An online bid is a bid placed via an internet platform during a live or timed auction, allowing the bidder to participate in real-time auction sales without being physically present in the saleroom. The major auction houses — Sotheby's, Christie's, Phillips, Bonhams, Heritage, and the lower-tier and regional houses — have all developed online bidding capabilities over the past two decades, with bidding now occurring through proprietary platforms (Sotheby's Bid Now, Christie's LIVE), partner aggregator platforms (Invaluable, LiveAuctioneers, the-saleroom), and dedicated specialist platforms for particular categories. Online bidding has transformed access to high-value auction sales and now accounts for a substantial share of total hammer results across the industry, particularly in jewellery and gemstone categories.

How online bidding works

For a live auction with online bidding, the platform transmits a real-time audio-visual feed of the saleroom to registered online bidders, who view the sale on screen and submit bids by clicking a bid button at the displayed increments. The bid is transmitted to the auctioneer's screen, where it is added to the bid pool alongside saleroom bids and telephone bids; the auctioneer accepts or declines the bid in the same way as any other source of bidding. The latency from click to acceptance is typically a few seconds, and the platforms include latency-management features that protect bidders from being unfairly outpaced.

For a timed online-only auction, there is no live auctioneer; bids are placed against a published closing time, with the platform tracking the current high bid and transmitting bid updates to all participants. Most platforms include a soft-close feature that extends the closing time by a few minutes if a bid is placed in the last minute or so, preventing snipe-bidding strategies. Timed auctions are increasingly common for lower-value lots and for specialist sales that don't justify a live saleroom presence.

Registration and prerequisites

Online bidders must register in advance with the platform and the auction house, providing identification, financial guarantees (credit card hold or pre-authorised credit limit), and acknowledgment of the conditions of sale. The major houses verify registrations more thoroughly for higher-value lots — typically requiring credit references, deposit, or pre-approved bid limits for lots above certain thresholds. Registration deadlines vary but typically close several hours before a sale begins. The platforms then provide log-in credentials, the live feed, and the bidding interface for the registered participant.

Position in the contemporary auction market

Online bidding has grown from a minor share of total auction activity in the early 2000s to a dominant share in many categories by the mid-2020s. The major auction houses now report that online bidding accounts for 30 to 60 per cent of total hammer results in many categories, with the share particularly high in jewellery and gemstone sales where buyers from around the world participate without travelling to the saleroom. The 2020-2022 period accelerated the adoption of online bidding sharply as travel restrictions and saleroom limitations forced buyers and sellers alike to become comfortable with remote participation. The capability is now a standard part of the auction infrastructure rather than a niche option.

Implications for the trade

The shift to online bidding has had several consequences for the auction trade. The geographic reach of buyers has expanded — small American collectors can now bid effectively in London or Paris sales, and Asian buyers have been particularly active in European jewellery sales since the development of robust online platforms. Price competition has increased in some categories, since the broader bidder pool tends to bid prices up; in others, the inability of online bidders to inspect lots in person has given saleroom-attending dealers a slight informational advantage. Provenance research and condition reports have become more important, since online bidders rely on them more heavily than in-person bidders who can examine pieces directly.

For the gem and jewellery trade specifically, the shift has expanded the active market for specialist material — Burmese ruby, Kashmir sapphire, signed period pieces — beyond what saleroom attendance could ever support, and has contributed to the price escalation in fine coloured stones over the past decade. Buyers participating online must rely heavily on the auction house's condition reports, photographs, and any laboratory documentation accompanying the lot, since direct inspection is not possible.

Further reading

• Sotheby's — auction services and online bidding
• Christie's — auction services and Christie's LIVE
• Phillips — auction services