Auctions on Sarai
How auctions work
Everything on Sarai comes from one of two sources and is sold in one of four ways. Every listing tells you which, before you bid.
Two sources
Sarai and its sellers
Goods Sarai buys itself, and goods from traders, companies and auction houses that sell through Sarai. Sarai checks every item or lot, writes the listing and runs the auction.
Single items and lotsPartner auctions
Wholesale auctions run by Sarai’s partner companies, shown on Sarai so you can bid from here. The partner runs the auction, and its own terms apply.
Mostly live, sometimes buy now
Four ways an auction runs
Read each line from the start: what opens, what happens while it runs, and how it ends.
Timed
Single items and small lots
- Bids are open for 24 to 72 hours
- A bid in the last 5 minutes moves the end 5 minutes later
- When time runs out, the highest bid wins
Timed, then live
Big lots and pallets
- 48 hours of bids from verified bidders
- Sarai decides within 12 hours
- Sold to the high bid, or straight to a live auction
Live
Live sessions and most partner auctions
- The lot opens at a set time
- Every bid restarts a 15-second countdown
- When the countdown ends, the highest bid wins
Buy now
Some items and lots
- A fixed price is shown
- The first buyer to accept it gets it
- On Sarai’s own listings, only until the first bid
The 48-hour stage for big lots
Big lots and pallets start with 48 hours of bids. What happens next depends on the highest bid.
When the 48 hours end, Sarai looks at the highest bid. If the lot has a hidden lowest price (a reserve) and the highest bid meets it, the lot is sold to that bidder at once.
Otherwise Sarai decides within 12 hours: accept the highest bid and sell, or take the lot to the next live session. Either way, we tell the highest bidder by SMS.
If the lot goes to a live auction, the highest bidder’s maximum from the 48-hour stage carries over and keeps bidding for them, so nobody loses their place.
Live sessions
A set time
Live sessions run at a time announced in the app. Lots come up one after another.
A 15-second countdown
Each bid restarts a 15-second countdown. When it reaches zero with no new bid, the lot is sold to the highest bidder.
Your maximum carries over
If you were the highest bidder in the 48-hour stage, your maximum bids for you in the live auction until someone goes above it.
The auctioneer can’t bid
Sarai staff run the session but never bid. The price moves only when a real bidder bids.
Partner auctions
Some partner companies let Sarai show their wholesale auctions. Each one is marked “Partner auction”, and the partner’s terms are shown in full before your first bid.
Your bid goes to the partner
With most partners, your bid goes straight into the partner’s auction. The partner is the seller, and its rules and its clock apply. Sarai shows you when your bid was sent and when the partner accepted it.
Or Sarai bids for you
With some partners, you set a maximum and Sarai bids for you from its own account. If Sarai wins, Sarai buys the lot, ships it and hands it over to you. Sarai’s fee for this is shown before you bid.
Partner auctions are for verified bidders. Their prices may be in US dollars.
Fair bidding, every time
Our auction rules follow the principles of fair trade in Islamic law. A scholar will review them before we open.
Bidding is free
No fee to bid, ever. You never buy bids.
No fake bids
Sarai never bids to push a price up. Sarai staff, sellers on their own goods, and their close relatives cannot bid.
The price is set in the open
A hidden reserve shows only as “reserve not met” or “reserve met”. The price reaches it only through real bids.
Every bid is recorded
Each bid is logged with its account and exact time. Our server’s clock decides the order of bids and the end.
A bid is a promise
If you win, you buy. Only bid what you are ready to pay.
Every defect shown
Items and lots are described honestly, with photos of every known defect and, for lots, a list of what is inside.
Want to bid on lots?
Single items need only a mobile number. Lots and partner auctions are for verified bidders. Leave your number and we’ll text you when Sarai opens.