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.

How bidding works

Soapbox Auctions uses a proxy bidding system. When a bidder enters a maximum bid amount, the system places the lowest bid necessary to make them the highest bidder, up to their maximum. If another bidder places a higher bid, the system automatically raises the original bidder's bid 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
A bid amount input 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 input field
A Cancel button to close the modal without placing a 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.

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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