What is a High Bid Auction?

This is a 'sealed-bid' auction, which means that no one else can see your bid.

Here's how it works

• Bids are "sealed".
  All you do is offer the highest amount you are prepared to pay... and then wait to see if you've won the bidding. Easy!
   
• Multiple Winners.
  On many High Bid Lots there is a Secret Price above which every bid wins! So even if you don't offer the highest bid, you can sometimes win anyway. (We only disclose the highest bid, so you will never know what the Secret Price was.)
   
• If you win
  We will contact you by phone and by email. And if you don’t win you will often have another chance to bid again.
   
• Second Chances
  If you still don’t win, where there is availability, we will offer you a further chance to bid again (this time for FREE) for the item on offer.
   
• Your bids are not binding.
  Unlike other auctions, you are not committed to go through with any bids you make. You still have a chance to turn it down if your bid wins.
   
• Entry fees
  You pay a small entry fee of up to £5 per bid to take part in the High Bid auctions (and variable fees from £3 per bid in the Low Bid auctions).

And what's more...

• If you still have not got what you want, every few weeks, you will be offered the chance to pick up any winning bids that other people have turned down, in what we call The Sale of Unclaimed Winning Bids.
   
• You can manage all the communications you receive from us (through your My Account page), so you can opt out at any time.

What happens if I'm a winner?

• You will then have 24 hours to confirm whether you want to go ahead and a further five days in which to pay, by credit card, cheque or bank transfer.
   
• (Note: If you are purchasing a holiday or break you will only need to pay a deposit so and you only pay the full amount due ten weeks before you travel.)

Please note that your winning bid is not binding, but if you do confirm that you wish to go ahead, you will then be making a binding commitment, so don’t say yes until you are sure