Auctions & bidding
How Karaji auctions work — placing bids, timers, reserve prices, up and down auctions, and what happens when you win.
Before you bid
You can browse the Market as a guest, but you must be signed in to place a bid. If you don't have an account yet, registration takes just a few minutes — see Registration & sign-in.
One important thing to understand first: a bid on Karaji is a real commitment to buy. When you place a bid, your contact details are shared as part of the process, so only bid on a car you genuinely intend to purchase.
How bidding works
- Every bid raises the current price by a fixed increment of SAR 1,000.
- Before your bid is placed, a confirmation dialog asks you to confirm — so there are no accidental bids.
- The lot price streams live: you see new bids in real time without refreshing.
- Each lot has a bid history, so you can see how the price developed.
No deposits, no money held
Karaji uses a commitment model instead of deposits:
- No money is taken or held when you bid — there is no deposit and no escrow.
- Placing a bid shares your contact details with the seller side.
- Your bid is a genuine promise to buy the car if you win.
Timers
- Before an auction begins, the lot shows a "Starts in" countdown.
- In the final 4 hours, the lot is marked "Finishing soon".
- There is no auto-extension: a last-second bid does not add extra time, so don't wait until the very end.
Reserve price
A seller may set a reserve — the minimum price they'll accept. The lot shows whether the reserve has been reached or not reached, so you always know where the bidding stands.
Up and down auctions
| Type | How the price moves |
|---|---|
| Up auction | Starts at the seller's price and rises with each SAR 1,000 bid |
| Down auction | Starts from the highest price and falls until a buyer steps in |
If you're outbid
Being outbid is part of the game:
- The lot's price and timer simply update live.
- Nothing is held or lost: no money was ever taken from you.
- You can bid again any time while the auction runs (+SAR 1,000 on the current price).
Winning the auction
If you're the highest bidder when the timer ends (and the reserve, if any, is reached):
- You receive a Winner ticket with a confirmation code and the seller's contact details.
- Contact the seller and share your Garage ID with them — the seller needs it to transfer the car.
- After the seller pays the platform commission and completes the transfer, the car appears in your Garage, together with its Logbook history.
Your won auctions live in your Garage's Wins tab — see Won auctions; the full handover is described in Closing the deal & transfer.
Related articles
- Buying a car — browsing the Market, filters, and fixed-price listings
- Won auctions — your next steps after winning
- Closing the deal & transfer — what happens after the auction ends
- Selling at auction — the seller's side of an auction