Timed online auctions.

A timed auction is a catalog you bid through online. Every biddable lot has its own published closing time, and you place bids any time before then — there is no auctioneer and no scheduled ring to attend. Browse the catalog, register once for the auction, and bid on each lot at your own pace.

The marketplace clock determines when a lot closes. Follow the countdown on the lot page and allow time for your bid to be accepted before the close. Bids received after a lot closes are not accepted.

Set a max bid — the highest hammer price you are willing to bid — and the system competes for you under the auction's increment rules without exceeding that amount. Buyer's premium, tax, and other applicable charges are additional. Your maximum is not displayed to other bidders.

An earlier max bid takes priority when two bidders set the same maximum, so you can be outbid without someone bidding more than your limit. The accepted price depends on competing bids, increments, and your ceiling; it is not always a full increment above the competing bid. Being the highest bidder does not guarantee a purchase: the lot must close in your favor and meet any reserve. Check your final standing after it closes.

• Current price is what the lot stands at now; next ask is the minimum amount for the next bid. An existing max bid may immediately outbid it.
• The auction's published increment ladder determines the required step between bids at each price.
• Your max bid stays confidential — proxy bidding competes on your behalf without revealing the amount you set.

Staggered closing gives lots scheduled closing times a set interval apart. A close group instead links related lots for soft-close extensions: a qualifying bid on one lot can also extend other open lots in that group. Check each lot's current deadline, even if you haven't bid on it recently.

Where soft close is enabled, a qualifying bid near the deadline extends the closing time under the auction's rules. Extension windows and limits can vary by auction, group, or lot. Extensions stop when the applicable limit is reached, even if bidding continues; raising your own maximum while already leading does not extend the deadline. Follow the current countdown and allow time for your bid to be accepted.

Every lot you bid on reports your standing in plain terms: leading while your bid or max is in front, outbid the moment someone passes it, and won once the lot closes in your favor. Closed lots move into your account with the result and any next step.

• Add lots to your watchlist and set reminders so a closing lot never slips past you.
• Some auctions require bidder registration and auction-office approval before your bids count — confirm your status before a lot you want starts to close.