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84 posts tagged bidding
What happens if you lose connection mid-bid
Your bid stands. What the server knows, what your screen does not, and the one real risk.
What is shill bidding?
Fake bidding to push a price up. Why it is the worst thing that can happen to an auction site, and what stops it.
Can a seller bid on their own items?
No — the app refuses the request. Not a rule enforced later, a bid that cannot be placed.
Bidding on a phone without missing the item
Tap the offered amount, set a maximum, and keep the phone plugged in. Six practical things.
How to work out what something is worth before you bid
There is no valuation tool. Four ways to get close, and the number that matters more than any of them.
How to not get carried away
The format is built to keep the bidding going. Four defences, and the one that actually works.
Why can I not bid?
Six reasons, each with its own message. How to tell which, and what clears it.
I was winning and then I was not
Somebody bid more. Three things that make it feel like something else, and the fix for each.
What is sniping, and does it work here?
Bidding at the last second to deny a response. It does not work on Metzee, and here is the mechanism.
Five questions worth asking before you bid
In order of how much they tell you. The first one does most of the work.
Why did my item sell for so little?
Almost always the room, the start price or the photograph. How to tell which, and the one protection you did not use.
How do I know a show is not staged?
The seller cannot bid on their own items — the app refuses it. What that covers and what it does not.
Can I bid without my name showing?
No. The room sees who is winning. But the name it sees is yours to choose.
Is a bid legally binding?
Treat it as binding. What the terms say, what happens if you do not pay, and the one way out.
Can I ask for more photos before bidding?
Yes, and in a live show you can do better than photos — you can have it turned over while you watch.
How do I know the price is fair?
In an auction nobody sets the price — the room does. What that protects you from, and what it does not.
What if two people bid at the exact same moment?
They cannot. One database function takes every bid in turn, so there is always a first and a second.
What is an under-bidder?
The bidder who came second. Why it is worth being, and the one rule that makes it risk-free.
What is an increment?
The smallest step a bid can go up. Where the figure comes from, and the thing most people get wrong about it.
What is an unpaid win?
An auction you won and did not pay for in time. The window, the grace for a win you never saw, and what it costs.
What is a "lot"?
An auction word for the thing being sold. Metzee does not use it — here is what it says instead.
Can I set my own bid increments?
Yes, per auction. What the default is, and the thing to get right instead.
I bid from my phone and my laptop
One account is one bidder, however many screens it is open on. What that does and does not change.
Can I see the bid history?
Yes, during and after. What each line shows, and the one thing deliberately hidden.
There is a show on right now.
Nothing to install — it runs in this browser.