How does the bidding work?
All bids placed are in the max bid format. A max bid is the highest amount that you are willing to pay for an item and is kept private from other bidders until that amount has been exceeded. Bids are automatically placed on your behalf against other bidders until your maximum amount is reached.
Examples:
- Starting bid price for an item is $2.00. Bidder 55555 places a $100.00 bid on an item and no other bids were received and the auction closes. Bidder 55555 will remain the high bidder at $2.00 and the rest of his max bid will be unused.
- Starting bid price for an item is $2.00. Bidder 55555 places a $100.00 bid on an item and becomes the high bidder at $2.00. Bidder 66666 then places a bid of $50.00 and is notified "Bid Received; Higher Bid Exists." Bidder 55555 will remain the high bidder at $52.00 (Assuming the minimum bid increment is at $2.00).
All bids must contain a decimal point preceded by at least one digit and be followed by two digits. eg: 2.55 (no dollar signs or comma separators)
What is extended bidding?
Every lot has a scheduled closing time. However, if there is active bidding within 5 minutes of the scheduled closing time for an item, that item will remain open until 5 minutes have elapsed since the last bid on that item was placed. Using the refresh button will allow you to see exactly how much time is left before an item will close.
What is a reserve?
A reserve is an amount that bidding must reach before an item will be sold. Items that have a reserve will state "Reserve Not Met" underneath the current bid price until that bid price has been met. Once a reserve price has been exceeded, a notice will state Reserve Has Been Met. Bids placed against an item that has a reserve will be consumed until the reserve price has been exceeded.
What if an item does not meet the reserve?
Items that fail to meet the reserve are not sold and revert back to the seller. Seller information is not provided to bidders.
What if two bidders have the same max bid?
The first bidder to submit the max bid will remain the high bidder.
Can I raise my max bid if I am still the high bidder?
Yes, you may increase your max bid amount if you are already the high bidder.
Where can I place bids?
There are three locations on the site where an auction item may receive bids.
- Auction Listing page
- Auction Item Detail Page
-
Bidder Dashboard
Can I delete a bid?
No, by placing a bid you are entering into a contract to purchase. Use caution while placing bids and verify the amounts before placing a bid.
What is an outbid notice?
An outbid notice will alert you that your bid has been exceeded. Outbid notices are sent to your registered email address with a direct link to the item that you were bidding on. You may opt-out of these notices by visiting your account settings.
I bid an amount, but another bidder was still in the lead at the exact same price?
Your bid was accepted, however, most likely another bidder had already placed a bid for the exact same price. In the example below, bidder 1931 had the exact same bid as the second-place bidder, 52242. Since Bidder 1931 placed their bid first, they remain in the lead.