Second chance offers

Sometimes the winning bidder of a lot never completes the purchase. When that happens, the auction house may offer the lot to the next-highest bidder — and if that was you, you'll get an email headed Second chance.

What you're offered

The lot, at your own top bid — the most you told us you'd go when you were bidding. Not the price it closed at, and not anybody else's number. The buyer's premium and sales tax are added on top, exactly as in the terms you accepted for that sale.

If the lot was sold per item, the email spells out the multiplication so there's no surprise.

How long you have

The email and the offer page both give the deadline. It's usually a few days. If you do nothing, the offer simply lapses and nothing happens.

Accepting

Open the link in the email, or go to Wins in your account, where the offer appears as a card. The offer page opens without signing in, but accepting needs you to sign in with the account you bid with — the link alone can't commit you to anything.

When you accept, the lot is yours and your invoice follows straight away with a payment link — that invoice email is your confirmation; there is no separate "you won" email. The invoice also appears under Wins in your account, so if the email does not arrive you can view and pay it there. The usual payment and collection rules for that sale apply from there, including any card on file the house charges after its usual delay.

If the lot was sold per item, the card under Wins spells out the multiplication the same way the email does, so the invoice total is no surprise.

Declining

Press Decline on the page or the card. Nothing else changes, and nobody will chase you about it. You can also just ignore it.

If the offer has gone

If the page says the offer expired or was withdrawn, the lot is no longer on offer to you. The house may offer it to someone else or put it in a later sale.