Nothing here costs anything until you decide to bid. The week is arranged so the first bid happens after you already know how the rest works.
Day one — watch one show without bidding
Pick any live show and stay for ten minutes. Watch what the host does when the clock is near zero, and watch the price move. You are learning the rhythm, which is the thing that makes a first bid feel rushed.
Day two — ask one question
In a show, or on a listing. Ask about the measurement or the condition — the thing you would want to know if it arrived and was wrong. A seller would far rather answer than take a return, and the answer tells you what kind of store it is.
Day three — bid on something small
Something you would be pleased to own and not sorry to lose. Set your maximum before the bidding starts, and then let it run; the clock pushes back by 10 seconds when a bid lands late, so there is no advantage in waiting.
Day four — if you won, pay, and read the deadline
30 minutes if you were watching when it happened, 12 hours if it ended while you were away. Both are in the message, and that message cannot be switched off for exactly this reason.
Day five — follow the order
Being packed, then on its way, then delivered. Confirm when it arrives. If nobody confirms, the app marks it delivered after 7 days, and that is a worse record than you confirming.
Day six — look at it properly
If something is faulty, damaged, wrong or not as described, you have 7 days from delivery whatever the store's own policy says. The first day is the best day to notice.
Day seven — leave a review, then save a store
A review is how the next buyer gets the information you had to ask for. Following the store is how you find out when it goes live again.
What a good first week looks like
One thing bought, one question asked, one review left. If you lost the auction, that counts too — you now know your maximum was real.
Questions people ask
Is bidding a commitment?
Yes. A win is a purchase, and not paying costs you a strike. That is why the advice is to start small.
Can I retract a bid?
No. Decide the maximum first.
Do I pay anything to Metzee?
No. The price and the delivery, and that is all.
More: joining a live show, how bidding works, what happens when you win, why the clock extended.