How to Bid
A straightforward guide to how a Nostalgia Bandit auction works — from registration through the winning bid, payment, and shipping. If you’ve bid in online auctions before, much of this will look familiar. If not, start here.
Registration and Approval to Bid
Bidding at Nostalgia Bandit requires a registered account and approval to participate in the specific auction you want to bid in.
If you already have an iCollector account, sign in and register for the Nostalgia Bandit auction from the auction catalog page.
If you’re new to iCollector, create an account by clicking Create Account and completing the registration form — first and last name, username, password, and email. You can alternately sign in with your Facebook or Google account.
To register for our auction specifically, you’ll complete a brief form providing billing and shipping address, phone number, and a credit card for verification. Your shipping address must match the billing address on your registered credit card. The card receives a one-dollar authorization hold that releases automatically within 7 to 30 days — standard practice for online auction houses, and exists to verify the card is active and in your name.
We recommend enabling email and text alerts during registration. These include outbid notifications and a reminder the day before the auction closes — both genuinely useful during an active sale.
Once your account is set up and approved, you can browse lots, place bids, bookmark lots for later, and manage your account from the iCollector dashboard.
How Bids Work
Nostalgia Bandit auctions are online-only. There is no in-person or phone bidding.
You can place two kinds of bids:
Direct Bids
A direct bid is a bid at the current required increment — the minimum amount needed to be the high bidder at that moment. If the current bid on a lot is $500, the next direct bid accepts the standard increment above it.
Proxy Bids (Maximum Bids)
A proxy bid is the most you’re willing to pay for a lot. You enter your maximum, and the system bids on your behalf in standard increments only as needed to keep you the high bidder. Your maximum stays confidential.
Proxy bids are the most important tool in this auction format, especially for bidders interested in multiple lots. A few things to understand about how they work:
- You cannot outbid yourself. The system will only raise your bid when another bidder competes with you.
- The system displays the minimum winning amount, not your maximum. If you place a $5,000 proxy bid and the current bid is $500, the displayed high bid becomes $525 (the next increment). Your $5,000 ceiling stays confidential unless another bidder pushes you toward it.
- Reserves stay confidential too. If a lot has a reserve and your proxy bid exceeds it, the system will only advance your displayed bid to the reserve level — anything above that stays private unless competitive bidding pushes the price higher.
- Place proxy bids early, not late. In the event of tie bids, the system accepts whoever placed their bid first. Waiting to bid at the last moment isn’t a strategy that helps you here.
For bidders interested in several lots, proxy bids are especially valuable. They let you set your maximum for each lot in advance and let the platform handle real-time bidding across your entire list during the close window — including while you’re away from your screen.
Bookmarking Lots
You can bookmark any lot to track it without placing a bid — useful if you’re browsing early and want to revisit lots later before deciding which to bid on. Bookmarked lots appear in your iCollector account dashboard for easy reference. Once you’re ready to commit, placing a bid is always the strongest way to secure your position.
Bid Increments
Bid increments are set automatically based on the current bid level:
| Current Bid | Minimum Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 – $500 | $25 |
| $500 – $1,500 | $50 |
| $1,500 – $5,000 | $100 |
| $5,000 – $10,000 | $250 |
| $10,000 and above | $500 |
Reserves
Some lots carry a reserve — a minimum price below which the lot will not sell. Reserves are confidential and, by our policy, will never exceed the lot’s pre-sale low estimate.
If a reserve is present and bidding has not yet reached it, the lot will display a “Reserve Not Met” indicator. Once bidding reaches the reserve, the indicator clears and the lot will sell to the high bidder when the auction closes.
How the Auction Closes
This is a Simultaneous Close with Timer Extensions auction. The format is designed to maximize fairness and eliminate the “missed my lot” frustration that can happen in sequential-close auctions.
How it works:
- Bidding is open now. You can place bids on any lot at any time between now and the close.
- On Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, the auction enters its close window. This is the final call for bids.
- Every bid on a lot resets that lot’s timer by ten minutes. As long as any lot has an active timer, all lots remain open.
- When ten minutes pass without a bid on any lot, all lots close simultaneously.
Why this format. In a traditional sequential auction, bidders interested in multiple lots have to manage timing across the entire catalog — and frequently miss lots they wanted simply because they were bidding on another one at the wrong moment. Simultaneous close with timer extensions solves this: if you’re outbid on one lot, you still have time to regroup and bid on another before the auction resolves.
What to expect. Based on the size of this catalog and typical online auction engagement, we anticipate the close window resolves within two to three hours of the 10:00 AM start. Bidders placing proxy bids in advance will be protected regardless of how the close unfolds in real time.
Winning a Lot
Within 24 hours of the auction conclusion, you’ll receive your invoice by email. The invoice includes:
- The hammer price on each lot won
- A 20% Buyer’s Premium (which includes iCollector’s 3% online service fee)
- A 3% credit card processing fee, if paying by credit card
- Arizona sales tax, where applicable (see Sales Tax below)
Shipping is invoiced separately — see Shipping below.
Accepted Payment Methods
- Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover
- Multiple credit cards (split payment accepted on a single invoice)
- ACH transfer
- Wire transfer
- Money order or bank draft
If you selected credit card payment at registration, your card on file will be charged automatically within 24 hours of the auction conclusion. For all other payment methods, we’ll coordinate with you directly.
Sales Tax
Arizona sales tax applies to lots shipped to an Arizona address or picked up locally. Sales tax is calculated on the hammer price plus Buyer’s Premium and added to your invoice automatically where applicable. Out-of-state and international buyers are not charged Arizona sales tax.
Shipping
Shipping, handling, and insurance are not included in the hammer price or buyer’s premium. They are arranged and invoiced separately following payment of your auction invoice.
Most items — guitars, cases, wardrobe, smaller instruments, and comparable-sized lots — are eligible for in-house shipping directly from Nostalgia Bandit.
Larger and heavier items require third-party shipping, noted clearly in the individual lot description. We’ll provide recommended shipper contacts, and you’re also free to arrange your own licensed and insured shipper.
All shipments require signature confirmation and full insurance coverage for the item’s declared value.
Local pickup is available by appointment in the Phoenix, Arizona metro area.
For full details, recommended providers, timelines, and how to request a shipping quote before you bid, see the Shipping & Fulfillment page.
Request a shipping quote before you bid, not after. Shipping on larger or fragile items can be significant, and we want you going in with realistic expectations. Email your address and lot number(s) to shipping@nostalgiabandit.com.
International Bidders
International bidding is welcome. Note the following:
- Buyers are solely responsible for any applicable duties, VAT, tariffs, import fees, or customs-related costs
- These costs vary significantly by country and item type — research your jurisdiction’s requirements before bidding
- International shipping is available on most lots; lots requiring exceptional handling may have additional restrictions noted in the lot description
For questions about international shipping, customs, or documentation before placing a bid, email shipping@nostalgiabandit.com.
Mobile App
The Nostalgia Bandit mobile app will be available soon for iOS and Android. Search “Nostalgia Bandit” in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store to download once available. The app provides full bidding functionality, real-time outbid notifications, and lot browsing on the go.
The Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance
Every lot won is accompanied by a Nostalgia Bandit Letter of Provenance — a document printed on official Nostalgia Bandit letterhead, signed by Nostalgia Bandit’s principal, and affixed with an embossed seal. The Letter of Provenance reproduces the complete final auction description for the lot, memorializing all provenance documentation, attribution, supporting evidence, and condition details.
It is designed to travel with the lot through all future ownership transfers as a permanent, platform-independent physical record of the item’s documented history.
For more on our documentation standards and authentication practices, see Authentication & Research and Letters of Provenance.
Questions
For questions about bidding, registration, or the auction itself: info@nostalgiabandit.com
For shipping quotes or shipping questions: shipping@nostalgiabandit.com