One clock. Every lot. Binding bids.
Every uncrack auction runs on one shared timeline: all lots open together and close together.
Bids are in US dollars per kilogram and every confirmed bid is binding. Any bid in the final minute, auto-bids included, gives everyone five more minutes, every time.
From paddle to winning bid.
What happens, in order, from the day your account is approved to the moment results are published. Paddle numbers and prices in the diagrams are illustrative.
- 01Register
Confirm your email, get your paddle.
Create a buyer account and confirm your email. Your paddle number is issued right away: the only name other bidders see while an auction is live.
- Email confirmation, no waiting
- One paddle number for your account
- Paddle notice in uncrack as soon as you confirm
- 02The shared clock
Every lot runs on one clock.
All lots in an auction open together and close together. Follow and bid on every lot from one live floor, so no lot closes while you’re watching another.
- One opening time, one closing time
- Every lot on one live floor screen
- 03Place a bid
Bid per kilo, one step up.
Bids are in US dollars per kilogram. Each auction sets its own minimum raise, shown on every lot. Bid the next minimum with one button, or enter a higher amount in whole steps from the current price: from $18.00 with a $0.50 step, that’s $18.50, $19.00, $19.50 and so on.
- Minimum raise set per auction
- You confirm every bid before it’s placed
- Confirmed bids can’t be cancelled or changed
- 04Auto-bid
Stay ahead with a private ceiling.
The live floor marks every lot you’ve bid on as Leading or Outbid, and you’re notified the moment someone passes you. Or set an auto-bid ceiling: it answers each new bid with the smallest raise that retakes the lead, up to your limit. Other bidders never see it.
- Ceiling must be at least the next minimum bid
- Not leading? It bids the next minimum right away
- Auto-bids are binding, like your own bids
- 05Anti-snipe
A last-minute bid buys everyone five minutes.
Any bid in the final 60 seconds, including an auto-bid, pushes the close 5 minutes later, for every lot in the auction. If another bid lands in the new final minute, it happens again, with no limit.
- Final minute: the last 60 seconds
- Extension: 5 minutes, every lot together
- Auto-bids extend the close too
- 06Close & results
The clock stops. The highest bid wins.
When time runs out, every lot closes at once. The highest bid wins, provided it meets the lot’s reserve if there is one. Winners are notified right away. Results are published when the house confirms them, or automatically 24 hours after the close unless the house holds them back.
- Reserve amounts aren’t disclosed
- Winners can add co-winners on My Page
- Settle directly with the exporter
Four rules every bidder shares.
The same rules apply to every buyer, on every lot, in every auction.
Binding bids
Every bid you place goes through a confirmation. Once confirmed, it can’t be cancelled or changed.
Paddles, not names
During bidding, other buyers see paddle numbers, never company names. Winners’ company names appear when results are published.
Private ceilings
Your auto-bid ceiling is never shown to other bidders. The floor shows only the price needed to lead.
Anti-snipe close
Any bid in the final 60 seconds, auto-bids included, extends the close by 5 minutes, for every lot, with no limit on extensions.
Short answers.
The questions buyers ask most, answered from the floor rules.
- Who can bid?
- Any approved account. House staff can’t bid, and producers and exporters can’t bid in an auction that includes their own lots.
- Can I raise my own leading bid?
- No. While you hold the highest bid on a lot, the floor won’t take another bid from you. You can still set or raise an auto-bid ceiling.
- What happens when two ceilings meet?
- The higher ceiling takes the lead, one step above the other ceiling and never above its own. If both are equal, the ceiling set first keeps the lead.
- Does an auto-bid extend the close?
- Yes. An auto-bid in the final minute extends the close by 5 minutes, just like a bid you place yourself. That includes the first bid placed when you set a ceiling.
- How many times can the close extend?
- There’s no limit. Each bid in the final minute, yours or an auto-bid, adds 5 minutes, and the auction closes only when a final minute passes with no bids.
- What is a reserve?
- A minimum price on some lots. Lots with a reserve are marked in the auction’s lot list, but the amount isn’t disclosed. If the highest bid at the close is below it, the lot is not awarded.
- Can we win a lot with partners?
- Yes. On a lot you’ve bid on, you can list bid partners that only you can see. If you win, they carry over as co-winners, up to 20 names, editable on My Page. They appear with yours in the published results.
- What do I pay, and to whom?
- Your winning bid per kilogram times the lot’s confirmed weight, paid directly to the exporter. Shipping terms are agreed with the exporter. uncrack adds no buyer’s premium and never holds your funds.
- How will I know an auction has opened?
- Choose Notify me at open on an upcoming auction. You’ll get a notification, and an email if alerts are on, when bidding opens.
Get your paddle. Then bid on the evidence.
Create a buyer account and confirm your email. Your paddle number arrives right away.