Auction Outcomes – What Do They Mean?
The reserve is the seller’s expectation of price. The reserve price is not disclosed, and not all items have a reserve.
An item is Sold when it is successfully purchased at auction.
This occurs when the highest bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, and:
This occurs when the highest bid meets or exceeds the reserve price, and:
- The auction reaches its closing time (online auctions), or
- The auctioneer declares the fall of the hammer (live auctions).
An item is Referred when bidding has taken place, but the reserve price has not been met.
This means:
This means:
- You are the highest bidder, but
- The seller has not yet agreed to sell at that price.
If you are the last bidder on a referred item in a live or simulcast auction, you’ll receive a phone call after the auction. Please keep your phone nearby and expect a call from our team.
Our team will discuss next steps, as the seller may be willing to negotiate to reach a deal.
Our team will discuss next steps, as the seller may be willing to negotiate to reach a deal.
If you are the highest bidder in an online BidNow timed auction, you’ll receive a text message inviting you to continue via our digital referral process.
To proceed:
1. Log in to your account and open the Activity Dashboard. You’ll find it in the top‑right corner of the homepage.
2. Click the “Referred Items” tab to view all items referred to you
From there, you can:
To proceed:
1. Log in to your account and open the Activity Dashboard. You’ll find it in the top‑right corner of the homepage.
2. Click the “Referred Items” tab to view all items referred to you
From there, you can:
- Buy It Now – See the Buy It Now price and secure the item instantly
- Make a higher offer – Improve your chances by negotiating digitally
- Stand firm– Click “FIRM” to let the seller know you’re not increasing your offer. If they accept, the item is yours
An item is Passed In when no bids are received during the auction.
This means the item remains unsold at the close of the auction. Passed‑in items may be relisted or offered for sale later, but no automatic negotiation occurs at the time of auction.
This means the item remains unsold at the close of the auction. Passed‑in items may be relisted or offered for sale later, but no automatic negotiation occurs at the time of auction.
Some BidNow auctions may have the “Bid Extension” feature activated. This means if any bids are received within the last few minutes before the auction ends, the auction duration will be extended. Any and all subsequent bids received within this bid extension period will continue to extend the auction duration, until bidding stops and the auction expires.