Bidding mechanics
Auction bid increments: how they work and how to set them
A bid increment is the minimum amount a new bid must exceed the current bid by; increments scale with price so bidding stays fast at low prices and meaningful at high ones, and Auction Now's defaults run from $1 under $30 to $50 above $2,000.
By the Auction Now team · Updated September 19, 2026 · 3 min read
Each bid must beat the current bid by at least the increment. Too small and bidding drags on in pennies; too large and bidders hesitate. Auction houses solve this with a sliding table, and so does Auction Now.
Default increment table
| Current bid | Next bid increases by |
|---|---|
| Under $30 | $1 |
| $30 – $49 | $2 |
| $50 – $99 | $3 |
| $100 – $299 | $5 |
| $300 – $999 | $10 |
| $1,000 – $1,999 | $20 |
| $2,000 and up | $50 |
The slide-to-bid widget always shows the exact next bid, so bidders never have to do the math. Max bids (proxy bidding) also step through this table.
When to customise
- High-value items ($5,000+): raise the top bands so a contested finish moves in $100 or $250 steps.
- Cheap, high-volume items: keep $1 increments a bit higher up the table so lots close quickly.
- Whole-dollar cultures: some collector communities expect $5 or $10 minimums even at low prices. Match what your bidders are used to.
Edit the table in Auction Now's bid settings. Changes apply to new bids on all live auctions.
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