What you'll actually pay
The most common worry for first-time bidders is the total: you win an item for one price, and then fees appear at checkout. We would rather show you the whole calculation up front. At Auction X, your total is worked out the same way on every lot, and you can figure it out yourself before you place a bid.
The formula
Your total is built in this order:
1. A $1 per-lot fee is added to your winning bid — one dollar for each lot you win.
2. A buyer's premium of 16% is charged on that amount — your bid plus the lot fee together.
3. HST at 13% is charged on the result.
That is everything. There are no other Auction X charges on a pickup order.
Worked examples
Winning bid | Lot fee | Buyer's premium (16% on bid + fee) | HST (13%) | Your total
$2 | $1.00 | $0.48 | $0.45 | $3.93
$10 | $1.00 | $1.76 | $1.66 | $14.42
$50 | $1.00 | $8.16 | $7.69 | $66.85
$100 | $1.00 | $16.16 | $15.23 | $132.39
So a lot you win at $10 does not cost $10 — it costs $14.42, and it is better to know that before you bid than after.
A simple habit used by many of our regulars: decide the total you are comfortable paying, work backwards, and set that as your maximum bid.
You usually pay less than your maximum bid
Bidding at Auction X works by proxy. You enter the highest amount you are willing to bid, and the system bids on your behalf at the lowest amount needed to keep you in the lead — one increment above the next-highest bid. If nobody bids against you beyond the $2 start, you win the lot at $2, even if your maximum was much higher. You only pay the full amount of your maximum if another bidder pushes the bidding all the way to it. The premium, lot fee and HST are then calculated on the actual winning bid, not on your maximum.
Pickup and delivery costs
Pickup is free of any extra charge: if you collect your items at our warehouse at 389 Emerald St N in Hamilton during pickup hours (Monday 1–6 PM; Tuesday and Wednesday 10 AM–6 PM, closed 12–1 PM), the total in the table above is the total you pay. If you choose delivery when you register, we add a flat $5 handling fee per order for packing and preparation. The carrier's delivery charge is separate and is billed by the carrier — we do not mark it up or fold it into your invoice, so the two costs stay easy to tell apart.
The short version
Bid + $1 per lot, then 16% buyer's premium, then 13% HST. Nothing else. If you would like to see how the auction itself works, start with our How It Works page — or go straight to the current lots.