There’s a trick to bidding on auction cars
That applies specifically to auction cars for sale in public auto auctions that don’t already have any bids placed on them.
Say you find the perfect vehicle – a clean title car, and amazingly, it doesn’t have a starting bid yet! Don’t get ahead of yourself. You need to use a trick before bidding on clean or salvage title cars (or any other vehicle) to keep your bid at an advantage.
If a vehicle has no bids placed on it, it’ll look like this.
For this example, let’s say you’re interested in placing a maximum bid of $5,000 on this vehicle. Before you do anything, place the minimum bid possible. This is incredibly important.
After you register the minimum bid in our system, you can set your maximum bid, and we’ll incrementally bid on your behalf up to your limit during pre-bidding and the live auction.
If you place your maximum bid on a lot with no active bids, that will become the starting bid.
That gives you a significant disadvantage. If your bid is still the highest and makes it to the live auction, the first bid above yours will outbid you. If you can’t participate in the live auction or don’t have additional buyer power available, you won’t be able to place another bid.
Another disadvantage is transparency. Say you place your bid the right way. With the minimum starting bid followed by your maximum bid of $5,000, your maximum bid will remain hidden. Another user may place a $3,000 bid, but our system will immediately outbid them. It may not seem worth it to continue bidding because they are unaware of the maximum bid on the lot.
That, however, won’t be the case if you place your maximum bid as the starting bid. The system will display your maximum bid immediately. Anybody that bids on that vehicle will immediately become the high bidder.
If the bid is anything other than $0
You can place your maximum intended bid, but it will only display it in the next highest increment on that vehicle. The system immediately outbids anyone who bids less than your maximum until it reaches your limit.
If you find a vehicle at an auction with a current bid of $100 and a bid increment of $25, you can place any amount, and the system will display your bid as $125. If whoever placed the bid before you has a higher maximum bid, whoever has the next highest increment will hold the current high bid of that vehicle.
What to do, step by step
If you’re bidding at an online auto auction on a vehicle with no bids, don’t place your maximum bid.
Start by placing the minimum starting bid. For vehicles without bids, that’s typically $25.00.
Your bid will register in our system, and the page will display your current bid.
Afterward, you can place your maximum intended bid, $1,000 or $10,000. That bid will remain hidden from the public, preventing other bidders from knowing how much they’ll have to compete against your bid.
For all your other auction needs
If you need help or have any questions, email us at support@autobidmaster.com or call +1 (503) 298-4300 between 6:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday, Pacific Standard Time. We’ll be happy to help. Until then, start your search for great deals on salvage title vehicles and clean car titles today!
Always remember to get a ClearVIN VIN Check Report before bidding on auction cars or any other vehicle on online car auctions to ensure you know exactly what you’re getting into. Using a VIN decoder from our trusted partner, you can uncover important details about a car, such as whether it has been in an accident or has had significant repairs.
- Master Auction Bidding with the Bid Like a Pro Course - January 8, 2025
- Common Issues to Watch Out for in Cars Under $3000 - December 31, 2024
- Consumer Rights and Vehicle Recalls: What You Need to Know - December 24, 2024
