Proxy bidding explained: let guests set a maximum and enjoy the evening

Proxy bidding, also called maximum bidding or autobid, lets a guest tell the system the most they are willing to pay for a lot. The system then bids on their behalf, one increment at a time, only as high as needed, never past their maximum. It is how the big online marketplaces have worked for decades, and it suits charity evenings beautifully. Here is how it works and why you should switch it on.

The mechanics, with numbers

Say a dinner voucher stands at 60 euros with 10 euro increments. Anna wants it and sets a maximum of 120. The system bids 70 for her. If Ben later bids 80, the system instantly answers 90 for Anna. If Ben goes to 110, Anna's proxy answers 120 and stops; that is her ceiling. If nobody passes 120 before close, Anna wins, and note this: she wins at the level competition pushed it to, not automatically at her full 120. If bidding had stopped at 90, she would pay 90.

Why guests love it

Without proxies, silent auctions demand vigilance. The guest who wants Lot 9 must keep checking their phone through dinner, and the lot often goes to whoever happened to look last, not whoever wanted it most. With a proxy, a guest decides once, calmly, what the lot is worth to them, sets it, and goes back to the conversation. Being outbid still triggers a message, so they can raise their ceiling if they choose. The evening stays an evening instead of a stakeout.

Why organisers should love it

• Higher closes. People privately commit to their true maximum, which is usually more than they would bid step by step in public. That committed money then answers every rival bid instantly.
• No sniping resentment. Without proxies, a last-second bid beats someone who was busy applauding the speeches. With proxies, the highest willingness wins, which everyone experiences as fair.
• Fewer stalled lots. Two proxies against each other walk a lot upward automatically, even while both bidders are at the buffet.

Explain it in one line from the stage

Guests who have never met proxy bidding need one sentence: You can set a maximum, and the system bids for you until someone passes it. Add the reassurance that matters: you only ever pay one step above the second-highest bidder, not your whole maximum, unless the race truly went that far.

Two honest caveats

First, ties: most systems give priority to the earlier maximum when two guests set the same amount, and it is worth knowing that rule before someone asks. Second, theatre: proxies smooth out the visible back-and-forth on the big screen. You lose a little drama on lots decided early, which is fine for the silent catalogue; keep your headline lots in the live block, where human hands in the air remain the show.

Where proxy bidding fits best

Silent lots, hybrid evenings where remote bidders cannot watch continuously, and any audience of busy parents who genuinely came for the dinner. Which is most audiences.

Proxy bidding is built into auctiontool.ai: guests scan the QR code, set a maximum if they wish, and the system does the vigilance while they enjoy the night. The bidding flow is shown on the how it works page.