What is a bid increment?
A bid increment is the minimum amount by which each new bid must exceed the current high bid. It is the quiet rule that paces every auction — too small and lots crawl, too large and bidders walk.
A bid increment is the smallest amount a bid is allowed to rise above the standing high bid. If a lot sits at $1,000 and the increment is $50, the next acceptable bid is $1,050. A bid of $1,025 simply will not be accepted — it fails to clear the increment.
Rather than a single fixed figure, most auctions use a tiered increment table that grows with the price. A lot might rise in $25 steps up to $1,000, $100 steps to $10,000, and $500 steps beyond that. This keeps low-value lots from dragging and stops high-value lots from advancing in painfully small jumps. The increment also drives proxy bidding: when a bidder enters a maximum, the system raises them by exactly one increment at a time, only as far as it must to keep them in front.
With Unovance Global, auctioneers set their own increment tables per auction or per lot, and the platform enforces them automatically across timed, webcast, and live sales — including house bidder numbers, reserves, and proxy logic — all on a branded platform you own.
How bid increments actually work.
The minimum legal raise
An increment defines the smallest amount a new bid may exceed the standing high bid. A bid that does not clear the increment is simply not accepted.
It scales with price
Most auctions use a tiered increment table — small steps on low-value lots, larger steps as the price climbs — so bidding stays brisk without dollar-by-dollar crawling.
It paces the auction
Increments control how fast a price moves. Set them too small and lots drag; too large and you scare off bidders and depress the hammer price.
It powers proxy bidding
When a bidder sets a maximum, the platform advances their bid by exactly one increment at a time, only as high as needed to stay in front.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bid increment in plain English?+
It is the minimum amount by which each new bid must beat the current high bid. If the lot stands at $1,000 and the increment is $50, the next valid bid is $1,050. Anything lower is rejected.
Why do increments get bigger as the price rises?+
A $25 jump matters at $300 but is trivial at $30,000. Tiered increment tables raise the step as the price climbs, keeping bidding efficient and the auction moving without forcing tiny, time-wasting raises.
Can you give a concrete example?+
Say a tractor opens at $500 with a $100 increment up to $5,000, then $250 above that. Bids would run $500, $600, $700, and so on. Once it passes $5,000, the next legal bid becomes $5,250, then $5,500.
How does Unovance handle bid increments?+
Auctioneers define their own tiered increment tables per auction or per lot. The platform enforces them automatically across timed, webcast, and live formats, and uses the increment to step proxy (max) bids up only as far as needed to win.
Run auctions where you control every rule.
Set your own increment tables, reserves, and formats on a branded platform you own. Talk to Unovance Global about white-label and private-label auction software.