Auction rules & fair bidding

1 · Bids are binding

A bid is a commitment to pay that amount if you win. Your saved payment method is charged automatically when the auction closes. There is no bid withdrawal.

2 · Increments and suggested raises

Each lot has a starting bid and a minimum raise set by the organization. A valid bid is at least the current bid plus the minimum raise; the one-tap suggestions (minimum / popular / front-runner) are derived from that increment. If someone raises first, your bid is rejected with the new minimum — nothing is charged for rejected bids.

3 · Soft close — no sniping

A bid placed in the final 2 minutes extends the auction by 2 minutes, up to 10 extensions (organizations may tune these within platform limits). Auctions end by running out of raises, not by stopwatch tricks.

4 · The GiveForward Pledge — a worked example

Say you bid ₹8,000 on a lot with your pledge set to 10%, and you are later outbid; the lot closes at ₹9,500 to someone else. You pay nothing toward the item — instead your pledge becomes a ₹800 donation (10% of your highest bid, ₹8,000) to the organization, charged to your saved method, with a receipt. The winner pays ₹9,500. One winner, many givers. You can change your percentage or opt out any time before the lot closes from your account page.

5 · Winning

Winners are charged automatically at close. If a charge fails, we retry up to 3 times over 72 hours with notice; continued failure may forfeit the win, suspend the account, and the organization may re-offer the lot. Fulfilment: the organization ships or arranges handover and posts tracking, which appears in your account.

6 · Anonymity

You may display any bid as “Anonymous”. The organization still receives the details its receipts legally require; anonymity is about the public page, not the tax record.

7 · Fair play

Shill bidding is prohibited: organizations, their staff and their agents may not bid on their own lots, and coordinating to inflate prices — with or without intent to win — leads to suspension and forfeiture. We monitor for patterns (shared payment methods or devices across competing bidders) and act on reports.

8 · Prohibited items

No weapons or ammunition; no live animals; no alcohol or tobacco where restricted; no wildlife products (ivory, furs, taxidermy of protected species); no counterfeit or stolen goods; no items whose provenance cannot be described honestly; no raffle tickets or games of chance (auctions only); nothing illegal to sell in the organization's or winner's jurisdiction. Flagged lots are held pending review.

9 · Fulfilment expectations

Organizations ship within 7 days of payment (or as stated on the lot), pack items honestly described, and post tracking. Repeated fulfilment failures lead to suspension and payout holds.

10 · Reporting

See something off — a misdescribed lot, suspicious bidding, a fulfilment problem? Email hello@kindbid.org with the lot link. Reports are reviewed by platform staff, not the listing organization.