Local Certificates uses a blind auction system, also known as a first-price sealed-bid auction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealed_first-price_auction), which means you never see anyone else's bid and they don't see yours.  For that reason, there is no 'current bid price'. Simply place a bid for an amount you're willing to pay for the certificate and if you have the highest bid at the end of the month (bidding closes 11:59:59pm MST the last day of each month), you will be notified and the certificate will be placed in your cart for checkout at the price you requested!

One of the benefits of using a blind auction system is that you don't have to constantly monitor the auction to see the current price, and you don't have to worry about anybody waiting until the last second to outbid you. On top of that, you aren't pressured to keep raising your price as you're outbid. Simply post the price you want to pay and we'll let you know if you won at the end of the month.

If you win a certificate through a bid, we will notify you via email, and the certificate will be placed in your cart for 3 days. If for some reason you choose not to purchase the certificate at that time, simply remove the item from your cart. However, PLEASE DO NOT BID if you do not intend to pay for the certificates you win.  If you refuse to pay for certificates you won through auction multiple times, your account may be suspended.

Example

If you bid $8 for a $20 gift certificate for a local business and win with the highest bid at the end of the month, you will receive an email confirmation shortly thereafter. Simply log into your account and the certificate will be in your shopping cart in the amount of $8. If you wait longer than 3 days to check out, the certificate will disappear from your cart.