Pricing, Reserve & Buy It Now
Starting price and increment
Section titled “Starting price and increment”For a normal auction, bids move upwards. For a reverse auction, bids move downwards. The bid form displays the amount required for the next bid.
With a current normal bid of 100 and fixed increment 5, the next ordinary bid must be at least 105. With a reverse bid of 100 and increment 5, it must be 95 or lower.
If percentage increments are enabled, the increment is calculated from the current bid. For example, 5 means 5%, rather than five currency units. Check the displayed minimum when using fractional currencies and rounding.
Bid increment versus input step
Section titled “Bid increment versus input step”The increment sets the next acceptable bid boundary, not a requirement to submit only exact multiples. With a current normal bid of 100 and increment 5, an ordinary bid of 107 can satisfy the 105 minimum.
The current bid form uses a text input with step="any"; changing its HTML step alone does not enforce a different server-side bidding rule. Any custom rule must also be validated on the server for the normal, reverse, proxy, and sealed modes it affects.
Reserve price
Section titled “Reserve price”A normal auction meets its reserve when the current bid is at least the reserve. A reverse auction meets its reserve when the current bid is at most the reserve.
For example, a normal auction with a reserve of 150 and a final bid of 140 has not met its reserve. Receiving bids does not guarantee a sale.
The reserve amount is not advertised as the bidder’s target price; the storefront indicates whether the reserve has been met.
Buy It Now
Section titled “Buy It Now”Set Buy it now price to offer an immediate purchase. Auctions → Settings → General → Allow Buy It Now after bidding has started controls whether it remains available after the first bid.
When that option is disabled, Buy It Now disappears after bidding begins. Its availability also depends on the current bid and auction direction. Test it with your chosen reserve and proxy settings before launching a sale.
Maximum bid amount
Section titled “Maximum bid amount”The global Max bid amount rejects bids equal to or above the configured maximum. Use this as an upper boundary, not as a replacement for the product’s opening price or reserve.
Buyer fees
Section titled “Buyer fees”The current plugin includes buyer fees under Auctions → Settings → Fees. Choose Disabled, Per auction, or Per order, then configure the fee name, fixed amount or percentage, and optional taxable status and tax class.
Per auction supports individual auction rules, then lot rules, then the global rule, without stacking those overrides. An explicit Disabled rule stops inheritance. Per order uses only the global rule and adds one fee based on the order’s auction items.
Percentage fees use auction line totals after discounts, excluding tax, shipping, and other fees. Fixed amounts are entered excluding tax. Fees apply to auction purchases, including Buy It Now, and exclude ordinary products and participation seats. Checkout, staff-generated winner orders, lot orders, and Stripe-generated orders use the fee calculation. Existing orders retain their recorded fees.
For example, a 10% fee on an eligible discounted auction subtotal of 200 adds 20 before any applicable fee tax. Review the final WooCommerce order total; the winning bid alone may not be the amount payable.