Bidding Live / Online
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Bidding options at an auction
Our auctions are offered in two formats; Timed Online Sale and Live Sale. To bid online you will need to create an account, links are provided below to do this with us or our auction partners.
All premiums include VAT at the current rate levied by HM Revenue and Customs.
The two types of auction
Timed online sale
Timed Online Sale
Timed auctions run without an auctioneer calling out the bids – so there is no live or physical bidding area, or live streaming audio and video. You have two options for registering and bidding…
Live Sale
Live Sale
Live auctions run with an auctioneer calling out the bids at Drake’s Auction house. You have option to visit our auction house and bid in person, bid online via our online three platforms, leave an absentee bid or bid on the telephone. For all bidding methods you will need to register.
Bid online at a LIVE SALE
These are your three options for bidding online. You can watch auctioneer via live streaming audio and video. Fees and premiums vary.
Detailed information about bidding
Timed auctions run without an auctioneer calling out the bids – so there is no live bidding area, or livestreaming audio and video.
Instead, bidding is left directly on the lot page, and there is a bidding “window”. This means there is a set time period that the lot is open for bidding. Once this period of time has ended, no more bids are taken and the lot is sold to the highest bidder, as long as the reserve price has been met or exceeded.
Tell us your maximum bid, sit back, relax, and our system will do the bidding for you. The bidding system is designed with smart bidding in mind. This means it will only bid just enough for you to stay in the lead, or meet the reserve price.
To leave a bid, go to the lot page and on the right hand-side you will see the bidding information such as End Time and Starting Bid.
This shows the bidding window, when leaving your bids in Timed Sales. Enter your maximum price on into the box as seen below and click Place Bid.
We will email you confirmation of your bid.
If your maximum bid does not meet reserve, we will send you an email letting you know.
If another bidder outbids you, we will also let you know – in case you decide you really want the lot after all and want to increase your bid.
In the instance you are unable to place a bid, check you are logged in and registered, and then double-check that the auction has started.
In the instance a bid is placed in the last 5 minutes of the lot due to end, this end time will be extended by a further 5 minutes. This is designed to stop ‘bid sniping’
More information is available in the video below (credit: Easyliveauction):
