Terms of Service

The Bid (“we”, “us”) is operated by [OPERATOR_LEGAL_NAME], registered in Portugal under company number [OPERATOR_COMPANY_NUMBER], with its registered office at [OPERATOR_ADDRESS]. You can reach us at [OPERATOR_EMAIL].

These terms apply whenever you use thebid.live, whether you are bidding on a table or selling one.

Organisers list tables at their events with a floor price and a closing time. Bidders compete for those tables, and the highest bid when the clock stops wins.

We are a marketplace. The table itself, the event, and everything that happens at it are provided by the organiser, not by us. Your agreement about the table is with them.

This is the part most worth reading, because it differs from a normal checkout.

Placing a bid authorises a hold on your card. No money is taken at that point. A hold reduces your available balance and may appear as pending on your statement.

If you use automatic bidding, the hold is for the maximum you set — not for your current bid. We bid on your behalf in the table's minimum increments, only as high as needed to keep you in front, and never above your maximum.

If you win, you are charged the final price only. That is usually less than your maximum. The remainder of the hold is released.

If you do not win, the entire hold is released. This happens as soon as you are outbid. Your bank may take a few business days to show the released funds, which is outside our control.

A bid is binding. If you win and your card is then declined, the organiser may offer the table elsewhere, and we may restrict your account.

Bidding shares your name, email address and phone number with that event's organiser, whether or not you win, so they can contact you about the table and their future events.

If a bid is placed in the final two minutes, the closing time moves two minutes later so other bidders can respond. This can repeat up to twenty times. A table therefore may close later than its originally advertised time.

You must verify your identity and connect a payout account before you can publish an event. You are responsible for the accuracy of your listings and for honouring every table you sell.

We charge a commission on each table sold, deducted automatically before payout. Your rate is shown in your account settings. Unless agreed otherwise in writing, the standard rate is 15% of the final sale price. Payment processing fees charged by Stripe are separate.

Payouts are made by Stripe to the account you connect, on Stripe's schedule. We do not hold your funds.

Card payments and payouts are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your full card details. Using The Bid to pay or be paid also means accepting Stripe's terms, including the Stripe Connected Account Agreement if you are an organiser.

Because a table is awarded through a competitive auction, a winning bid cannot be withdrawn. If an organiser cancels an event or fails to provide a table you paid for, contact us at [OPERATOR_EMAIL] and we will help resolve it with them, including arranging a refund where appropriate.

Nothing here limits any statutory rights you have as a consumer under Portuguese or EU law.

Do not bid without intending to pay, use another person's card, attempt to manipulate a table's price, or interfere with the service. We may suspend or close accounts that do.

We provide the platform as it is. We are not liable for the quality of an event, an organiser's conduct, or losses that were not reasonably foreseeable. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including for fraud or death and personal injury caused by negligence.

We may update these terms. Material changes will be notified by email or in the app before taking effect. These terms are governed by Portuguese law, and the courts of Portugal have jurisdiction.

See also our Privacy Policy.