bidding
process

Before you bid on a property, make sure you’re prepared. Study the property details page carefully and do your due diligence. You should also prepare your Proof of Funds. After you are satisfied with your research, follow these steps to begin bidding:

• Log into your Auction.com account.
• Go to the property details page. Take note of the auction dates because you will need to place your bid within the online bidding period during the auction.
• When you register to bid, you’ll need to have your ID verified. Buyers can only use one ID with one account that is linked to their Bidder Profile. This one-time process is done to ensure a secure and smooth buying experience for buyers.
• You’ll have an opportunity to sign up for helpful “Action Item Text Alerts.”
• When the auction begins, type in the amount you would like to bid within the bid box and click the “Bid Now” button.
• You will be required to bid at or above the increments stated on the property details page. The increments, which may change throughout the auction, will be shown when the auction begins.
• Check in often, especially in the final minutes of the auction. Bids that are placed within the final minutes will trigger an overtime bidding period to allow all interested parties to keep bidding. This extended period gives everyone a chance to place last minute bids.
• When the auction is over, we’ll send you an email letting you know if you were outbid or if you were the highest bidder. If you are the highest bidder, we will let you know if the seller accepts your bid. Sometimes, the highest bid is still too low for the seller to accept. If the seller accepts your bid, you won the auction!

Online auctions move quickly, and it’s not always possible to monitor bidding in real time. Auction.com’s Max Bid feature allows you to enter the maximum amount you’re willing to pay for a property so you can stay competitive with automated bidding, without exceeding your limit.

Pro bidders use Max Bid because it helps buyers participate safely and efficiently without needing to place every bid manually (unless you want to). It’s especially helpful if you’re managing multiple auctions at once or getting comfortable with the pace of online auctions. 

How Max Bid Works

When you set a Max Bid, you’re authorizing the highest amount you’re willing to pay for a specific property. Your Max Bid is not the price you’ll pay — it’s simply the limit you set.

During the auction, the system automatically places the lowest possible bid increases on your behalf only when you’ve been outbid by another bidder or a seller counter bid. Once the reserve is met, and you’re the highest bidder, you WIN — always within your limit.  This helps you stay competitive without watching the auction and ensures you never bid more than needed to stay in the lead and never more than your Max Bid. 

You’ll also receive notifications when bidding activity affects you, so you can stay informed and adjust your strategy if needed.

Adjusting Your Max Bid

When adjusting your Max Bid, it’s important to understand that there are two separate numbers at play:

• Your current bid — the live bid that has already been placed in the auction
• Your Max Bid — the highest amount you’ve authorized going forward

Once a live bid has been placed (manually or automatically), that bid is binding and cannot be removed — just like any auction bid.

With that in mind, here’s what you can do:

• Within an hour of submitting your Max Bid and before bidding begins, you can decrease or remove your Max Bid.
• After bidding starts, you cannot decrease or remove your Max Bid.
• You can increase your Max Bid at any time.

Manual Bidding

You can place manual bids at any time while the auction is in progress, even if you have an active Max Bid on the property. Manual bids immediately become the current or live bid, and Max Bid will continue to work within the updated limits you’ve set.

Seller Reserve and Counter Bidding

In many auctions, the seller sets a reserve price, which is the minimum amount they are willing to accept for the property. If bidding does not reach this reserve, the property will not sell.

If bidding stalls below the reserve price, the system may place a seller counter bid to move the auction forward. Counter bidding is a common and transparent auction practice used across many industries, including real estate, automotive, and art auctions.

Seller counter bids are clearly shown in the bidding history. Once the reserve price is met, counter bidding stops and the highest bidder wins the property.

Max Bid responds to seller counter bids the same way it responds to competing bids — by placing the lowest possible bid increase needed to stay in the lead, and never beyond your Max Bid.

• Counter Bidding is a common practice used by all major auction houses. Here’s how it works: If the seller sets a reserve price, or the minimum amount they are willing to accept for the property, and bidding stalls out before reaching that reserve, the auction system may place a seller counter bid to allow the auction to move forward.
• When the bidding reaches the reserve price, the auction system displays the status “Reserve Met,” counter bidding stops, and the highest bid wins. Please note: The exposure of counter bids is not required in every state.

• The Reserve Price is disclosed in certain instances. It’s up to the sellers to decide whether to disclose the Reserve Price (or minimum amount that they will accept for a property). The sellers have the option of accepting an offer that is less than the Reserve Price, but once the Reserve Price is met, the sellers should be agreeable to sell the property.
• When the Reserve Price is disclosed, you can find it on the property details page under the number of beds/baths or under the Current Bid or Starting Bid. You can also search the site to find properties that disclose the Reserve Price.