A reserve is the minimum price a seller is willing to accept for a lot. It's set behind the scenes — bidders never see the dollar amount, only whether a reserve exists and (depending on your settings) whether it's been met.
How reserves work
If bidding closes below the reserve, the lot doesn't sell automatically. You can then negotiate with the top bidder or pass on the sale.
If bidding reaches or exceeds the reserve, the lot sells to the high bidder as normal.
Setting a reserve
Go to Pre-Auction > Lots > Edit.
Scroll to the Description/Estimate/Reserve/Start Bid section.
Enter your reserve amount in the Reserve/ea field. Example: to set a $5,000 reserve, enter
5000.
Controlling what bidders see
Two auction-level Options settings determine how much bidders learn about a reserve on HiBid:
Show Immediate Bid Status — When checked, a winning bidder is told outright "You have Won." On a reserve lot, this can reveal the reserve was met before you're ready to announce it. Leave it unchecked ("You may have Won") to keep that private until you confirm the sale.
Show Reserve Status — Controls whether bidders can even see that a lot has a reserve, and whether it's been met. If unchecked, the reserve stays fully hidden, and it's on you to notify the winning bidder that a reserve applied.
Tip: For a fully hidden reserve, uncheck both options above — nothing on the bidder-facing side will hint at reserve activity.