Help Topics

  << Back to Main Help Page <<

Auctions & Bidding


How do I bid on ArrowOutlet?
Register for free
Pick an auction
Bid and win!
How does Bid-O-Matic work?
Can you teach me to outsmart other bidders?
How do I buy bids?
Where can I keep track of multiple auctions I’m bidding on?
Where can I see how many bids I've placed on an auction?
Where can I see my booked Bid-O-Matics?
Where can I see who's bidding on an auction?
I've placed a bid but I am currently not the highest bidder, why?
I won an auction! What now?
How can I watch an auction?
What's the difference between the auction end price and the worth up to price?

How do I bid on ArrowOutlet?

To bid, just follow these four steps:

1. Register for free

2. Fill your account with bids

3. Pick an auction

4. Bid and win!

back to top

Register for free

Registration is easy. Just click here[link] for a quick and easy registration.

Fill your account with bids

Each bid costs just $0.50, available in BidPacks of 40, 80, 100, 400, and 1000. 100 (plus 5 free bonus bids!) is our most popular starting BidPack, and the more bids you buy, the cheaper each bid is!

back to top

Pick an auction

What will it be? A brand new flat-screen TV? A new camera? Or a $100 giftcard to a top retailer? Pick your product and go for it!

back to top

Bid and win!

Here we go - you're ready to take part in your first ArrowOutlet auction! Just click on the big Bid button, and we'll accept your bid. Simple!

If you need to leave your computer, don´t worry - you can use the Bid-O-Matic to place bids for you when you're away. Click here to learn how Bid-O-Matic works.

back to top

How does Bid-O-Matic work?

Our simple Bid-O-Matic system saves you the effort of needing to click if you are making repeated bids.

Here’s how it works. First, set the minimum price you want the Bid-O-Matic to kick in. Then set the maximum price you want the Bid-O-Matic to stop bidding at. Then set the maximum number of bids you would like your autobidder to make. Finally, click “go” and our system will do the bidding for you!

The Bid-O-Matic will randomly place a bid for you between 15 and 5 seconds to keep other bidders guessing. This will continue until the autobidder hits the limit you imposed, runs out of bids, or if you win the item for yourself!

back to top

Can you teach me to outsmart other bidders?

We often get asked by people on how to improve their opportunitys of winning an auction on ArrowOutlet. With a smart bidding strategy, you can increase your opportunitys of winning.

There’s no "sure-fire" winning strategy, but here are a few tips to help you get started, as well as a few of the mistakes that novice bidders make.

Place your bid late
Watch the countdown and try to place your bid in the final five seconds. You don't want to waste your bid early in case there are other people waiting to bid.

Start with the cheapest products
Although you can get some incredible bargains on our most expensive items, they also tend to be the most competitive auctions. Our cheaper products tend to have fewer bidders, meaning you’re much more likely to win. Once you get into a groove on bidding on products, you can try your hand at more competitive items.

Use the Bid-O-Matic to your advantage
Not only is it good for when you take a break, the Bid-O-Matic can scare off other bidders. The Bid-O-Matic shows that you're committed to the auction and will match other bidders over and over again. You might just persuade them to give up and try again next time, leaving you with the win.

Turn their Bid-O-Matics against them
Some people have a ‘fire and forget’ policy with the Bid-O-Matic. It's easy to win with a quick single bid if your rival has taken a break thinking it's safe that their Bid-O-Matic will protect them, not knowing that the Bid-O-Matic has already used all their bids.

Also, we’ve noticed that users tend to set the ‘Bid To’ value of their Bid-O-Matic to a round number, so watch out for this and you might be able to snap up a bargain by simply clicking on the “Bid” button when a Bid-O-Matic has used up their bids.

Watch the auction like a hawk
Smart bidders keep track of the details of the last ten bids placed. Try to see who's bidding and when they bid. It’s all about timing, and if you see someone's weakness, you can jump in at the right time and steal the auction.

back to top

Bid at the right time of day

The number of bidders varies throughout the day – smart bidders can use this to pick up bargains by bidding when others are busy having breakfast or taking a coffee break. Check into ArrowOutlet at different times of the day to see when the best time will be.

back to top

Fine-tune your Bid-O-Matic

If you use the Bid-O-Matic to bid on your behalf, it’s best not to set your ‘Bid To’ value to a round number – other bidders will be watching out for this (see above!).

back to top

How do I buy bids?

After logging in, just click "Buy Bids" at the top of the page. You can buy bids using a credit or debit card. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover cards.

Each bid costs just $0.50 and can be purchased in packs of 40, 80, 100, 400, and 1000 bids. Our most popular starting pack is 100 (plus 5 free bids!) for $49.95.

back to top

Where can I keep track of multiple auctions I’m bidding on?

When you click on "My Outlet" at the top of the page, you'll go to your customized userpage. In the middle of the page will be a section called "Auctions I'm Watching." Any time you place a bid or set a bid-o-matic on an auction, the auction will show up here. Also, on any auction you can click the "Add this auction to watchlist" on the upper right to add the auction to this list.

Use this to your advantage to watch multiple auctions at once. You never know when the auction you want will present a golden opportunity!

back to top

Where can I see how many bids I've placed on an auction?

You can see this by clicking on Stats right above the Bid-O-Matic box. This will show you how many bids you've placed on this auction. Also, if the auction has Buy It Now featured, you can see the total discount you get from all the bids you've placed!

back to top

Where can I see my booked Bid-O-Matics?

Just click on "My Outlet" at the top of the page, then click on "My Bid-O-Matics" on the left side of the page. Here you can see all the Bid-O-Matics you have active and cancel them.

back to top

Where can I see who's bidding on an auction?

You can see this by clicking on Stats right above the Bid-O-Matic box. This will show you the bidders who have placed bids in the last 15 minutes. Keep watching this to see who your competitors are and if any of them drop off!

back to top

I've placed a bid but I am currently not the highest bidder, why?

When a bid is placed, it will always be the highest bid, but might get out-bid very quickly. This can happen if there are many bidders. You might not see this simply because other bids have been placed with a few seconds of each other - sometimes even within the same second!

back to top

I won an auction! What now?

Congratulations! When the auction ends, click on My Outlet at the top of the page, then click on Won Auctions on the left side. Click "Pay Now!" by the auction you've just won, and you’ll get to a payment page. You must confirm and pay for your win within 7 days of the end of the auction - otherwise, we will assume that you do not want the item.

Next, we’ll confirm your payment via e-mail and ship your item to you. If the item hasn’t arrived within 14 business days of our confirmation of payment, please contact us.

back to top

How can I watch an auction?

When you click on "My Outlet" at the top of the page, you'll go to your customized userpage. In the middle of the page will be a section called "Auctions I'm Watching." Any time you place a bid or set a bid-o-matic on an auction, the auction will show up here. Also, on any auction you can click the "Add this auction to watchlist" on the upper right to add the auction to this list.

Use this to your advantage to watch multiple auctions at once. You never know when the auction you want will present a golden opportunity!

back to top

What's the difference between the auction end price and the worth up to price?

The auction end price is the price the winner pays for the item. The worth up to price is the retail value of the item and is used for Buy It Now.

For example, a camera might be worth up to $200. If the auction ends at $10.00, then the winner pays $10.00 plus shipping for the product. If you place $150 in bids on the auction and don’t win, then you can Buy It Now for a discount worth 20% of your bids, or $30! In other words, you get your Camera for $200 – $30 = $170.00. This way, everyone can win!

back to top