Set the most you are willing to pay for an item, and Metzee bids on your behalf from that moment.
How it behaves
It bids the smallest step that keeps you on top. Not your maximum, not a jump — the minimum needed to lead, every time somebody else bids.
It never goes past your number. If the bidding passes it, you are out, and you are told.
It is secret. Nobody sees it: not other bidders, not the seller, not the room. All anybody sees is that the price moved.
Why you cannot lower one
Because it has already done its bidding. The moment you set it, it competes — if another maximum is in play, the two settle against each other there and then, exactly as two people bidding would. Lowering it afterwards would mean withdrawing bids that have already been made.
You can raise it.
When it is the right tool
When you cannot watch. The honest alternative to sitting through a show.
When you know your number. Deciding in advance and letting the machinery hold the line removes the thing that actually costs people money, which is bidding one more time because they are in the room.
What it does not do
It does not win you the item. If somebody is willing to pay more, they get it — which is the whole point of an auction.
It does not hide you. People can see that a bid happened and who is leading.
Questions people ask
Can other people see my maximum?
No. Not the seller either.
What if two people set a maximum?
They settle against each other immediately, up to the lower of the two. The higher one leads at one step above.
Can I cancel it?
You can raise it. You cannot lower or withdraw it, because the bids it made are real bids.
Does it work on every item?
It is for live bidding. Before an auction opens, the equivalent is a pre-bid where the seller allows one.
Will I be told if I am beaten?
Yes.
More: how bidding works.