These Auction Terms supplement the Terms of Use and the Terms of Service. By placing a bid or starting an auction on Brecho.me, you accept them. Where these Auction Terms are silent, the Terms of Use, the Terms of Service, and the Payment Policy apply.
1.1. Every bid is a binding offer to buy the item. A bid cannot be retracted, amended, or cancelled once placed.
1.2. You are responsible for every bid placed from your account, including bids placed by mistake. Check the item description and your amount before you confirm a bid.
1.3. If you are the highest eligible bidder when the auction ends and any reserve has been met, a contract of sale is formed (Section 6) and you must complete the purchase (Section 9).
2.1. When you bid, you enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay. Your maximum is hidden from the seller and from other bidders.
2.2. The system bids on your behalf: it raises your standing bid only by the minimum needed to keep you in the lead, and never above your maximum.
2.3. The current leader may raise their own maximum at any time. If two bidders enter exactly the same maximum, the earlier bid wins.
2.4. The price you pay is the resolved final price of the auction, never your hidden maximum (Section 9).
3.1. A seller may set an optional reserve price when creating the auction. The reserve is the lowest price at which the item will be sold.
3.2. The reserve amount is never shown to bidders. The auction shows only whether the reserve has been met.
3.3. The reserve cannot be changed after the auction is created.
3.4. If the auction ends without the reserve being met, no sale takes place. If no reserve is set, the highest final bid wins.
4.1. A seller may set an optional Buy now price when creating the auction.
4.2. Buy now is available while the current bid is below the Buy now price.
4.3. Using Buy now is a binding purchase at exactly the stated Buy now price. It ends the auction immediately. A higher hidden maximum that has not yet been placed as a standing bid does not block a Buy now purchase.
4.4. Payment for a Buy now purchase follows Section 9.
5.1. Each auction states its final window. A bid placed inside that window moves the end of the auction out by the same window.
5.2. The extension repeats for every such bid, without a cap, until the final window passes with no new bid.
5.3. This gives every bidder time to respond to a late bid.
6.1. A contract of sale is formed directly between the buyer and the seller when the auction ends with a highest bid that meets any reserve, or when a bidder uses Buy now.
6.2. The Platform is an intermediary and is not a party to the contract of sale. These Auction Terms, the Terms of Use, and the Terms of Service govern it.
6.3. The sale then proceeds like any other marketplace order: payment, escrow, shipping, and delivery follow Sections 9 and 10.
7.1. The seller must describe the item accurately. The accurate-description duties in the Terms of Service apply to auction listings in full.
7.2. The seller may not bid on their own auction. The Platform enforces this.
7.3. When the auction ends with a winning bid, the seller must complete the sale with the winning buyer at the resolved final price.
7.4. The seller's declared type (trader or private individual) is disclosed on the listing and determines the buyer's right of withdrawal (Section 11).
8.1. A seller may cancel a scheduled auction at any time before it starts.
8.2. A seller may cancel a live auction only while it has no bids. After the first bid, the seller cannot cancel the auction.
8.3. The Platform may cancel an auction affected by a technical fault. A cancelled auction forms no contract of sale.
9.1. The winner pays the resolved final price of the auction — never their hidden maximum — plus the Buyer Protection fee shown at checkout, plus shipping.
9.2. Payment is due within the deadline shown on the auction: 48 hours from the end of the auction, unless the auction states otherwise.
9.3. If the winner does not pay within the deadline, the win lapses and the item returns to sale. The Platform charges the winner nothing for a lapsed win.
10.1. There are no seller fees specific to auctions. Selling at auction is free for the seller, exactly as under the Terms of Service: no commission is deducted from the seller's payout.
10.2. The buyer pays the Buyer Protection fee shown at checkout — 5% of the item price, minimum EUR 0.50 per item — as described in the Payment Policy.
10.3. Payment is made by card through the Platform's payment provider. Funds are held in escrow until the buyer confirms receipt, with automatic release 7 days after delivery, under the same escrow terms as any other marketplace order.
11.1. An online auction on Brecho.me is not a "public auction" under Directive 2011/83/EU (Art. 2(13) and Art. 16(k)), so the auction format does not remove the buyer's statutory right of withdrawal. The Estonian Law of Obligations Act (võlaõigusseadus) applies.
11.2. Purchases from trader (business) Sellers: the 14-day withdrawal period from delivery applies to auction wins and Buy now purchases, for any reason (right of withdrawal).
11.3. Purchases from private individuals: the 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply (Directive 2011/83/EU governs trader-to-consumer contracts). Returns remain available where the goods are faulty or not as described (Section 12).
11.4. Return shipping for a withdrawal is paid by the buyer, unless the Seller has agreed to bear the cost. The seller's type is disclosed on each product page.
12.1. If the item is faulty or not as described, the buyer may request a return regardless of the seller's type. The return process in the Terms of Service applies: the buyer requests the return through the platform, the seller responds within 3 days, and an approved return is refunded within 14 days of the seller receiving the goods back.
12.2. Return shipping for a faulty or not-as-described item is paid by the seller.
12.3. Escrow funds for the order remain held while a dispute is open.
13.1. You may not bid on your own auction — the Platform enforces this — and you may not arrange for others to bid on your item to raise its price.
13.2. You may not place bids you do not intend to honour, and you may not use bidding to manipulate the final price of any auction.
13.3. You may not complete an auction sale outside the platform.
13.4. Violations are handled under the account suspension provisions of the Terms of Service.
14.1. The Platform operates the auction mechanics described in these Auction Terms and processes payment and escrow for the resulting sale. It is not a party to the contract of sale between buyer and seller.
14.2. The Platform is not responsible for the quality, authenticity, or condition of the seller's items. The liability provisions of the Terms of Use and the Terms of Service apply.
14.3. The Platform may cancel an auction affected by a technical fault (Section 8.3).
15.1. Disputes about an auction sale follow the dispute process in the Terms of Service: the buyer opens the dispute through the platform, payouts pause during analysis, and the Platform issues a decision.
15.2. If you disagree with the Platform's decision, you may turn to the competent consumer protection body in your member state of residence, use the EU Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform at https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr, or bring a claim before the competent court.
15.3. These Auction Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Estonia. Consumers keep the right to bring proceedings before the courts of their EU member state of residence (Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012).
By placing a bid or starting an auction on Brecho.me, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Auction Terms.