Placing a bid – Soapbox Support Center

With the Auctions app, registered bidders can place bids on silent auction items directly from the item detail page. The bidding experience uses a modal that shows the current bid, the minimum required bid, and the bidder's current standing on the item.

Note: Bidding appears only at auctions that offer it. At an auction that doesn't, items have no Bid Now button, and silent auction items can't be bought with Buy Now either. Items sold at a set price can still be bought with Buy Now.

How bidding works

Soapbox Auctions uses a proxy bidding system. When a bidder enters a maximum bid amount, the lowest bid necessary to make them the highest bidder is placed, up to their maximum. If another bidder places a higher bid, the original bidder's bid is raised automatically on their behalf — up to their maximum — without requiring them to return to the item.

The Place a bid modal

To place a bid, a registered bidder clicks Bid Now on an item detail page. A modal titled Place a bid appears with the following information:

The item name
Current bid — the current highest bid on the item
Minimum Bid — the minimum amount the bidder must enter to place a valid bid
Set your bid amount — the bid amount field (on mobile devices, this field opens a numeric keyboard)
The bidder's current standing on the item: either You have not bid on this item yet or Your current bid: $X
A Place $X Bid button that reflects the amount entered in the field
A Cancel link to close the modal without placing a bid

Clicking Place $X Bid turns the button into Confirm $X Bid, with the reminder "Tap again to confirm. This bid cannot be undone." Clicking it a second time places the bid.

After submitting a bid, a confirmation message appears inside the modal. The page does not navigate away and no browser popup is shown.

Bid Now vs. Buy Now

Some items in an auction may be configured for fixed-price purchase rather than silent bidding. Those items display a Buy Now button and a set price rather than a current bid and bid input. Fixed-price items do not use the proxy bidding system.

Clicking Buy Now opens a Place order window showing the Price and, for items sold in quantity, a Quantity field. The bidder clicks Place $X Order, then Confirm $X Order.

A Buy Now purchase is added to the bidder's balance on My Checkout straight away. It is not charged at the moment of purchase. See Paying your auction balance.

When a card is required to bid

An auction can require bidders to have a payment method on file before they bid. It can require one for every bid, or only for bids at or above a set amount.

For every bid. A bidder with no card saved is asked for one in the Set up bidder details step when they click Bid Now or Buy Now, before the bid window opens. Once the card is saved, they continue to their bid.
Only for larger bids. Bids below the amount go through as usual. If a bid at or above the amount needs a card and the bidder has none saved, the bid is not placed. Instead, the Set up bidder details step opens with this explanation: "This auction requires a payment method on file for bids of $X or more. Your bid of $Y meets this threshold. Add a credit card to continue bidding, or place a lower bid." For Buy Now, the item's price is what is compared with the amount.

Once the card is saved, the bid or Buy Now purchase goes through without starting over. Saving a card does not charge it.

Note: Bidding is only available to registered bidders who are signed in. Visitors who are not signed in see Register and Sign In buttons on item pages instead of the bid or purchase button. For details on creating an account and enrolling as a bidder, see Registering and signing in as a bidder.

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