How do timed auctions work?

Sell to the highest bidder

Also known as an English auction, OpenSea will automatically complete this transaction if a Sell to the highest bidder auction finishes above 1 ETH, with OpenSea paying the gas fee in the process.

If the auction finishes below 1 ETH, it's up to the seller to accept the highest offer. The seller is under no obligation to complete the transaction.

Making a bid on this kind of action is like making an offer on a fixed-price listing. The seller can choose to accept it at any time, but the buyer will need WETH to create a bid.

Any bids made in the last 10 minutes of an auction will extend each auction by 10 more minutes. Popular auctions are often extended by new bids offered in the last 10 minutes. 

You may cancel an auction at any time, but doing so will require paying a gas fee.

Reserve Prices

If you're using a Sell to highest bidder auction to sell your item, you can set a Reserve Price. If you don't receive any bids equal to or greater than your reserve price, the auction will end without a sale.

The example below is set with a starting price of 1 WETH and a reserve price of 2 WETH.

Auctions can't have a reserve price lower than 1 ETH because OpenSea covers the transaction fee when the auction ends successfully. 

The seller can always choose to accept a bid below the reserve price at any time during or after the auction, but the seller will have to pay gas to do so.

⚠️ Once an auction starts, you can't change the reserve price. 

For more information on who pays gas fees and when, check out our help guide!

Sell with declining price 

Also known as a Dutch auction, these are similar to fixed-price listings except that the price falls over time. You can buy at any time in the listed currency or make an offer.

In the example below, the listing begins with a starting price of 2 ETH but has an Ending price of 1 ETH after a duration of 3 days.