Every word you will meet bidding here, in one place.
Bid — an offer the seller can accept. Not reversible. Why.
Increment — the smallest step the price can rise by. It grows as the price does, so an auction at ₹30,000 does not crawl in rupees.
Starting price — where bidding opens. Usually low on purpose. Why low starts end higher.
Reserve — a hidden minimum. You are shown whether it has been met, never the amount. If it is never met, the item does not sell. More.
Maximum bid — the most you are willing to pay, set while bidding is live. Metzee then bids the smallest step that keeps you on top, never past your number, and nobody is told what it is. More.
Pre-bid — a sealed bid left before an auction opens, where the seller allows it. More.
Outbid — somebody went higher. You are told.
Under-bidder — the person who bid second. They matter: if the winner does not pay, the item is offered to them.
Second chance — that offer, at their own bid, with twelve hours to take it. More.
Standard / Reset timer / Sudden death — the three formats. The first two push the clock out when a late bid lands; sudden death has a short clock that never moves. More.
Sniping — bidding at the last possible instant. Pointless on the first two formats, a real strategy on sudden death.
Buy now — a fixed price, no bidding. Ends the moment somebody takes it.
Lot — several things sold together as one item.
Hammer — the moment an item closes and somebody has won it.
Unpaid win — an item won and not paid for in time. What happens.
More: how bidding works, the Metzee glossary.