Team MunicibidWhat proxy bidding is
Proxy bidding lets you name the most you are willing to pay for an item, then let Municibid do the bidding for you. Instead of watching an auction and re-entering a new amount every time someone tops your bid, you enter a maximum, and the system automatically raises your bid a small amount at a time — only as much as needed to keep you in the lead — up to that maximum.
Your maximum is never shown to other bidders or to the selling agency, and you only ever pay the smallest amount needed to win. You also cannot outbid yourself — Municibid recognizes when you already hold the lead and will not place a second bid on your own behalf.
If another bidder's proxy bid goes above your maximum, you will get a notification and an email letting you know you have been outbid, so you can decide whether to raise your maximum.
How to place a proxy bid
Open the listing you want to bid on.
Find the PLACE YOUR BID box. It is pre-filled with the minimum amount you are allowed to bid.
Enter any amount higher than that minimum — this becomes your maximum (proxy) bid.
Click Place bid. If Municibid shows you a review or confirmation step, confirm your bid there.
There is no separate toggle or checkbox for proxy bidding. Entering any amount above the current minimum automatically creates a proxy bid at that amount.
How Municibid bids for you
Once your maximum is set, Municibid bids on your behalf a small amount at a time, only when someone else bids against you, and only up to your maximum. You will see this reflected on the item page as bidding activity happens, for example moving between "You're the high bidder" and an outbid notice as other bidders react.
Example: Say the current bid on an item is $100.00 and you enter a maximum of $500.00. The item page shows the current bid staying at $100.00 and marks you as You're the high bidder — nothing higher is bid unless someone challenges you. If another bidder later bids $450.00, Municibid would raise your bid only as far as needed to stay ahead, still under your $500.00 maximum.
Reserve prices: If the listing has a reserve that has not been met yet, Municibid may also raise your bid toward the reserve to try to meet it. In that case, your bid will go to the lesser of your proxy maximum or the reserve price. If your maximum is below the reserve, your bid stops at your maximum and the reserve may still show as not met. For how reserve status appears on a listing, see How do I know if an item has a reserve?.
How to check your bidding status
The item page always shows where you stand. Look for You're the high bidder, an outbid notice, or, on listings with a reserve, a note that the reserve has not been met yet.
When you have an active maximum, the item page shows a green PROXY BID ACTIVE panel with YOUR MAXIMUM BID IS $[your amount] and the note "You can raise this at any time without changing the current bid."
To see everything you are bidding on in one place, log in and go to My Municibid. Municibid also emails you any time you are outbid.
How to raise or release your maximum
Raise your maximum
On the item page, find the RAISE YOUR MAXIMUM box inside the PROXY BID ACTIVE panel, enter a new higher amount, and click Place bid. Your current bid will not change unless someone else's bid requires it — only your ceiling goes up.
Release your maximum
To stop Municibid from bidding any further on your behalf, click Release my maximum in the PROXY BID ACTIVE panel. Municibid asks you to confirm: a "Release your maximum?" prompt shows your maximum dropping to your current bid, and explains that your current bid stays in place, but nothing will bid for you any more — the next person to raise takes the lead, and you would have to bid again by hand to get it back. Click Yes, release it to confirm, or Keep it to back out.
Releasing your maximum cannot be undone, though you can always place a new maximum afterward the same way you placed your first proxy bid.
Good to know before you bid
Decide your top price before you start, and enter that as your maximum right away — proxy bidding only helps if your maximum reflects what you are really willing to pay.
Watch your email for outbid notifications so you can decide quickly whether to raise your maximum.
On listings with a reserve, Municibid may bid toward the reserve up to the lesser of your proxy maximum or the reserve price.
A buyer's fee is added to the winning bid. The fee for a listing is shown on the item page; see If I win, what fees will I have to pay?.
Bids placed close to the scheduled end time can extend the auction by a couple of minutes, so watch the listed end time rather than assuming the clock will hit zero exactly on schedule.
Common questions
Why did my bid jump up?
Municibid only raises your bid when it has to: when another bidder bids against you, or when the listing has a reserve that hasn't been met yet. With a reserve, your bid goes up to the lesser of your maximum or the reserve price, so it can rise as soon as you place it.
I entered a higher maximum than I meant to. Can I lower it?
You can't set a lower maximum directly, but you can click Release my maximum to drop your maximum back to your current bid, then place a new maximum if you'd like. Your current bid itself stays in place; see Can I cancel/reduce my bid after I submit it?.
Why does the bid history show a bid smaller than the bid increment?
That happens when another bidder's maximum is reached. Municibid uses the full amount of their maximum, even if it falls between increments. For example, if someone set a $1,250 maximum on an item with $100 increments, the history might show $1,200 and then $1,250, and the next bid would need to be $1,350. If a bid history ever looks off, let us know and we'll walk you through it.
How much does each bid go up by?
Bid increments are set automatically and get larger as the price rises. The bid box shows the lowest amount you can enter, so you never have to work it out yourself. See Bid Increments on Municibid for the full chart.