# Absentee bid

> A written instruction left with the auction house before the sale, authorising it to bid on a lot on a client's behalf up to a stated maximum. The auctioneer executes it as cheaply as competing bids and the reserve allow.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/absentee-bid
- Language: English
- Also known as: Commission bid, Written bid, Left bid
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/glossaire/ordre-d-achat.md

## Definition

A written instruction left with the auction house before the sale, authorising it to bid on a lot on a client's behalf up to a stated maximum. The auctioneer executes it as cheaply as competing bids and the reserve allow.

Absentee bids let clients take part without attending or phoning in. Most conditions of sale state that if two identical absentee bids are received, the earlier one takes precedence. The auctioneer sees them lot by lot in the [auctioneer's book](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/auctioneers-book.md).

In Selloff, absentee bids are entered on the bidder's record, imported from an XLSX file or received from connected platforms. They can be checked against the sale's bid increments and are printed in the bid book.

## Related features

- [Absentee & phone bids](https://www.selloff.auction/features/bid-recording.md): Record absentee, phone and OR bids in the book, check them against your bid increments, confirm them to clients by email and print the bid book for the room.
- [Bidder registration & tracking](https://www.selloff.auction/features/bidder-management.md): Register bidders before or during a sale, number them automatically, set purchase limits and request guarantees, with every bidder's activity on one page.

## Related terms

- [OR bid](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/or-bid.md): An absentee bid placed on several lots with the instruction that the client wants to buy only one of them. Once one lot has been won, the remaining bids in the group no longer apply.
- [Auctioneer's book](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/auctioneers-book.md): The printed or on-screen list the auctioneer uses on the rostrum, showing for each lot the absentee bids and telephone bookings. It lets the auctioneer execute written bids fairly and in the right order.
- [Telephone bid](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/telephone-bid.md): A bid placed live during the sale by a client on the phone with a member of the auction house's staff, who relays the client's bids to the auctioneer in real time.
- [Bid increment](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/bid-increment.md): The minimum amount by which each new bid must exceed the previous one. Increments rise with the price and are defined in a table published in the conditions of sale.