How Auction Minimum Bidding Increments Work

How Auction Minimum Bidding Increments Work Minimum Bidding increments and the logic with Auto Bids

Understanding the Basics

When creating an auction item, you can set two important values:

• Minimum/Starting Bid – The amount where bidding begins

• Minimum Bidding Increment – The smallest amount that a bidder must increase the bid by

The smallest possible increment allowed is $1. You can set higher increments depending on the value of the item (e.g., $10 or $25 for high-value items).

Why Bids Might Not Follow Exact Increments

Trellis uses minimum bidding increments, not restricted increments. That means donors can place bids that are more than your set increment—but they aren’t limited to exact multiples.

For example:

• If you set a $20 starting bid with $5 increments, bidders must place bids at least $5 higher than the current bid.

• However, they could also bid $6, $10, or any higher amount.

This allows for more flexibility and encourages donors to give what they feel inspired to offer.

How Auto-Bidding Affects Increments

Let’s say your auction item starts at $20 with a $5 increment:

• Alex places a manual bid of $27. That’s fine—it exceeds the current bid by more than $5.

• Bill sets an auto-bid with a max of $77. The system enters his bid as $32 (which is $5 over Alex’s).

• Chad sets an auto-bid max of $80. Trellis auto-bids in $5 steps between Chad and Bill until:

  • Bill reaches his max of $77

  • Chad then outbids him at $80

You might notice the final bids don’t line up perfectly with your original increments, and that’s okay. The auto-bid system always ensures the bids are:

• At least your minimum increment above the previous bid

• Reflective of each bidder’s maximum willingness to pay

This ensures fair outcomes while maximizing funds raised.

Why the Increments Work This Way

The goal is to:

• Make bidding as flexible and competitive as possible

• Prevent underbidding when awarding an item to the next-highest bidder

• Capture the full value of what each donor was willing to pay, even if they didn’t win

What Happens in the Case of a Tie?

If two bidders place the same maximum bid:

• The first person who set the auto-bid wins

• Trellis timestamps each bid and gives priority to the earliest one