When an auction does not use dynamic increments (or has no increment table at all), autobids can be placed for any amount—they do not need to follow the increment rules normally set for that item.
This means a user can enter a bid like £372, even if the current increment is £30 and valid bids would normally be £360, £390, etc.
How Bidding Works with Non-Dynamic Autobids
Let’s look at how the system handles autobids in these cases:
Example 1:
Bid increment: £30
User A autobid: £372
User B places a bid: £355
Result:
User A’s autobid is triggered, and the bid jumps to £372.
The next valid bid for others becomes £402 (i.e. £372 + £30).
Example 2:
Bid increment: £5
User A autobid: £52
User B places a bid: £50
Result:
User A’s autobid is triggered, placing the bid at £52.
The next bid is £57 (i.e. £52 + £5).
So generally speaking, the autobid kicks in regardless of whether it is less than the next increment or not. And the next bid will be the value of the autobid plus the increment.
What If an Autobid is Too Low?
If a user tries to place a maxbid (autobid) that is lower than the current bid + increment, they will see this error:
"Unable to place bid. It is not higher than the current highest bid plus the bid increment. Please check the price and make a fresh bid."
This ensures fairness in the bidding process while allowing flexibility when increment rules are not enforced dynamically.