# GhostNode

> 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.

Key facts (kept in step with the product by automated tests):

- Website: https://ghostnode.co · Sign up: https://ghostnode.co/sign-up · Pricing: https://ghostnode.co/pricing
- Marketplaces searched (8): eBay — worldwide, searched on ebay.com; ShopGoodwill — United States; HiBid — United States and Canada; BestBid — Iraq, based in Erbil; AllSurplus — United States and international; K-BID — United States: Minnesota and the Midwest; Proxibid — United States and Canada; mac.bid — United States: pickup warehouses in Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and more.
- Automatic bidding with your own connected account: eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid and BestBid. On AllSurplus, K-BID, Proxibid and mac.bid GhostNode finds and tracks lots; you bid on the marketplace yourself.
- How bidding works: you connect your own marketplace account, set a maximum for a lot and choose when bidding starts; GhostNode never bids above that maximum. Plan limits cap how many auto-bids run at once and how many lots they may win per month.
- Every article below is also available as markdown (the links point to it); the HTML page is the same URL without .md.

## Guides

- [How to Bid on Several Auction Lots but Only Buy What You Need](https://ghostnode.co/guides/bid-on-several-lots.md): How to bid on several auction lots without winning too many or the wrong ones: bid groups, bid chains, and planning around lots that close seconds apart.
- [How to Search Every Online Auction Site at Once](https://ghostnode.co/guides/search-all-auction-sites-at-once.md): Ways to search eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid, K-BID and other auction sites at once: each site's saved searches, niche aggregators, and GhostNode's Live search and keywords.
- [How to Set a Maximum Bid at an Online Auction (and Keep to It)](https://ghostnode.co/guides/how-to-set-a-maximum-bid.md): 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.
- [What Is a Buyer's Premium? Auction Fees Explained](https://ghostnode.co/guides/buyers-premium-explained.md): Buyer's premium explained: what the fee is, published 2026 rates on eBay, ShopGoodwill, K-BID, mac.bid, HiBid and GovDeals, and the max-bid formula that protects margin.
- [eBay Auction Sniping: Win Auctions at the Lowest Price](https://ghostnode.co/guides/ebay-auction-sniping.md): eBay sniping guide: hard-close mechanics, automatic bidding, eBay's new extended-bidding tests, the sniping mistakes to avoid, and how to find mispriced auctions first.
- [Government & Business Surplus Auctions: Where the Real Deals Are](https://ghostnode.co/guides/government-surplus-auctions.md): Government and business surplus auctions: why GovDeals and AllSurplus sell cheap, auto-extension, premiums per listing, condition codes and removal deadlines.
- [HiBid Auctions: The Complete Buyer's Guide](https://ghostnode.co/guides/hibid-auctions-guide.md): HiBid buyer's guide: premiums set by each auction house, pickup vs shipping, soft-close extensions, permanent max bids, registration and covering thousands of sales.
- [How to Find ShopGoodwill Deals Before Everyone Else](https://ghostnode.co/guides/shopgoodwill-deals.md): ShopGoodwill deal-hunting guide: why misspellings and bad photos hide bargains, shipping and handling math, fixed evening closes, and how to see new lots first.
- [What Is Auction Sniping? The Complete 2026 Guide](https://ghostnode.co/guides/what-is-auction-sniping.md): Auction sniping explained: why last-second bids win, whether it's allowed, how it works on hard-close and soft-close sites, and the tools that do it for you.

## Marketplaces GhostNode covers

- [AllSurplus Auctions: Business Surplus, Auto-Extension and Removal](https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/allsurplus.md): How AllSurplus works for buyers: business surplus from Liquidity Services, auto-extension, automatic bids, premiums set per listing, payment and removal deadlines.
- [BestBid (Iraq) Auctions: How Bidding Works and How to Auto-Bid](https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/bestbid.md): How BestBid (bestbid.tech), the Iraqi online auction marketplace, works: flat bids, the 5-minute soft close, the 5% fee, closing times, and how GhostNode bids on BestBid.
- [eBay Auctions: How They End, What They Cost, and How to Snipe Them](https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/ebay.md): How eBay auctions work for buyers: the hard close, automatic (proxy) bidding, no buyer's premium, when auctions end, and how GhostNode searches and bids on eBay.
- [HiBid Auctions: Soft Close, Max Bids, Fees and Auto-Bidding](https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/hibid.md): How HiBid works for buyers: independent auction houses, per-lot soft close, max bids you cannot lower, buyer's premiums, registration, closing times and auto-bidding.
- [K-BID Auctions: The 3-Minute Rule, Fees and Pickup](https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/k-bid.md): How K-BID online auctions work: every bid is a max bid, the 3-minute soft close, the 15% buyer's premium, removal windows, Lot Alerts and what GhostNode does on K-BID.
- [mac.bid Auctions: $1 Starts, the 2-Minute Rule and Pickup](https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/mac-bid.md): How mac.bid works: lots start at $1 with no reserve, a 2-minute soft close, a 15% premium plus a $3 lot fee, pickup within 3 business days, and when lots end.
- [Proxibid Auctions: Timed and Live, Extended Bidding and Fees](https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/proxibid.md): How Proxibid works for buyers: timed and live webcast auctions, extended bidding, max bids and ties, seller-set buyer's premiums plus internet premiums, and alerts.
- [ShopGoodwill Auctions: How They Close, What They Cost, How to Win](https://ghostnode.co/marketplaces/shopgoodwill.md): How ShopGoodwill auctions work: fixed closing times, proxy bidding, shipping and handling fees, when lots end, account limits, and how GhostNode searches and bids there.

## Comparisons

- [GhostNode vs Gixen: Which Auction Sniper Should You Use?](https://ghostnode.co/compare/ghostnode-vs-gixen.md): Gixen is a cheap, proven eBay-only sniper. GhostNode searches eight auction marketplaces and bids on four. A side-by-side comparison of price, timing and features.
- [HiBid Sniper: Is There an Auto-Bidder for HiBid Auctions?](https://ghostnode.co/compare/hibid-sniper.md): Can software bid on HiBid for you? What exists in 2026, how HiBid's max bid and soft close change sniping, and how GhostNode auto-bids on HiBid lots.
- [ShopGoodwill Sniper Tools Compared (2026)](https://ghostnode.co/compare/shopgoodwill-sniper-tools.md): BidPulse, AuctionBotPro, ShopGoodwill Sniper, free scripts and GhostNode compared for ShopGoodwill auto-bidding: prices as of October 2026, timing, setup and alerts.
- [The Best Auction Sniper Software in 2026, Compared Honestly](https://ghostnode.co/compare/best-auction-sniper-software.md): Gixen, eSnipe, AuctionSniper, Bidnapper, BidSlammer, ShopGoodwill snipers and GhostNode compared: marketplaces, prices as of October 2026, bid timing and account access.

## Data reports

- [When Do Online Auctions End? Closing Times Across 8 Marketplaces](https://ghostnode.co/reports/when-online-auctions-end.md): What time auctions end on eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid, mac.bid and four more marketplaces: closing hours and days from 495,094 lots GhostNode tracked.

## Auction glossary

- [Absentee bid](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/absentee-bid.md): A maximum bid you leave with an auction before a live sale; the auction bids for you up to it while the lot is called.
- [As is](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/as-is.md): Sold in whatever condition it is in, with no warranty and usually no returns; the buyer takes the risk of faults.
- [Auction sniping](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/auction-sniping.md): Placing your one real bid in the final seconds or minutes of an online auction, so rivals have little or no time to respond.
- [Auto-bidding](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/auto-bidding.md): Software that places bids for you on an auction marketplace, up to a maximum you set in advance, at the moments you choose.
- [Bid increment](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/bid-increment.md): The smallest amount by which a new bid must beat the current price; most auctions use a table where the step grows as the price rises.
- [Buyer's premium](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/buyers-premium.md): A percentage the auction adds to the winning bid and charges the buyer; it is set in each auction's terms and is often taxed too.
- [Hammer price](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/hammer-price.md): The winning bid at the moment an auction lot closes, before the buyer's premium, taxes, handling and shipping are added.
- [Hard close](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/hard-close.md): An auction that ends at a fixed second no matter how late bids arrive; there is no extension, so the highest bid at that moment wins.
- [Landed cost](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/landed-cost.md): Everything a won auction lot really costs you: the hammer price plus buyer's premium, taxes, fees and shipping or pickup.
- [Lot](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/lot.md): One item, or one group of items sold together, in an auction; each lot has its own number, bids and closing time.
- [Pickup-only](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/pickup-only.md): A lot the winner must collect in person from the seller's location, within the pickup window, because the seller does not ship it.
- [Proxy bidding](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/proxy-bidding.md): You enter the most you will pay and the marketplace bids for you, one increment at a time, only as much as needed to keep you in the lead.
- [Reserve price](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/reserve-price.md): A hidden minimum the seller will accept: if bidding ends below it, the lot does not sell even to the highest bidder.
- [Shill bidding](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/shill-bidding.md): Bidding on an item by the seller, or someone acting for them, to push the price up; prohibited on legitimate marketplaces.
- [Soft close](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/soft-close.md): An auction rule that extends a lot's end time when a bid arrives in its final minutes, so the lot closes only after a quiet period with no new bids.
- [Staggered closing](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/staggered-closing.md): When the lots of one online auction end one after another, a set interval apart, instead of all at the same moment.
- [Starting bid](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/starting-bid.md): The lowest amount the first bid on an auction lot may be; bidding opens there and rises by increments.
- [Timed auction](https://ghostnode.co/glossary/timed-auction.md): An auction that runs online for a set period, with each lot closing at a scheduled time, instead of being called live by an auctioneer.

## News

- [New Data: When Online Auctions Actually End](https://ghostnode.co/news/auction-closing-times-report.md): GhostNode's first data report counts 495,094 closed auction lots across eight marketplaces to show the hours and days when lots really end.
- [The Watch List Now Tracks Starred Lots Live on All Six Live Search Marketplaces](https://ghostnode.co/news/watch-list-live-tracks.md): Lots starred in GhostNode's Live search now keep their price, bids, photos and closing time current on HiBid, ShopGoodwill, AllSurplus, K-BID and BestBid too.
- [Live Search: One Search Across Six Auction Marketplaces](https://ghostnode.co/news/live-search.md): GhostNode's Live search queries eBay, ShopGoodwill, HiBid, AllSurplus, K-BID and BestBid at once and streams every result into one list, with filters.
- [Bid Chains: Only Buy the Extras If You Win the Main Lot](https://ghostnode.co/news/bid-chains.md): 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.

## Optional

- [Every page above in one file](https://ghostnode.co/llms-full.txt): the full text of all guides, marketplace pages, comparisons, reports, glossary entries and news.
- [Auction closing-times data (CSV)](https://ghostnode.co/data/auction-closing-times.csv): every count behind the closing-times report, by marketplace, day of the week and local hour.
- [Features](https://ghostnode.co/features): the product tour.
- [FAQ](https://ghostnode.co/faq): account, billing and bidding questions.