microbid - Buying shares (ie. "portions" of an ongoing Auction - that we call an "Auction
Fund") allows you to get an auction item (or service) for far less
than its actual value - by pooling your shares with others.
Auction Funds are sort of like an auction within an auction, which
offers members an alternative to placing bids. It’s sort of
like paying in to a revolving fund - and then simply taking turns
on who gets the item, product, good or service next. Note: Members
use bids to buy shares.
When the total combined shares (ie. "All Shares" in the
screenshot;
of all members, for that Auction) reaches the BuyNow Goal (in bids) - the
member with the most shares "wins" (ie receives the item) next. The
BuyNow resets and the Auction starts again.
Your total shares accumulates across all cycles to create a sort of "score",
but do
not count towards the purchase of an Auction Item (or Service)
in other cycles. Here’s an example:
J has 12 total shares
Auction Fund (Cycle 1) - $25 Pizza
(J has 2 shares)
Auction Fund (Cycle 2) - $25 Pizza
(J has 3 shares)
Auction Fund (Cycle 3) - $25 Pizza
(J has 4 shares)
Auction Fund (Cycle 4) - $25 Pizza
(J has 3 shares)
2+3+4+3 = 12 total shares
So, if the Auction Fund is now in its 5th cycle, then none of the
above shares actually count towards the "All Shares" (ie. combined
shares of all participating members) to actually buy the Auction Item/Service,
however, all the shares
do still count towards J winning this round,
ie. being selected this time as the new/next recipient.
(1) Shares themselves don’t roll-over into new cycles of the
Auction Fund, but they do count towards your overall "shares"
(ie. My Shares).
(2) If you and another member both have the Top Share (ie. same amount of
shares), but they have 1 (or more) active shares/bids in the
current cycle, then they’ll be awarded the next Auction.
(3) Shares that
didn’t result in a won Auction increase your
Cash Advance approval rate as a secondary benefit
of participating in Auction Funds.