Get Started Here

How It Works

Welcome to Redibids!  If you are new to Redibids, please take a moment to review how our auctions work.  Redibids is not your standard auction site – it is a fast-paced, exciting auction model where you’ll have the opportunity to buy some amazing products at unbelievable prices! Here’s how it works:

1) Register With Us

Before you purchase bids or participate in any auction, you’ll be asked to register and create an account with us.  That’s it!  Now you’re ready to get started.  Once you register, we will walk you through a practice auction which will show you with how the system works.  We recommend you also review our video tutorials and our TIPS AND TRICKS section of the website before you begin. 

2) Buy Your Bids

If you buy single bids, our bids are sold for $0.63 each.  However, if you purchase a “bid pack” containing various quantities of bids, you will get a discount on the purchase price of the bids.  For example, you may purchase 8 bids for $5.00, 16 bids for $10.00 or 32 bids for $20.00, entitling you to a 1% discount.  On your first bid purchase, Redibids will match the number of bids you purchase and give you an equivalent number of free bids.

Purchasing and using bids does not guarantee you’ll win an auction.  You may purchase bids electronically by using the green 2-click purchase buttons below the main auction screen or by using the “Buy More Bids” link when you hover over your avatar.  You may also purchase bids using the “Shop” tab.  Bids are always nonrefundable.

3) Join One or More Auctions

Once you have registered and logged in, you will see a number of auctions that are available.  You may select one or more auctions by clicking on them individually.  If you click the “Live Auctions” drop down menu, you can organize the auctions by product category.  You can also use the “Find an Auction for Me” option, which will select a popular auction.  The auction(s) that you select are shown across the top of the main screen and you can scroll through them, left to right.  You may also change the auction that is shown in full screen mode on the left side of the screen by clicking on the icon of any auction you want to expand.  You may select up to six (6) auctions to participate in at the same time.

4) Bid on an Auction

Next, you simply bid! 

Manual Bidding: you may bid manually on the auction shown in the left panel by pressing the red square “BID NOW!” button.  You may also bid manually on any of the auctions shown in the top scroll by pressing the “BID” button shown on that auction.  Additional auctions can be added at any time.  Each time you bid, a grid space turns red and your username appears as the last bidder, each of which visually indicates your placed bid. 

Automated Bidding: you may activate the automated bid function by pressing the “Auto Bid” or “Auto Bid All” buttons.  Pressing the “Auto Bid” button will cause the system to automatically bid on only the auction shown in full screen mode on the left side of the screen, once every five seconds.  Pressing the “Auto Bid All” button will cause the system to automatically bid on all of your selected auction items, rotating between the auctions that you have selected in order, once every five seconds. 

Each bid that you (and each other bidder) place causes one of the “BID” indicators shown below the auction to change color (blue for other bidders, red for your bids).  After ten (10) bids have been placed by you or another bidder, the price of the auction will be increased by $0.01.  This process repeats until the auction ends.

5) Winning an Auction

You will not know the final auction price for the product until the auction ends.  Some auctions will end when the final auction price is just a few pennies.  Others will end when the auction price is a few dollars or more.  Each auction lists a “Past 3 Avg,” which represents the average final auction price that the item has been sold for in the last three auctions.  This should help you decide when to begin your bidding process.  When the auction ends, the last bidder to place a bid in that auction will win the auction.  All auctions end fifteen (15) seconds after the reserve price is met.

Each time you place a bid, you will have sixty (60) seconds (your "Window") within which to see any mini-auction prize icons that may be embedded within the grid.  Mini-auctions are indicated by a gift box or gift tag symbol shown within a grid space.  Gift tags indicate free bids mini-auctions and gift boxes indicate product mini-auctions.  If you expand an auction on the left side of the screen and hover over the gift box, you can see what product is contained within the mini-auction and how many free bids are available.  You can then attempt to skillfully time your bids to land on the prize icons and win those mini-auctions.  When the reserve price is met, a 15-second countdown timer is initiated.  If the 15-second countdown timer is initiated during your Window, you will see the countdown timer and will be able to participate in the countdown bidding.  However, if your Window has expired, you will not see the 15-second countdown timer and you will not be able to bid in the countdown portion of the auction.  Make sure you keep those Windows open! 

The indicator to the left of the BID button flashes grey/red until you place a bid.  Once you place a bid, the indicator turns green, indicating the start of your 60-second Window.  As your Window approaches its expiration, the indicator turns from green to yellow and then from yellow back to the flashing grey/red, indicating the end of your 60-second Window.

If you are the winner of an auction, you have the ability to purchase the product at the deeply discounted final auction price that is displayed.

6) If You Don’t Win

If an auction ends and you’re not the winner, don’t worry!  You still have the ability to purchase the product using our “Buy It Now” option or through our Catalog.  The retail price of each product is always listed below the product for your reference.  If you choose to buy the item using Buy It Now, you will receive a discount of up to approximately 80% off the retail cost.  In addition, you will get bids returned to you for use in another auction (up to 20% of the number of bids you placed in that auction).  Those returned bids are designated as “Free Bids.”  You can select the Buy It Now option by pressing the green “BUY” button located beneath the main auction screen or by using the “Shop” tab at the top of the screen.  You have one (1) hour after an Auction ends to utilize this feature. Redibids reserves the right to limit the number or type of products available for “Buy It Now” credit. 

7) If you Run Out of Bids

If you run out of bids, you may purchase additional bids using the green 2-click purchase buttons below the main auction screen or by using the “Buy More Bids” link when you hover over your avatar.  You may also purchase bids using the “Shop” tab.  You will not be permitted to purchase additional bids until you have less than fifty (50) purchased bids remaining in your account.   

8) Promotional Game

You may also participate in the optional Redibids free promotional games.  You can access the promotional games using the “Games” tab at the top of the page.  When you purchase bids, you will be given, free of charge, one free promotional game piece for each bid purchased.  You may also request free promotional game pieces through the no-purchase-necessary method of entry.  Please see the Promotional Game Rules to do so. 

During or subsequent to your bidding, you may reveal the results of each free promotional game piece through use of the reveal button.  You may select a different promotional game by pressing the “MENU” button on the promotional game screen or the “Games” tab at the top of the page and selecting another game.  Alternatively, you may use the “Instant Reveal” option.  In this option, found under the Games tab, you simply select the number of game pieces that you would like to reveal and the prize results are revealed to you without any animation.

Prizes awarded in the promotional game will be deposited into your account balance.  You can then use your account balance to (1) purchase more bids; (2) pay for products that you’ve won; (3) pay for buy-it-now products; or (4) shop in our catalog using the “Shop” tab at the top of the page.  Please see the Promotional Game Rules for additional information.