The person whose bid was second highest when the clock stopped. Beaten, but by one step.
It is not a consolation label. On Metzee it is a position with a real chance attached to it.
Why it matters
If the winner does not pay inside the window, the item does not just go back on the shelf — it is offered to the under-bidder, at their own last bid, as a second-chance offer.
So coming second sometimes means getting the item at the price you were actually willing to pay. What is a second chance offer?
The rule that makes it risk-free
An offer you do not take costs you nothing. No strike, no mark, no fee.
This is different from an ordinary win. If you win an auction and do not pay, that normally counts as a strike. A second-chance offer that lapses simply goes back to the store — and the notification says exactly that rather than naming a strike.
The reason is fair: you did not ask for this item today. You bid on it an evening ago and lost, and an offer arriving out of the blue should not be a trap. What is a strike?
So you can let one pass with a clear conscience, and take one when it suits you.
What it means for how you bid
Bid your real ceiling, not one step below it. People hold back a step to avoid "overpaying" and end up third, where nothing is offered to anybody.
Losing by one step is a good place to be. Losing by five is not — nothing comes to you.
Do not re-bid out of annoyance on the next similar item. The under-bidder position is only valuable if the number you reached was a number you meant. How bidding works
If an offer arrives
Read the price before anything else. It is your last bid, not the winner's — so it is a number you already chose.
Then decide on the item as it is now. A week has passed, you may have bought something else, and the honest answer may be no. That is what the no-strike rule is for.
For sellers
This is the mechanism that means an unpaid win is not simply a lost sale, and it happens without you chasing anybody. The item is offered on automatically at the second-highest bid.
Which is also an argument for not setting a reserve so high that the under-bidder's number falls below it. What is a reserve price?
More: what is an unpaid win, what is a second chance offer, auction words, explained.