Online auction glossary
Plain definitions of the terms you meet in eBay and live auctions, from automatic bidding to Sudden Death. Each term links to the guide that covers it in depth.
Updated
- Automatic bidding (proxy bidding)
- You enter the most you’ll pay and the platform bids for you, one increment at a time, only as far as needed to keep you ahead. eBay does this for every bid; on Whatnot it’s called Max Bid. See how eBay bidding works.
- Bid cancellation
- A seller removing a bid from their own listing, for example when they’re concerned it’s fraudulent. A cancelled bid can’t be reinstated. See cancelling a bid as a seller.
- Bid history
- The eBay page listing every bid on an auction with its amount, time and masked bidder, plus a section for retracted and cancelled bids. Tap the number of bids on a listing to open it. See how to read one.
- Bid increment
- The minimum step between bids, which grows as the price rises. On eBay it’s $1 between $25 and $99.99, for example. See the full increment table.
- Bid retraction
- A bidder taking back their own bid. eBay allows it only in a few situations, such as typing the wrong amount, and retractions are public. See eBay bid retractions.
- Bid shielding
- One account places a very high bid to discourage other bidders, then retracts it near the end so a second account wins at a low price. It leaves a retraction by a leading bidder in the bid history. See suspicious bids on your own auctions.
- Bidder detail page
- The 30-day summary eBay shows when you tap a masked bidder: total bids, items bid on, the share of their bidding with this seller, and retractions over 30 days and 6 months. It holds the strongest public signs.
- Blocked buyer list
- A list of up to 5,000 eBay usernames a seller has stopped from bidding on or buying their items. See how to block buyers on eBay.
- Buyer requirements
- eBay seller settings that block groups of buyers: those in places the seller doesn’t ship to, those with orders cancelled for not paying, and those already winning a set number of the seller’s items in the last 10 days.
- Extended bidding (soft close)
- A rule that adds time when someone bids near the end, so others can respond. eBay is testing it in some categories; Whatnot’s standard timer adds a few seconds per bid.
- Feedback score
- The number next to an eBay username, from ratings after transactions. Low or zero feedback is common among genuine buyers, because buyers often don’t receive feedback, so it’s context, not a sign.
- Masked bidder name
- How eBay shows bidders to everyone but the seller: the first and last character of the username, like
a***b (12). The same mask and score is likely, not certainly, the same person. - Nibbling (small consecutive bids)
- One bidder placing small bids again and again, each answered at once by the leader’s automatic bid, then stopping just short. Common among cautious buyers; also how a shill finds the leader’s maximum. See the sign and the simulator.
- Pre-bid
- On Whatnot, a Max Bid placed on an item before the show, used automatically once the auction starts, even if you’re not watching.
- Reserve price
- A hidden minimum price set by the seller. Until a bid reaches it, nobody wins, and the listing shows “Reserve not met”. The legitimate way for a seller to protect a minimum price. See reserve prices.
- Second Chance Offer
- An eBay seller offering an item to a bidder who didn’t win, at that bidder’s last bid, when the winner didn’t pay, the reserve wasn’t met, or the seller has more of the item. It can be sent up to 60 days after the auction ends.
- Shill
- Someone who poses as an independent buyer or fan while working for the seller. In auctions, the account placing fake bids.
- Shill bidding
- Bidding on an auction by the seller, or someone connected to them, to push the price up, with no intention of buying. Banned by eBay and Whatnot, and can be illegal. See what is shill bidding?
- Sniping
- Bidding in the final seconds of an auction so others have no time to respond, often with a sniping tool. Last-second bids are usually ordinary buyers, not anything untoward.
- Sudden Death
- A Whatnot auction timer that adds no time for late bids. The highest bid placed before zero wins. See how Whatnot auctions work.
- Unpaid item (unpaid cancellation)
- An eBay order cancelled because the buyer didn’t pay within 4 calendar days. It’s recorded on the buyer’s account, and repeated ones restrict buying and bidding.
- Winning price
- What the winner of a proxy auction pays: one increment over the second-highest maximum, never more than their own maximum.
Watching an auction?
Capture its bid history and see which signs are present, with the evidence for each.