The short version
How bidding works
Most of our sales are timed online auctions. You bid on the lots you want, the clock runs out, highest bid wins. Here's the rest of it, without the jargon.
The basics
Six things to know
Timed auctions
Each lot has an open date and a closing time. Bid any time while it's open. When the clock runs out, the highest bid wins the lot.
Max bids
Set the most you're willing to pay and we bid for you — only as much as needed to stay in front, never past your limit. Nobody sees your maximum.
Soft close
A bid in the final moments extends that lot's clock, so nobody can steal a lot with a last-second snipe. The countdown on the page always shows the real closing time.
Registration
Most sales need a free account and a payment card saved to it. Saving the card costs nothing — it's only charged if you win. A few sales also ask you to register for that sale first.
Live sessions
Some sales end with a live auctioneer calling lots one at a time, often with video. You bid online in real time against the room — wherever you are in Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado counties, or well outside it.
Dutch sales
The reverse of a normal auction: the price starts high and drops on a schedule. The first bidder to accept the current price wins — wait for a better price and someone may beat you to it.
On the lot page
What you'll see when you bid
Every lot page shows the current bid, the next ask, the estimate, and a live countdown. Bids update in real time — no refreshing.
Next asks
Bidding moves in set increments. The lot page shows the next valid amounts, so you always know what a bid will cost.
Reserve status
Some lots have a minimum price. The page tells you whether the reserve has been met, or if the lot has no reserve at all.
Bid history
See every bid on the lot as it happens. Bidder identities stay anonymous.
Fees before you bid
The buyer's premium is on the lot page before you bid — 18% on most sales. Sales tax and one flat shipping charge are added when we invoice you after the close.
After the close
What happens when you win
Winning is the last decision you make. When the auction closes we invoice you for everything you won in it and charge the card you saved before bidding — there's no checkout to come back to. The full terms are on our terms of sale page.
One invoice per auction
Every lot you won in the same sale goes on a single invoice: the hammer prices, the buyer's premium, sales tax, and one flat shipping charge however many lots you won. It arrives by email, itemized.
Charged automatically at close
We charge your saved card when the auction closes, without asking again — that is what you authorize when you bid. Nothing is charged or held while the auction is still running.
Collection is per sale
How you take a lot home depends on what it is — a dresser and a box of silver do not travel the same way. Each sale page lists its own collection window and location, and each lot page repeats them before you bid.
We're the seller
New Leaf Bids sells to you directly, so a damaged item or a refund is between you and us — never the household a lot came from. Tell us within 48 hours of collection or delivery.
Ready to bid?
An account is free and takes about a minute.