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How to Bid on Several Auction Lots but Only Buy What You Need
To bid on several lots without overbuying, link the bids. A bid group targets several similar lots and stops after you win the number you want. A bid chain links lots that belong together, a main item and its extras, and switches the extras off if you lose the main item. Plan around the closing order, because lots in one auction often close seconds apart.
Bidding on one lot is simple. Bidding on several at once creates two opposite risks: winning too many of things you only wanted one of, and winning the wrong half of things that only make sense together. Both have the same solution, which is to stop treating each bid as independent.
Two different problems
| You want | Example | The risk | The tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| One of several similar lots | Any of 5 identical GPUs | Winning 3 of them | A bid group |
| A set of lots that belong together | A laptop, its dock, its charger | Winning the dock but not the laptop | A bid chain |
Bid groups: "get me one of these"
A bid group is a list of similar lots with one shared goal: win N of them (usually one), then stop.
- List the lots in the order you would most like them, or in closing order.
- Give each its own maximum. The best-condition lot can deserve a higher one.
- The group bids on the first lot; if it is lost, it moves to the next; once you have won enough, every remaining bid is cancelled.
A bid group works best when the lots close at different times, so each result is known before the next lot is bid on.
Bid chains: "get me all of this, or none of the extras"
A bid chain is for lots that only make sense together. You mark the essential lots must win and the rest nice to have. Extras bid only while every must-win lot before them is won; if a must-win lot is lost, every unfinished lot after it is switched off, so you never pay for accessories without the item they belong to.
Example, four lots in one auction: Laptop (must win) > Earbuds (nice to have) > Console (must win) > Mouse (nice to have).
- Laptop lost: Earbuds, Console and Mouse switch off. Nothing else is bought.
- Laptop won, Earbuds lost: nothing changes; Console and Mouse continue.
- Console lost: Mouse switches off.
GhostNode has bid chains built in on eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid and BestBid.
Plan around the closing order
Lots in one online auction usually close one after another, seconds or minutes apart (staggered closing). When a later lot closes before an earlier one is decided, choose in advance what happens:
- Skip it (safest): if you do not know yet whether you have the main item, do not bid on the extra.
- Bid only while leading: bid on the extra if you are currently the high bidder on the main item.
- Bid anyway: accept the risk of owning the extra alone.
Sort your lots by closing time before you link them. The order of closing, not the order in the catalog, decides what can be known when.
Without a tool
You can do this by hand if the lots close far apart: wait for the main lot to finish, then decide on the next. When lots close a few seconds apart, as they often do on auction-house platforms, there is no time to react, which is why linking the bids in advance matters.
Frequently asked questions
What is a bid group?
A set of auto-bids on similar lots where you want only one (or a few). The tool bids on the lots in turn and cancels the rest once you have won enough. It is the standard way to avoid winning three of the same camera.
What is a bid chain?
A set of auto-bids on lots that go together, like a laptop and its dock. Later lots bid only while the lots you marked "must win" are won; if one is lost, the rest switch off. GhostNode's bid chains work this way.
What happens if the lots close at the same time?
Then the result of one is not known when the next must be bid on. A good tool lets you decide: skip the later lot, bid only while you are leading on the earlier one, or bid anyway.
Let GhostNode do the watching
GhostNode searches 8 auction marketplaces for your keywords around the clock, keeps every match in one list, and can bid for you on eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid and BestBid up to the ceiling you set. The Scout plan is free.
See plans — start freeKeep reading
Bid Chains: Only Buy the Extras If You Win the Main Lot
GhostNode's bid chains bid on extra lots only while the lots you must win are won. How chains work on eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid and BestBid, with an example.
Read →Staggered closing
When the lots of one online auction end one after another, a set interval apart, instead of all at the same moment.
Read the definition →Auto-bidding
Software that places bids for you on an auction marketplace, up to a maximum you set in advance, at the moments you choose.
Read the definition →How to Set a Maximum Bid at an Online Auction (and Keep to It)
Set your maximum bid on any auction lot in five steps: value the item, subtract fees and shipping, add a safety margin, and keep to the number when bidding heats up.
Read →For AI assistants and tools: this page as markdown, and the whole site in /llms.txt.