Bidder Terms

• You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter a binding contract.
• You need a signed-in account with accurate contact details and a valid payment method on file before your first bid. You must also accept the current version of these terms.
• Sellers may not bid on their own listings, and no one may bid on a seller’s behalf.
• Some high-value auctions are open only to verified buyers. Contact us if you would like to apply.

• Maximum bids. You enter the most you are willing to pay. The system bids for you only as much as needed to keep you in the lead, up to that maximum. Other bidders never see your maximum.
• Increments. The minimum raise over the current price gets smaller as the auction runs: $100 for the first 50%, $50 until 75%, $25 until 90%, then $10 for the rest of the auction, including any soft-close extension. Percentages are of the auction’s scheduled length. The bid form always shows the lowest amount it will accept and when the increment next drops.
• Soft close. A bid placed in the final 2 minutes extends the auction by 2 minutes, so everyone gets a fair chance to respond.
• Reserve prices. Sellers may set a reserve. If bidding ends below the reserve, the animal does not sell and no one is obligated to buy.
• Bids are final. You cannot retract or lower a bid once it is placed, so check the amount before you confirm.

The highest bid at or above the reserve when the auction closes wins, and you agree to buy the animal for that amount. We will email you and open checkout on your dashboard.

• You must pay a deposit of 20% of the winning bid within 2 days of the auction closing. The balance is due before the animal is picked up or delivered. An auction’s payment terms are fixed when it is listed, and its checkout page shows the exact amounts and deadlines.
• The price you pay is your winning bid. We do not add a buyer’s premium. Optional services you choose at checkout, such as transport, are priced separately, along with any taxes that apply.
• Payments are processed securely by Stripe. We never store your full card details.

A winning bid that isn’t paid on time is a default. We may cancel the sale, offer the animal to another bidder, and suspend or close your bidding privileges. Please don’t bid unless you are ready to pay.

• Sellers write their own listings and are responsible for describing each animal honestly, including its health, temperament, training, and any known faults. Photos and videos may not be recent; check captions and ask the seller if the timing matters to you.
• Unless the listing says otherwise, animals are sold as is. We do not inspect animals or guarantee a seller’s claims about age, breeding, soundness, or pregnancy.
• Do your homework before you bid. Review the listing’s documents (for example, a current Coggins for horses), message the seller with questions, and arrange a pre-purchase exam or visit if you need one.

• Plan pickup or transport after you pay. You are responsible for meeting the health certificate, testing, and permit rules of your state and any state the animal travels through.
• Responsibility for the animal passes to you at pickup or delivery. Insurance from that point on is up to you.
• Sellers receive their payout after the sale is completed and delivery is confirmed.

If an animal arrives materially different from its listing, contact us as soon as possible after pickup or delivery, with photos and details. We will work with you and the seller to resolve it, and we may hold the seller’s payout while we do. We are a marketplace, not the seller, so the contract of sale is between you and the seller.

Shill bidding, bidding from more than one account, colluding with other bidders, or interfering with an auction is prohibited. We may cancel bids or auctions affected by fraud, technical faults, or obvious errors, and we may suspend accounts that break these rules.

We may update these terms. When we publish a new version, you will be asked to accept it before your next bid. The version that applies to a sale is the one you accepted when you placed your bid.

Questions before you bid? Email support@the-stock-swap.com or message the seller from the listing page.