How bidding actually works on Gemsza
Starting bid isn't the price
Every lot can open at £1, but that's a floor, not a forecast — it just means anyone can get the bidding started. Most lots settle well above their opening bid once real interest shows up.
Reserve price: a quiet safety net for sellers
Some sellers set a reserve — the minimum they're willing to accept. You can keep bidding without knowing the exact figure, but the listing page tells you plainly whether the current bid has met it yet. If the reserve isn't met by the time the lot closes, the sale simply doesn't happen — nobody is charged, and the seller isn't obligated to sell below their line.
Proxy bidding: set your ceiling once
Rather than watching a listing all day, you can set a maximum you're willing to pay. Gemsza bids on your behalf in small increments, only as much as needed to stay in front of the next-highest bidder, and never above your ceiling. If someone else's max is higher than yours, you'll be outbid automatically and notified — no surprise charges either way.
Anti-sniping: the last 30 minutes never really end
A bid placed in the final 30 minutes of an auction pushes the close time out by 5 more minutes. Do that enough times and a genuinely contested lot can run well past its scheduled close — which is deliberate. It stops a last-second snipe from winning a lot that would have gone for more with a few extra minutes of visibility.
The buyer's premium: what's added at checkout
The hammer price (what you actually bid) isn't the full price. A buyer's premium is added on top at checkout — the exact percentage is shown on every listing page before you bid, never hidden until the end. If it applies to a lot, you'll see it stated plainly next to the current bid.
What happens after you win
You'll get a notification the moment a lot closes in your favour, with 24 hours to complete checkout. If you've enabled instant checkout with a saved card, that can happen in one tap from the notification itself.