How to Bid Live Online with Cowan’s

Online bidding operates almost exactly the same as bidding in the salesroom. Rather than raising a paddle to bid, you’re clicking the Bid button on your computer, phone, or tablet.

How It Works

First, make sure you are logged into your My Cowan’s Account. If you are unsure how to do that, instructions can be found HERE.

Step 1: In the Upcoming Auctions tab, find the auction you wish to bid in and click the “Bid Live” button.

Step 2: This will take you to the virtual salesroom where you can follow the bidding in realtime. When a lot you wish to bid on is offered at a price you would like to bid at, simply click the “Bid” button. Remember, auctions move quickly, so double check the price before clicking the bid button.

Step 3: Once your bid has been submitted, the Bid box will be grayed out with the words “Bid Placed” replacing the price. If the box is grayed out but still has a price in it, it means another online bidder managed to submit their bid before you. Once the next bid is accepted by the auctioneer, you will be able to bid again at the new price.

Step 4: Just like with in-person bidding, your bid is not the high bid until the auctioneer accepts it. When he or she does that, the bid button will turn green and state “You are the high bidder.” You’ll also notice down in the Notification window that the last bid accepted has “(My Bid)” at the end of the message. Take note of the Bidder Number next to that message. This is your Bidder Number for the auction and will be helpful information for our office staff if you have questions during or after the auction.

If the auctioneer accepts another bid before you, the Bid button will return to dark blue and the Notification window will state “Competing Bid Accepted.”

Step 5: If you are out bid, the bid button will return to dark blue with the new asking price. If you wish to bid again, follow the same process as before.

Step 6: When the auctioneer begins to signal that the lot is about to close, the online operator will issue red Fair Warning messages. If you are the high bidder, the bid button will be green, as before. If the button is not green but you wish to bid, please do so immediately. Remember, your bid is not valid until it has been accepted by the auctioneer and he or she may close the lot before they see your bid if you wait too long after the first Fair Warning.

Step 7: If you win the lot, a blue bar will flash across the top of the lot stating you won before quickly moving on to the next lot. Given the pace of an auction, it is very easy to miss this notification so the most reliable way to confirm you won a lot is to check the Notification window when the next lot starts. The winner of the previous lot will be highlighted in blue. If you were the buyer, the end of the message will state “(You Won)” next to your bidder number.

Repeat as necessary. Auctions move quickly, so we recommend beginning to watch the auction 20-30 lots before your desired lot is being offered to make sure you don’t miss it and can get a feel for the flow of the auction.

Other Bidding Options