Overview
We recommend setting your reserve price at the exact number you want for your car — not higher.
Why this is best
Dealers can’t see your reserve price. They only see the live auction and the current top bids.
The auction always starts below your reserve. This encourages early bidding and gets dealers engaged without scaring them away with too high of a starting number.
If bids get close to your reserve, Bidbus will notify all dealers. This prompts them to bid more aggressively to try and win your car.
What happens if you set it too high
If you set your reserve well above your true expectation:
Dealers may not engage as strongly, thinking the seller won’t be realistic.
You risk missing the momentum of competitive bidding, which is what pushes offers up.
In short
Set your reserve at the number you actually want. Dealers won’t see it, the auction will start lower to drive competition, and if bids get close, we’ll push notifications to all dealers to help you get the strongest possible offer.