> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://catchbackcards.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# CatchBack Auctions

> Live, declining-price auctions for trading cards — fast settlement, real-time price updates, and full seller control

CatchBack Auctions are a declining-price format. The seller sets a starting price and a reserve (floor) price, and the displayed price ticks down on a schedule until a buyer locks it in. The first buyer to click "Buy Now" wins at the current price.

## How an auction works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Seller sets the parameters">
    Starting price, reserve (the lowest price they'll accept), how much the price drops each step, and how often.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The auction goes live">
    The displayed price starts at the seller's starting price and decreases automatically on the schedule.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Buyers watch in real time">
    The price updates live for every viewer. No bidding wars, no sniping — what you see is what you'd pay.
  </Step>

  <Step title="First buyer wins">
    The first person to click "Buy Now" locks in the sale at that moment's price. Everyone else sees the listing close.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The card transfers instantly">
    Because the card is already vaulted, ownership transfers digitally. No shipping between seller and buyer.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Why this format works

### Speed

Traditional auctions can take days. CatchBack Auctions resolve in minutes to hours, depending on how aggressively the seller priced it.

### Fair pricing

The price reduction is transparent and on a public schedule. There's no hidden bidding, no anti-sniping logic, no last-second drama — just a clear declining curve everyone sees.

### No bidding wars

Buyers don't compete by escalating bids. They compete by deciding when to commit. If you wait too long, someone else gets it at a lower price.

### Reserve protection

The price never falls below the seller's reserve. If no buyer commits before the reserve is hit, the seller can re-list or take the card off the market — no obligation to sell below their floor.

## For sellers

You configure every aspect of the auction when you list:

* **Starting price** — your initial ask
* **Reserve price** — the lowest you'll accept (the auction stops dropping when it hits this)
* **Price decrement** — how much the price drops per step
* **Decrement interval** — how often the price drops (e.g., every 5 minutes)
* **Max decrements** — total number of drops before the auction ends

Want a fast sale? Drop the price aggressively. Want top dollar? Start high and step down slowly. The card stays in your vault throughout — listed, not removed — so if your auction doesn't sell at reserve, the card returns to your collection unchanged.

You receive proceeds in CatchCoins by default, with the option to set up a connected payout account for direct fiat payouts.

## For buyers

* **Real-time prices.** The displayed price is the actual current price. Click Buy Now and you pay that.
* **First click wins.** If two people click within the same second, the first valid request wins. The second gets a "listing no longer available" message and is not charged.
* **No bidding history to track.** There are no bids in the traditional sense. There's a price, and there's "Buy Now" — that's it.
* **Pay with anything.** USD, CatchCoins, or Store Credit — all accepted.

## Browsing auctions

The Auctions tab in the [marketplace](/about-catchback/marketplace) shows every active CatchBack Auction with its current price ticking down live. Filter by game, price range, rarity, or grade. Sort by ending soonest, lowest price, or biggest discount from market value.

Some auctions on the marketplace are listed by **other collectors**; some are listed by **CatchBack itself**, drawn from vault inventory acquired through CatchBack offers. The buying experience is identical regardless of seller.

## What auctions are good for

* **Selling fast** when you don't want to wait for a fixed-price buyer
* **Finding the right price** when you don't know what a card is worth
* **Creating urgency** for time-sensitive collections (move multiple cards in one session)
* **Hunting deals** as a buyer who's patient enough to watch the ticker

For everything else — predictable, no-pressure sales — fixed-price [Marketplace Listings](/about-catchback/marketplace) are the simpler choice.