 limit and same thing. No fill, no reflection in the bid anywhere. Any thoughts?
Hey itsallaboutthedeal- XELB is currently a very illiquid stock. Low or no daily volume is a result (and a cause)...therefore your broker may be having problems getting the best execution on your order. It only takes seconds for you to send in an order to your broker but that doesn't mean it only takes your broker a few seconds for your order to 'hit the street'.
You do have options for directing trades to a particular exchange, market maker, ECN, etc. You can call your broker and ask them to do that...if they do they may charge for that service. *Directing trades in no way guarantees a fill or partial fill.
Overall though I think the best thing to do is call your broker and explain exactly what you've experienced here...see what they say. Good luck.