Michael B.

HiBid is OK if you are a seasoned auction professional. They are simply a platform from which almost any auctioneer can operate with relative impunity. They even have auctioneers who do not ship. Who would have thought that a local pick up auction on the internet would be a good idea? Apparently, you get dinged for trying to sign up and bid in one of these auctions. There is also a "secret indictment list" that can get you banned from bidding for reasons that you will never know and for which you have no recourse. All that being said, we have received far more winners than losers from our winning bids. EVERYTHING depends on the individual integrity and business practices of the individual auctioneer. The best run their auctions in a straightforward manner and ship most of their items in house for a reasonable price. The worst, well they do the opposite.

And, before I forget, there is the matter of the "end" of the auction on HiBid. Some auctions end right there on HiBid and, if you are the high bidder at the end, you have won the item. But many auction houses use HiBid as a pre-bidding platform only, where, under the previously discussed circumstances, you only "may" have won the auction, as a so-called live auction follows the end of the HiBid auction. There is no link on HiBid to the following auction and, if you wish to follow the "final" auction, you have to track it down through the auctioneer's website in order to see which platform that they use te "really sell" the item. It can be a pain, but like most similar situations, if you can take the pain while playing their game well, it'll be OK.

Also, the $1 charge is not for bidding. It just verifies your CC and is only a temporary hold that will soon drop off.

After talking to the HighBid people, it is a fact that there is nothing they can do to address any issues with your account. They cannot even view the account to see what the problems are and have absolutely no control over the auctioneers or their actions. Bidders are completely on their own in the case of ANY problems.