Question 1

What is a penny auction?

Accepted Answer

Each auction starts at $0.00. Every bid raises the price by one cent and adds time to the clock. When the timer reaches zero without a new bid, the last bidder wins and pays the final auction price.

Question 2

How much does a bid cost?

Accepted Answer

Bids are bought in packs; the per-bid price is shown on every pack and gets lower on larger packs. Placing a bid uses one credit from your wallet regardless of the item.

Question 3

Why does the timer reset?

Accepted Answer

Every bid resets the countdown (usually to 10 or 20 seconds, as shown in the auction rules) so other bidders always have a chance to respond. The countdown on screen is a guide — our servers keep the official time.

Question 4

What are booked bids?

Accepted Answer

Booked bids let you reserve a number of bids on an auction. Our system places them for you automatically while the auction runs, so you don't need to watch the clock. You can pause or cancel a booking at any time.

Question 5

What is Buy It Now?

Accepted Answer

On eligible auctions you can buy the item at its Buy It Now price if you don't win. When you do, the purchased bids you spent in that auction are returned to your wallet.

Question 6

Do my bids expire?

Accepted Answer

Purchased bids stay in your wallet. Promotional bonus bids may carry an expiry date, which is always shown when you receive them.

Question 7

What happens after I win?

Accepted Answer

You'll get a notification and an order appears in your account. Add a shipping address and pay the final auction price to claim it before the deadline shown on the order.

Question 8

Is shipping free?

Accepted Answer

Auction wins ship free within the supported regions. Store orders ship free above the threshold shown at checkout; otherwise a flat fee applies.

Question 9

What are the different auction types?

Accepted Answer

Besides standard auctions we run Mystery auctions (the item is revealed at the end), One-per-user, Discounted, Win-Win, Leaderboard, Runner-up, Reveal and Splitsies auctions. Each auction lists its own rules on the auction page.

Question 10

Can I get a refund on bids?

Accepted Answer

Bids placed in an auction are not refundable, except for the bid returns described under Buy It Now and any refunds required when an auction is cancelled.

Frequently asked questions