How auctions and bidding work

An auction goes to the highest eligible bidder when the clock closes and any reserve has been met. Decide your maximum before bidding and watch the listing's current closing time.


Read the auction before bidding


Check the starting or current price, minimum next bid, closing time, and pickup or delivery terms. A reserve is the seller's hidden minimum. If a reserve is set and has not been met, buyers see Reserve Price not Met. Buyers do not see the reserve amount. If it is not met, the seller is not required to complete the sale.


Some auctions offer Buy Now before the first bid. Once bidding begins, that option can disappear.


Auction countdown, reserve status, bid amount, and Place bid action


Place a bid or set a maximum


Enter at least the minimum next bid. Bid increments grow with the current price: $1 below $100, $5 from $100, $10 from $500, $25 from $1,000, $50 from $2,500, and $100 from $5,000.


Choose Set up auto-bid to enter the most you are willing to pay. Creatures bids for you as needed, up to that maximum.


Bidding requires a temporary card hold, initially 5% of the bid or $5, whichever is greater. An existing active hold can be reused when you bid again; each bid does not necessarily create a new hold. It is not payment toward the animal. Being outbid does not release your hold. If you do not win, or the auction does not sell, the hold is released after the auction closes. If you win, it is released after you complete checkout. An unpaid winner can forfeit the win and hold.


Expect the clock to move


A late bid extends the close so another bidder can respond. Standalone auctions use two minutes; sale-event auctions use three. Do not plan around a last-second bid.


The seller may hide comments or the detailed bid feed, and bidders may appear as Bidder #1 and similar labels. Current price and bid count still show. Public comments remain attributed to the person who wrote them.


If you win


Winning creates an amount due, not a completed payment. Open Dashboard > Buying, choose the unpaid win, and review its amount and deadline before selecting Continue to secure checkout.



Updated on: 03/09/2026

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