Listing an animal for auction

An auction lets buyers compete during a set bidding window. Set the pricing rules carefully before publishing, because important fields lock once bidding begins.

1. Prepare the listing

Open the animal's profile and choose Create listing > Auction. Complete any farm-profile setup you are shown, then add at least 3 photos, write at least 25 words, and check the location and handoff choices. See Listing an animal at a fixed price for those shared fields.

2. Set the auction rules

Starting Bid: the opening price, from $1 to $100,000.
Reserve Price: an optional minimum you will accept. It must exceed the starting bid. If a reserve is set and has not been met, buyers see Reserve Price not Met. Buyers do not see the reserve amount.
Buy-Now Price: an optional immediate-purchase price, above the starting bid and at least as high as any reserve. Buyers can use it only before the first bid.
Auction Start: choose a time 10 minutes to 30 days from now, in your device's local time zone.
Auction Close: choose a time 1 hour to 7 days after the start.

Auction pricing and start and close times

If a date is flagged, correct the start first, then the close. A listing in an auction event follows that event's times and reserve rules instead.

The starting bid and start time lock when the auction starts. After the first bid, you can remove the reserve but cannot replace it with a different amount.

3. Choose what buyers can see

The Activity feed controls presentation, not the outcome:

Show comments allows public questions and your updates.
Show bid activity shows the bid-by-bid feed. The current price and bid count remain visible when it is off.
Show bidders as anonymous numbers replaces public bidder names with labels such as Bidder #1. You and Creatures administrators still see the real identities.

Auction activity and bidder-identity controls

Public comments still show the commenter's name. Turn on Require buyer approval if buyers must apply before bidding or buying.

4. Choose visibility and publish

Save a draft, create a private link, or publish publicly. A private link requires a verified phone number. Public marketplace visibility requires a verified phone number and verified identity.

Visibility choices at the end of the listing form

Agree to the Terms and select the matching button to finish.

When bidding ends

A late bid can extend a standalone auction to two minutes after that bid. Event auctions use a three-minute extension and extend the event's auctions together.

Winning is not payment. After checkout, most purchases wait for a handoff or transport release step; boarding-included purchases work differently. See How seller payout works.

Updated on: 03/09/2026

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