place_bid
Set a proxy bid ceiling on an eBay auction; your bid automatically increases up to the specified maximum to outbid competitors.
Instructions
Place a proxy bid on an eBay auction.
Trading API PlaceOffer with Action=Bid. eBay treats max_bid_amount as a proxy ceiling — it bids the minimum needed to outbid the current high bidder, and continues raising up to max_bid_amount as competing bids come in.
PRODUCTION HOST WARNING: when the active host is "production", a successful call commits real money on eBay. Inspect server_info() or list_hosts() before committing.
Args:
item_id: numeric eBay item ID. Get from search() or get_item().
max_bid_amount: the proxy bid ceiling in currency. Must be > 0.
confirm_amount: must equal max_bid_amount exactly. The repeated
dollar amount is a safety gate against typos.
quantity: number of units (default 1; only relevant for
multi-quantity auctions).
currency: ISO currency code matching the listing (default "USD").
Must match the listing's currency or eBay refuses.
max_bid_override: optional ceiling that authorizes amounts above
the $500 per-call safety cap. Pass a value >= max_bid_amount
to bypass the cap for this call. Lower values are refused.
host: configured host name. Defaults to default_host. The active
host (sandbox vs production) is surfaced in the response.
Returns: On success: dict with host, item_id, action="Bid", amount, currency, placed=True, current_price, minimum_to_outbid, high_bidder, and (on production) a warning field. On safety-gate failure: structured refusal payload (refused=True, reason, message, plus the offending values). Raises ValueError on empty item_id, non-positive amounts, etc. On eBay-side errors (listing ended, currency mismatch, insufficient bid, etc.) raises TradingApiError.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| item_id | Yes | ||
| max_bid_amount | Yes | ||
| confirm_amount | Yes | ||
| quantity | No | ||
| currency | No | USD | |
| max_bid_override | No | ||
| host | No |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
No arguments | |||