The last minutes of an online auction decide most of the price. Two tools change how those minutes play out. Anti-sniping stops a lot being won by a bid placed a second before the close. Proxy bidding lets a bidder set a limit once and have the system bid for them. This guide explains both, how BidKing Pro implements them, and the fairness points to tell your bidders.
What sniping is
Sniping is placing a bid in the final seconds of an auction, so that nobody has time to respond. On a site with a fixed end time, a sniper can win a lot at a price well below what other bidders would have paid if they'd had the chance to answer.
Sniping isn't cheating; the bidder followed the rules. But it leaves sellers with lower prices and frustrates the bidders who were outbid at the last second. Most of them would have bid again.
How anti-sniping extends a lot
Anti-sniping adds time when a bid arrives near the end. In BidKing Pro you set two numbers on each auction's admin form:
- Trigger window, from 1 to 60 minutes. A bid placed within this many minutes of the end triggers an extension.
- Extension, from 1 to 30 minutes. This much time is added to the lot's current end.
For example, with a 2-minute window and a 2-minute extension, a bid with 30 seconds left pushes the end out by 2 minutes. If someone answers within the last 2 minutes again, it extends again. The lot only closes when 2 minutes pass with no new bid in the window, which works like the "going, going, gone" of a live auction.
Anti-sniping is set per auction, so you can use it on competitive lots and leave quiet ones on a fixed end. It isn't applied to penny auctions. There, every bid already adds time to the clock by design (see penny auction maths).
How proxy bidding works
Proxy bidding, or auto-bidding, means a bidder tells the system how far they're willing to go, and the system bids for them whenever they're outbid. They don't need to watch the lot. BidKing Pro's Auto-Bidder sets the limit differently by auction type:
- English auctions: a maximum price. When someone outbids them, the system raises their bid by one bid step, and keeps doing so until their maximum is reached.
- Penny auctions: a number of bids. The system places bids for them, each costing the normal bid fee, until that number is used up.
- Reverse auctions are also supported.
A few rules apply on English lots:
- Equal maximums: if two bidders' maximums are equal, the one who set theirs first stays ahead.
- Wallet balance: an automatic bid is placed only if the bidder's wallet can cover the bid fee.
- Unsupported types: proxy bidding doesn't apply to sealed or unique-bid auctions.
Anti-sniping and proxy bidding together
Used together, they move the contest away from timing and towards how much each bidder values the lot. Someone with a proxy limit doesn't need to be online at the close. Anyone bidding by hand gets time to respond to a late bid. The lot ends near the highest price the bidders are actually willing to pay, which is usually what sellers want.
Fairness notes for your bidders
- Explain both on the lot or in your terms: the extension window and length, and how proxy bids are placed.
- Be clear that automatic bids are real bids. On lots with a bid fee, each automatic bid costs the same as a manual one.
- Keep a record. BidKing stores whether each bid was manual or automatic, and the admin bid list shows it, so you can answer disputes with data.
- Don't let staff or test accounts bid on live lots, by hand or by proxy.
Common questions
What is anti-sniping in an online auction?
A rule that extends the auction when a bid arrives close to the end, so other bidders have time to respond. In BidKing Pro you set the trigger window (1–60 minutes) and the extension (1–30 minutes) on each auction.
What is proxy bidding?
The bidder sets a limit, and the system bids for them whenever they're outbid, up to that limit. On English auctions in BidKing Pro, the limit is a maximum price and each automatic bid is one bid step.
Does anti-sniping work on penny auctions?
No. BidKing doesn't apply anti-sniping to penny auctions, because every penny bid already adds time to the clock.
Which BidKing edition includes anti-sniping and proxy bidding?
BidKing Pro and PrizeX include both. Starter and Plus sites can add them from Add-ons in the admin panel.