# Reserve price

> The confidential minimum price agreed between the consignor and the auction house, below which a lot will not be sold. If bidding does not reach the reserve, the lot is unsold (bought in).

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/reserve-price
- Language: English
- Also known as: Reserve
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/glossaire/prix-de-reserve.md

## Definition

The confidential minimum price agreed between the consignor and the auction house, below which a lot will not be sold. If bidding does not reach the reserve, the lot is unsold (bought in).

The reserve protects the consignor against selling below an acceptable price. It is usually kept confidential and, by common practice, does not exceed the low estimate. Where the law and the conditions of sale allow it, the auctioneer may bid on the consignor's behalf up to the reserve.

In Selloff, the reserve is recorded on the lot and shown in the bids overview and on the offer review screen, so staff can see at a glance which lots are below reserve.

## Related features

- [Estimates & reserves](https://www.selloff.auction/features/estimates-reserves.md): Record starting price, low and high estimates, reserve and printed estimate for every lot, adjust them in bulk, and keep the values used in each sale.

## Related terms

- [Estimate (low and high)](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/estimate.md): The auction house's opinion of the likely hammer price of a lot, usually published as a range from a low to a high estimate. It is a guide for bidders, not a guaranteed price.
- [Unsold lot (bought in)](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/unsold-lot.md): A lot that does not find a buyer at the sale, usually because bidding did not reach the reserve. The lot is passed or bought in, and may then be offered after the sale, re-offered later or returned to the consignor.
- [Starting price](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/starting-price.md): The amount at which the auctioneer opens the bidding on a lot, or the minimum first bid accepted online. It is often set below the low estimate to encourage bidding.
- [Absentee bid](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/absentee-bid.md): 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.