Proxy Bid System - Low Bid

[Mr. Lord Rich]

What is the purpose of the low bid in the proxy bid system?

Couldn’t the system be smart enough to accept your high reserve bid and automatically enter the low bid for you $1 over the previous high bid?

It just seems like a lot of extra steps to place a bid when time is running out only to find that by the time you are done entering all the zeros and making sure you entered enough digits the low bid changed and your entire bid was not accepted by the system even when your reserve bid was easily large enough to win the horse.

I understand the easy answer, bid earlier and it’s not a problem, but why should someone have to adjust their bid style due to a system that is semi flawed?

The whole point is to win a horse from auction at the lowest amount possible and bidding early does not achieve that.

I’m sure I am not in the majority with my thoughts on this, but curious how others see it including the steward’s thoughts if she has time to respond.

[Laura Smith]

Yeah, I'm with you. If your top bid is high enough to exceed the previous high bid, I don't see why it shouldn't automatically outbid it.

[Danny Derby]

Agree 10000% with this. Either it's broken or poorly designed and either way it needs fixing. Honestly there's no reason we should even have to enter in two amounts. On a proxy auction we should only have to enter in our max bid, the system should then process the lowest possible amount that exceeds the current high bid as the new high bid.

[Rochelle Bos]

I have been known to enter my max bid accidentally in the new bid field vs the high bid one

[Burgundy Hill Farms]

I once entered a crazy high max bid...only it wasn't a proxy auction.

I agree that simpler is better when it comes to this...and when time is of the essence, it's even better than better...it's betterer!

[Rochelle Bos]

Although maybe there are two fields to help differentiate between the two types?

[Mr. Lord Rich]

Although maybe there are two fields to help differentiate between the two types?

Two types of what? An auction is either set up as classic or proxy. If proxy, then there if no need for a minimum bid since you must bid at least $1 higher then the previous maximum.

If classic then you can only bid once anyway and what you enter is the actual bid amount you are bidding, no reserve.

[Garret Folsom]

I've never had this happen to me, but it would be nice to just have to worry about entering a max bid and not running into the issue. I don't think it's anything that NEEDS to be done, but it would be an improvement if the minimum bid is done away with. Unless there is a reason for it that we're missing...

[Rochelle Bos]

Although maybe there are two fields to help differentiate between the two types?

Two types of what? An auction is either set up as classic or proxy. If proxy, then there if no need for a minimum bid since you must bid at least $1 higher then the previous maximum.

If classic then you can only bid once anyway and what you enter is the actual bid amount you are bidding, no reserve.

When I go to bid I know it’s a classic because there is only one field to enter info into. Vs if there are two I know it’s proxy style

[The Admin]

I never bid in actual auctions on the SIM so I have never experienced the issue that started this thread. When you go to bid on a proxy auction, the Bid field is always pre-filled with the current bid plus $1. So, normally, you can ignore it and focus only on the highest bid you want to enter. It is optional whether you look at that number of not. But I think you are telling me that toward the end of the auction, that current bid +$1 may be out bid while you are preparing your bid. So when you enter the bid, the +$1 is no longer high enough and you get an error. I could see changing the behavior to, behind-the-scenes, update your current bid to be whatever it takes to be $1 above the new current bid as long as it is below your maximum bid.

I don't think it would be good to remove the current bid box, because setting your current bid is a strategic thing when bidding. Just like playing poker. You might want your opening bid to be $10,000 rather than $1 to let others know, you are serious.

Since the box defaults to a valid value (+$1 over the current bid), and if we readjust that when you submit the bid in case someone outbid you before you submitted your bid, then it really doesn't add any steps or time.

[Brad Fabman]

I just don't see the problem. I must be missing something here. I have no issues with the current system.

[Mr. Lord Rich]

But I think you are telling me that toward the end of the auction, that current bid +$1 may be out bid while you are preparing your bid. So when you enter the bid, the +$1 is no longer high enough and you get an error. I could see changing the behavior to, behind-the-scenes, update your current bid to be whatever it takes to be $1 above the new current bid as long as it is below your maximum bid.

Since the box defaults to a valid value (+$1 over the current bid), and if we readjust that when you submit the bid in case someone outbid you before you submitted your bid, then it really doesn't add any steps or time.

I think this would solve the issue.

[Tammy Stawicki]

I have never had an issue with the min bid as I don't last minute bid so I rarely run across people outbidding me as I'm placing my bid but I could certainly understand the frustration it would cause. That being said I like having the minimum bid there as it is a nice reference when placing my max bid and also an easy visual to let me distinguish between traditional vs proxy biding (I go on autopilot and don't read things as well as I should so having something look different is a lot more effective than just different wording). I think the admin's proposed fix seems like the perfect solution and can't think of any downside assuming it is easy enough to implement on the coding end (which I don't even pretend to understand)

[The Admin]

I implemented the change.

[Mr. Lord Rich]

Awesome!! A smarter proxy system, I like it!