This is a 'sealed-bid' auction, which means that unlike other auctions, you only need to bid once because no one else can see your bid.

What do I do?

All you do is offer the highest amount you are prepared to pay... and then wait to see if you've won the bidding. Easy!

• No need to keep revisiting the site

• No one can "snipe" you (by bidding last minute) and

• No one can talk you up!

It couldn't be simpler.

Why should I take part?

On offer is a hand picked range of wonderful items that are not normally available at discount, so you might get a real bargain.

• It's convenient. You don't need to check the bidding.

• If you don’t win, you will be offered further chances to try again.

• ...And it's fun.

Here's how it works

• Bids are "sealed".
  No one knows what bids have been placed until the auction closes and the bids are compared. At that point, the highest of the bids placed wins.

• You pay a small entry fee of up to £5 per bid to take part.

• Multiple Winners.
  As well as the highest bid winning, for most Lots there is a Secret Price above which the supplier will allow us to accept every bid, so even if you don't offer the highest bid, you can sometimes win anyway. We only disclose the highest bid, so you will never know what the Secret Price is. (This allows our suppliers to discreetly move inventory without undermining published prices, something you can really benefit from).

• Your bids are not binding.
  Unlike other auctions, you are not committed to go through with any bids you make. You still have a chance to turn it down if your bid wins. (It is then offered to the next highest bidder).

• Second Chances
  If you don’t win, where there is availability, we will offer you a further chance to bid again (this time for FREE) for the item on offer.

If you still have not got what you want, every few weeks, you will be offered the chance to pick up any winning bids that other people have turned down, in what we call The Sale of Unclaimed Winning Bids.

We will also offer you a chance to join our Trade Purchase group, where we offer customers the trade prices we can secure when we go out sourcing products.

Finally, if you don’t win, in return for your entry fee, we will give you a discounts worth up to £200 off the Auctionair Buy It Now prices.

You can manage all the communications you receive from us (through your My Account), so if you get fed up with the process you can opt out at any time.

Want to know more?

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Tell me about the winners?

Our top 400 customers from the High Bid have now spent over £2 million getting themselves the latest technology, exotic fashion items, fab five star holidays and exotic weekend escapes. Why? Because they have secured excellent deals on products that cannot usually be obtained at a discount.

One of our best customers has bid in 33 auctions, won 27 times and has saved himself over £32,000! His tactic is to make multiple bids at 25-45% off and to always bid again, with a slightly higher bid, when offered a Second Chance. He will then usually have several winning bids, but it is only at that point that he actually decides which ones he wants! So for his entry fee he secures himself the option on a choice of fantastic products not normally available at discount.

Our first 70,000 signed up users have, between them, had over 12,500 winning bids. So there really are plenty of chances to win.

Check it out for yourself at the Results section on this site, where the last 2,000 winning bids are available for your scrutiny.

Why does this work?

We have high profile advertising, and aim to generate lasting relationships with the customers who place bids in response. The more we grow the more attractive this is to our Lot suppliers, and therefore the better the deal for you and all our other customers.

What is your business model? How do you make money?

We earn income from the entry fees from bidding and we earn income from the sale prices to the winning bidders. Over 40% of our customers bid again and it is the repeat business from bidders that sustains us, so if you do bid, persuading you to come back again is very important to us.

OK, so what do to have a go?

Here is what you need to do:

• Browse the Lots and enter the amount you would like to offer in the "Bid Here!" box. (Your bid will then be instantly displayed in “Your Basket” on the web page)

• Once you have made as many bids as you want, click finalise on “Your Basket”

• Make any final amendments to your bids then click “Checkout”

• Fill out your contact and payment details and click "Submit".

Or, if you would prefer to deal with a human…

• Browse the Lots and decide which you would like to bid for.

• Call us at Auctionair on 087 007 28284 and place your bids over the phone.
  (Please note, this is not a call centre, it is our Customer Service Team and they are based in a converted stable block in the Warwickshire countryside. They will be delighted to talk to you and we think you will find them to be very nice people. However, because they are human, they are only available to call during weekdays and normal office hours.)

What happens if I'm a winner?

If your bid is a winning one, we will contact you by phone or e-mail. You will then have 24 hours to confirm whether you want to go ahead and a further five days in which to pay, by credit card, cheque or bank transfer. Please note that your winning bid is not binding, but if you do confirm that you wish to go ahead, you will then be making a binding commitment, so don’t say yes until you are sure.