Our system will bid incrementally on your behalf to ensure that you don’t pay any more than you need to in order to see off the competition. Although we suggest that you simply bid the maximum amount that you’re willing to pay for a given lot, you could still secure it for less than your budget.
Your maximum bid is kept confidential from the other bidders. As the auction proceeds, the system places bids on your behalf, starting at £50 above the current high bid. If another bidder has already registered a maximum bid above your new bid, you will exchange bids between you automatically in £50 increments until one of you exceeds the other’s maximum bid level.
Your bid only increases by the minimum amount necessary to make sure that you remain the high bidder, up to your pre-set limit. If another bidder places the same maximum bid or higher, we notify you so you can place another bid if you so wish.
When a reserve has been set on a lot, if your maximum bid is under the reserve price, we automatically increase your bid to your maximum in one jump, and you’ll be notified that although you’re the highest bidder, the car is not yet on sale as the reserve hasn’t yet been met. Bidding will continue from here in the normal way until the reserve is met.
You can also bid without making use of the system above - simply bid £50 above the current high bid, and keep doing so until you reach the maximum you're prepared to spend.
We have a system to make it easier to tell at a glance what stage a lot is at:
Bids under the reserve are shown in red
Bids that are close to the reserve are shown in amber
Bids that match the reserve or above are in green, to show that the car is now on sale.
To bid on an item:
You'll receive a message telling you if you are the current highest bidder, and also when you’ve been outbid.
(You can revisit the auction at any time to increase your maximum bid.)
You will also receive a message should the seller decide to reduce his or her reserve at any point during the sale.
When the listing ends, you'll receive an email indicating whether you've won the lot, and an explanation of what to do next.
Some people believe that it's best to bid as late as possible to avoid 'showing your hand', and there is some logic to this. However, to avoid the misery of missing out on a purchase through a technical glitch or very late bid from a competitor. Any bids placed in the last two minutes of the auction will automatically add a further two minutes onto the clock. A lot will only close when two full minutes have passed with no further bidding activity.
Our advice is still to work out what you're happy to pay, and bid with at decent amount of time to spare. But at least the above means that last minute bidding is a less risky proposition than it used to be.
When you place a bid on our system you are entering into a legally binding contract with the seller, and you are obliged to honour that bid. Bids cannot be retracted unless in extraordinary circumstances, so please be very careful when it comes to this part of the process.
There are three stages you go through to place a bid, firstly entering your maximum figure, then clicking not once but twice to confirm the bid.
This system is designed to protect you as it’s almost impossible to bid accidentally. Changing your mind after bidding is not, unfortunately, a viable way to get a bid retracted.
Bidding is meant to be fun, but remember that each bid you place enters you into a binding contract. All bids are active until the listing ends. If you win a listing, you’re legally obliged to purchase the item.
Please don't bid on two lots if you only want (or can afford) one of them. If you win both, you'll be obliged to buy both.
To protect your privacy, we limit how your information is displayed on the site by using your username only. Your full name, address or any other personal contact details will never be made available to anyone else.
Good luck!
