Bid in a Timed Auction

At some auctions we sell equipment attachments, consumer goods and other smaller items in an online Timed Auction, with no auctioneer. Bidding opens a few days before the live auction and closes at staggered times during the auction. Every item is sold to the highest bidder when bidding closes.

Check our website, the auction brochure or your auction day listing catalog to find out if items are being sold by Timed Auction. Placing bids in our Timed Auctions is easy.

Register to bid either in person at the auction site or online. You may need to place a bid deposit equivalent to 25% of the amount you want to spend or your maximum bidding limit. If you register at the auction site you will receive a Timed Auction PIN card with your listing catalog; use this PIN to access the online Timed Auction.

When bidding opens, sign in to the Timed Auction system and place your bids using the self-serve kiosks at the auction site or at rbauction.com (using your computer, tablet or mobile device).

Our Timed Auction system is divided into three main areas. Follow the bidding and place bids under All Listings. See items you've bid on under My Selections. Create and bid on choice groups under Advanced Bidding.

You will see an overview of the bidding on each item under All Listings, including when bidding closes and how much time is left, the current high bid and the bidder number of the high bidder. You can place your bids using the Quick Bid and Maximum Bid buttons, add the item to My Selections, see more photos or click on the lot description to view the bidding history.

To place a Maximum Bid, enter the amount you are willing to bid up to in the empty box, then click Maximum Bid. The system will put you in at the lowest bid possible and then bid for you, up to and including the amount you specify. Your Maximum Bid will be kept secret, and the system will only raise your bid if someone outbids you.

You can click the Quick Bid button to place a bid at the next highest increment. Note: you may be outbid right away, especially if someone has already placed a higher Maximum Bid. Tip: save time by placing a Maximum Bid. The system will bid for you, so you don't have to stay online.

When time is running out on an item, any new bids placed will cause additional time to be added to the closing time of the lot. This gives you an opportunity to react and place another bid before the lot is sold.

When you place a bid on an item or click Add to My Selections, it will be listed in this section. This is an easy way to find out if you're still the high bidder on an item or if something was sold to you. Note: make sure you set the filter to All Lots or Sold Lots if you're looking for an item that's been sold.

Sign up for alerts in the Timed Auction system: we will let you know by email if you have been outbid or if an item was sold to you. You will not receive any alerts in the last five minutes before bidding closes on an item.

If you want to buy a certain type of item (e.g. a pressure washer) rather than a specific lot, you can create and bid on a choice group under Advanced Bidding. Find out more about bidding on choice groups.