The basics
Pick a bid pack. Every bid you place costs one credit and bonus bids are added on top of bigger packs.
Every bid raises the price by one cent and resets the countdown, giving everyone a fair chance to respond.
When nobody bids before the timer runs out, the last bidder wins and pays the final price. Often pennies on the dollar.
Didn't win? Use Buy It Now on eligible auctions and the purchased bids you spent there come back to your wallet.
Bids are credits you buy in packs from the Buy Bids page. Each time you press BID, one credit is used and the auction price rises by the auction's increment (usually one cent). Your balance is shown in the header and updates instantly.
Every bid resets the countdown to the auction's reset time (for example 10 seconds). That's why an auction can keep going well past its original end time: it only ends when a full countdown passes with no new bid. Our servers keep the official clock and decide the winner; the timer on your screen is synced to them but is only a guide, so a slow phone or connection never changes the result.
Can't watch the clock? Use Book Bids on any auction that allows it. Tell us how many bids to reserve and our system places them for you while the auction runs, never more than you booked. You can top up, pause or cancel a booking at any time; unused booked bids stay in your wallet.
Many auctions show a Buy It Now price. If you bid and don't win, you can still buy the item at that price within the window shown on the auction. Once your payment is confirmed, the purchased bids you spent in that auction are returned to your wallet, so trying costs you nothing extra. The auction page tells you exactly how many bids would come back.
Each auction shows its type and its full rules on the auction page.
The classic format. Every bid raises the price and resets the clock; the last bidder when the timer runs out wins.
The product stays a secret until the auction ends. Its retail value is shown so you know what it's worth.
You can win the product only once (or once per set number of days), giving more people a chance.
The winner gets a percentage off the final auction price, shown in the auction rules.
Everyone who doesn't win gets part of their bids back as bonus bids.
The most active bidders in the auction win bonus bids, whoever takes the item.
The second-to-last bidder receives bonus bids as a prize.
The retail value stays hidden until the price reaches a set level.
The winner pays only a share of the final auction price.