Realtimebid

HELP / SUPPORT

• Windows PC, Apple MAC
  • Internet Explorer (IE) 7 or above, Chrome, or FireFox browser. Please note that Chrome or IE is preferred for live bidding.
  • You may view a catalog and pre-bid on iPad but you may not attend a live auction. Videos are not currently available on iPad
  • To view live and catalog videos, you must have Adobe Flash installed.
  • For some auctions, you may need Apple QuickTime to be installed for live video viewing.
  • For IE users, you may need to set your browser security to a lower level,  enable iframes, ActiveX, to reload the page upon every visit, etc.
  • You should have a reasonably powerful computer for viewing the video and for live bidding.  If your computer's CPU use is excessive, you will have a poor experience.

 

• Internet Access
  • You may view catalogs on virtually any Internet connection
  • Live bidding requires very good Internet access, with at least 500 Kbps uplink and downlink support. You may check your Internet access using this link.

 

• Registration
  • Existing Account
    •  If you already have a Realtimebid account, simply enter your email address and password to log in.
    • If you forget your password, a reminder can be sent to you by selecting the Password Reminder button.
    • Please be sure to keep your profile up to date! 
    • If you wish to change your email address, please contact Realtimebid
  • New User
    • Register by completing all required fields. You cannot register if you do not have an email address.
    • You may complete the optional banking information if you are requesting credit.  Your bank account number appears on your checks and it is seen by anyone you write a check to...it is not generally a very private number. Depending on the auction you wish to attend, additional information or Credit Card deposit may be requested.
    • You will be sent an email when you have completed the form. To ensure your security, you must respond to the email to complete your registration. Please be sure that you can receive email from realtimebidauction.com.  Please check your junk email filters before you contact us.
    • Your account is good forever.  However, Realtimebid reserves the right to delete your account at any time.

 

• Auction Selection
  • Registered users may access any listed auction by selecting the "Request" link next to each listed auction.  After initial selection you must log in again to refresh the page.
  • Future auctions may be listed but may not have a catalog available until a few days or a few weeks prior to the auction.  Check back often.

 

• Viewing A Catalog
  • Select "Next" and "Back" to page through the catalog with 100 items per page.
  • You may select the range of lots you wish to view by entering the stating and ending lot and selecting "Go".  An excessively large range will take a long time to load. For best results, limit your range to no more than 500 lots.
  • Enter any word or phrase to search through the catalog.
  • Disable any/all popup blockers to view images or videos. Some people have multiple popup blockers installed.
  • Click on any image to view the pictures for that lot.  If images are not available, a default image is shown.
  • If a video is available, you may view it by selecting the "Watch" link.
  • If a video is available, it will also play in the image viewer
  • When viewing pictures, you may click on any picture to view it in a larger, resizable window.

 

• Pre-Bids
  • Some auctions have Pre-Bidding available in the catalog.  If you are an approved bidder and Pre-Bidding is available, then you may place a bid on any item prior to the live auction.  Realtimebid will then represent your bid during the live auction.  See additional instructions on the Pre-Bid screen.

 

• Requesting Bidding Access
  • If you do not have access to live bidding and wish to bid, select "Request Bidding Access" from the catalog viewing page.  After you make the request, the button will display "Access Requested" until you are approved.
  • Approval for bidding is determined by the Auction operator working with Realtimebid, and is based on many factors including:
    • Past history with Realtimebid and/or the Auction operator
    • The completeness of your registration (e.g. credit requested, banking information, etc.).
    • Bank Letter of Credit, deposits, Credit Card, or other arrangements
    • Please note that Credit Card information is not requested by or stored on this system.
    • Contact Realtimebid for more information.

 

• Approved Bidders
  • When or if you are approved for bidding, the button on the catalog page will display "Access Live Auction".  During a live auction you may conduct live bidding.  See additional help on that screen.
  • Some auctions have multiple live teams. You may select the team you wish to view.
  • If Pre-Bidding is available for the selected auction, then each lot in the catalog will display a "Pre-Bid" button.  You may select this link to place a bid prior to the live auction. Items already sold are not available for bidding, of course. 
  • Pre-Bidding is a very useful feature as it allows you to bid on an item without attending the live auction (see instructions on the Pre-Bidding screen).

 

• Auction Wins
  • Approved bidders may view their auction wins in a report available from the live bidding screen.  All results are subject to review. You should verify any win by selecting the "Verify" button on this report.

 

• Special Features
  • Some auctions may be viewed live on Roku.  To view on Roku, add the "Discover Video" channel and select "Realtimebid".  You may also add the channel by using this link.