How maximum bids work

You never have to watch a lot to the last second. Enter your maximum bid: the most you are willing to pay for the lot, before the buyer's premium and tax.

What happens next

• Catalot bids for you, one increment at a time, only as high as it needs to stay ahead of the other bidders.
• If nobody else bids, you win at the starting bid.
• If someone else's maximum is higher than yours, the price rises to one increment above your maximum and you are outbid. We email or text you so you can bid again.
• If two bidders enter the same maximum, the one who entered it first leads.

Increments

Each sale sets its increments. Unless the seller changed them, they are:

Current price	Next bid is at least
under $20	$1 more
$20 to $99	$5 more
$100 to $499	$10 more
$500 to $999	$25 more
$1,000 to $4,999	$50 more
$5,000 and up	$100 more

Raising your maximum

You can raise your own maximum while you lead; the price does not move until someone bids against you. Nobody, including the seller, sees your maximum.

The price you pay

Your invoice adds the sale's buyer's premium and sales tax to the winning bid. Both are shown in the sale's terms before you register.