A Buy Now price lets a buyer skip the bidding and take a lot straight away at a price you set. Done well, it suits the buyer who wants certainty and gives you a sale at a price you're happy with. Done badly, it lets someone grab a lot below what bidders have already offered. This guide covers how Buy Now works in BidKing and PrizeX, when it disappears for each auction type, what happens to bidders when someone buys outright, and how to set the price.
Who has it
- Included: Buy Now is included in every BidKing edition and in PrizeX.
- Where you set it: a Buy Now Price field on the auction form, for admins and for sellers on a multi-vendor store. Leave it empty or at zero for a bid-only lot.
- Help beside the field: an info button next to the field explains when Buy Now disappears on this lot. It follows the auction type and rule you pick, and says whether the lot uses the store default or its own rule.
When Buy Now disappears
Buy Now doesn't stay open no matter what happens in the bidding. Out of the box, it follows the auction type:
- English auctions: it disappears once the current bid reaches the Buy Now price. From then on, the bidding is worth more than Buy Now, so nobody can take the lot for less than the top bid.
- Penny auctions: it disappears once the price reaches it, so when you edit a live penny lot, the Buy Now price has to be above its current price.
- Sealed, lowest unique and highest unique bid auctions: it disappears with the first bid. The bids are hidden, so there's no visible price to compare it with, and the bids stay hidden.
- Reverse auctions: it stays until the lot is sold, and it can't be above the starting price, because the price only goes down from there.
The lot's rule is checked on the auction page, in the app, when the lot is added to the cart, before payment and when the payment lands. If bidding takes Buy Now off the lot while someone is paying, the payment is refused and held for a refund, and the lot stays on sale.
The form also checks the price for you. On most types Buy Now has to be at least the starting bid, "or nobody would bid". On reverse it can't be above the starting price.
Changing when Buy Now disappears
You can change the rules above. Go to Auctions › Buy Now rules and pick a default for each group of auction types:
- Hide after the first bid. Buy Now goes as soon as anyone bids.
- Hide once bids reach the Buy Now price. English and penny auctions only. Sealed, lowest unique and highest unique bids are hidden, and reverse bids go down, so it isn't offered there.
- Never hide. Buy Now stays while bidding goes on, even when the top bid is higher. The top bidder can lose the lot to a Buy Now, so the store asks you to confirm first.
Each lot also has a When Buy Now disappears field on its form, for admins and sellers. Leave it on the store default, or pick a rule for that lot. Every change is logged, and the form shows who last changed it.
What happens when someone clicks Buy Now
- It goes into their cart. They see the full total, with shipping and tax, before they pay. One Buy Now lot can be in a cart at a time.
- Other people see a hold. While a buyer has the lot in their cart (up to 30 minutes, or until the auction ends if that's sooner), everyone else sees "Someone is checking out this item" instead of the Buy Now button. Bidding carries on.
- If they don't buy, Buy Now comes back when the cart line expires.
- The hold lasts while they pay. If they don't finish paying, Buy Now comes back when the payment request expires. If two buyers end up paying, the lot is still sold only once. The other payment is held for a refund, which you issue from Payment requests.
- A cancelled lot can't be sold. If you cancel the lot before a payment settles, that payment is held for a refund instead.
What happens to bidders
When a lot is bought outright:
- The bidding ends. Every further bid is refused, auto-bids included, and the lot shows as "Bought outright".
- Bid fees go back. On formats where each bid costs a fee, such as penny auctions, every bid fee paid on that lot goes back to the bidder's wallet. Each bid is refunded once, even if the lot is later put back on sale and sold again.
- Every bidder is told, on the site and by email, that the lot was bought outright and, if they paid bid fees, that the fees are back in their wallet.
This keeps Buy Now fair to bidders. With the default rules, nobody pays to bid on a lot and then loses it to a buyer at a price below theirs. With "Never hide", they can, so the store asks you to confirm that choice. Either way, nobody is left out of pocket for bids on a lot that's gone.
Money details
- Buy Now is charged at the Buy Now price. If you use a buyer's premium, it's added to winning bids, not to Buy Now. Our guide to buyer's premium covers how to set that.
- Shipping is added if the lot has a shipping fee, and tax is worked out at checkout.
- Refunds can reopen a lot. When refunding a Buy Now order, you can choose to put the listing back on sale.
Setting a good Buy Now price
- Set it at a price you'd be happy to sell at today. With the default rule on English auctions, Buy Now disappears once bidding reaches it, so a price set too low simply goes away. With "Never hide" it stays, so a low price can sell the lot below the top bid. Set it too high and nobody uses it.
- Use it for buyers who value certainty. Collectors chasing a specific item, or business buyers who need it by a date, often pay a premium not to wait.
- On penny auctions, think about the fees. Buy Now gives bidders a way out at a known price, and buying outright refunds every bid fee on the lot. State both clearly on the lot.
- Paid-bid formats raise legal questions in some places. The operator is responsible for compliance, so check with a local lawyer before charging bid fees. BidKing limits sign-up to 18 and over.
Common questions
Does Buy Now disappear after the first bid?
On sealed, lowest unique and highest unique bid auctions, yes, by default. On English and penny auctions it disappears once the current price reaches the Buy Now price. On reverse auctions it stays until the lot sells. You can change these defaults under Auctions › Buy Now rules, or pick a rule for one lot.
What happens to the other bidders when someone buys it outright?
Bidding ends, every bid fee paid on the lot goes back to the bidder's wallet, and each bidder is told on the site and by email.
Can two people buy the same lot?
No. While one buyer has it in their cart or is paying for it, others see "Someone is checking out this item". If two payments still arrive, the lot is sold once and the other payment is held for a refund.
Is the buyer's premium charged on Buy Now?
No. Buy Now is charged at its own price, plus shipping and tax. The buyer's premium applies to winning bids.