Returned value always same in vlookup

Hello,
When entering a vlookup formula and then dragging the formula down the column, the answer returned is always the answer from the first cell, even though the cell references in the formula are correct and I use the relative $ in the formula. This also happens when using an If/then statement. Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks

Make sure calculation is set to Automatic on the Formulas Tab.

Originally Posted by ybortony

the cell references in the formula are correct and I use the relative $ in the formula

$ make references objective, not relative. Are you referring to the same cell for comparison as well as the same range for the whole column?

Eg,
=VLOOKUP($A$1, $B$1:$C$100, 2)
will always return the same value no matter how you drag it around, because the lookup term is objective.