How to join a live show, step by step

A live show is a video with an auction running underneath it. Getting in takes one tap; knowing what you are looking at takes a minute, and this is that minute.

1. Find one

The Watch screen lists what is on. Live now is happening right now; Coming up is scheduled.

If nothing is on, you get No one’s live right now — or No one’s live in {category} if you have filtered. Show all categories clears it.

A show that has not started yet says Starting soon or The show starts as soon as the seller goes live. A countdown you can set a reminder on is better than waiting on the screen.

2. Join

Tap it. You may see Joining the show…, and on a show about to start, Join now · {n}s.

Once in, the header shows LIVE and Live, {n} watching.

3. What you are looking at

• The video — the seller, or more often their hands and the item.
• The current item, with Top bid or No bids yet — be the first, and Ends in {time}.
• Up next and Coming up in this show, so you know whether to stay.
• The chat, where you can ask. Ask about {title} puts your question against the item.
• Reactions — Send a heart, React {emoji}. They cost nothing and sellers notice them.

Where a reserve is set you will see Reserve not met, then Reserve met once it passes. Where there is no reserve, neither appears.

4. Do the practice bid

This is the step to take. The first time you open the bid control it offers a practice: Slide to try, with Practice here — this one doesn’t place a bid. and afterwards That’s it — practice bids don’t count.

Thirty seconds, no risk, and it means your first real bid is not also your first time using the control. How to place a bid.

5. Before you bid for real

Two things on screen are worth reading once:

• Every bid is binding, and Minimum bid {price}. Your bid is binding if you win.
• Pay within 30 minutes if you win — the window if you win while watching.

A bid is not an expression of interest. What happens when you win.

If the video does not start

In order, because the first two fix most of it:

1. Wait ten seconds. Loading… and a black frame for a moment is normal.
2. If it says Reconnecting… or The host is reconnecting, the problem is at the seller's end. The auction keeps running. Stay.
3. Video paused — tap it. Phone browsers pause video that has been in the background.
4. Switch wifi to mobile data, or back. Video needs a steadier connection than the bidding does.
5. Couldn’t load the video after that, or Can’t reach Metzee — this may be out of date: leave and rejoin. Your bids are not lost — they live on the server, not in the page.

What not to do: refresh repeatedly during the last ten seconds of an item you want. Video is buffering.

Questions people ask

Do I need an account to watch?

To watch, no. To bid or buy, yes.

Will the seller know I am there?

They see a viewer count and your display name if you chat or bid. Can I see who I am bidding against?

Can I watch without the video, on a bad connection?

The auction is separate from the video, so bidding keeps working when the picture struggles — but you are buying something you cannot see, which is not a good trade.

What if I join halfway through?

Entirely normal. See what sold shows what has already gone, and Up next shows what is coming.

More: what you need to watch a show, how to find a show worth watching, how a live show works.

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