# What Is an Absentee Bid?

> An absentee bid is a maximum you submit before a live auction starts; when your lot comes up, the auction house (or its online platform) bids for you, one increment at a time, up to that maximum. It is the live-auction version of proxy bidding and the only way to take part in a live sale without being there.

URL: https://ghostnode.co/glossary/absentee-bid  
Section: Glossary  
Published: 2026-10-11 · Updated: 2026-10-11  
Publisher: GhostNode (https://ghostnode.co)

An **absentee bid** lets you bid in a live auction you cannot attend. You tell the auction the most you will pay for a lot before the sale; during the sale, it bids for you against the room and online bidders, and stops at your limit.

## How it works

1. **You submit a maximum before the sale**, on the auction's website or by form.
2. **When the lot is called**, the auctioneer or the platform bids on your behalf, only as much as needed to stay ahead.
3. **If bidding passes your maximum**, you are out. If not, you win at one increment above the next-highest bidder (or at the opening price if nobody else bids).
4. **Ties** are usually decided by which bid was received first, so leaving a bid early can matter at live sales.

## Absentee bids versus proxy bids

They work the same way: a hidden maximum, raised only as needed. The difference is the setting. A [proxy bid](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/proxy-bidding) sits on a timed online auction; an absentee bid is left for a live, auctioneer-called sale.

## When to use one

- **You cannot attend** or watch the webcast when the lot is called.
- **You want to keep emotion out.** A number decided in advance does not get carried away in the room.
- **The lot is late in a long sale** and you do not want to sit through hours of other lots.

Read the auction's terms first: buyer's premium, payment deadlines and pickup still apply to absentee bidders.

## Related

- https://ghostnode.co/glossary/proxy-bidding
- https://ghostnode.co/glossary/timed-auction
- https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/proxibid

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About the publisher: GhostNode is an online auction monitoring and auto-bidding service. It searches 8 auction marketplaces (eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid, BestBid, AllSurplus, K-BID, Proxibid and mac.bid) for your keywords around the clock, keeps every match in one list with its price and closing time, and can place real bids for you on eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid and BestBid up to a maximum you set. Plans: Scout (free), Hunter $9.95/month, Sniper $29.95/month, Ghost $49.95/month. https://ghostnode.co/pricing