Bontrager Real Estate & Auction Service is a family-owned business with nearly 90 years of experience. Serving Western NY state from Pennsylvania to Central NY, we conduct over a hundred auctions every year. Our full-service real estate team can assist with buying and selling through auctions or listings.

Buying

• How To Register For Bontrager’s Online Auction: First go to bontragerauction.hibid.com. At the top of the page, click on “Login/New Bidder” under our logo. You must provide your identifying information, valid credit or debit card info, and agree to our auction terms and conditions. After your account has been created, you can start bidding.
• How To Bid: Register and bid anytime between the start and close dates. Click the “Bid” button or plus sign (+) found next to the lot you want to bid on. A screen will show the next increment you must bid, or you can enter your bid there. For items that show “x” and a number, your bid will be multiplied by the quantity of the lot. For instance, if you are bidding on lumber and the quantity is 300 square feet, your bid will be times 300.
• What Is A “Soft Close”: At the close of the auction, lots will close at the rate published (usually between 3 and 6 items per minute). Bidding within the last minute of a lot increases the bid time of that lot by 2 more minutes. It will not increase the bid time of other lots. Refresh your screen often to see the latest bidding date.
• What Is A “Max Bid”: Our auction software will bid for you up to the maximum amount you entered. You could win the item for less than your “max” if other bidders stop bidding at an amount less than your maximum. If 2 bidders leave the same “max bid”, the one who entered it first wins. The system will not automatically go to your maximum unless someone else has already entered a bid equal to or greater.
• How Will You Know If You Won? If your bid is successful after all lots have closed, the credit/debit card you registered with will automatically be charged. Payment is completed before pick-up. After you pay, you will receive an email with your receipt from Bontrager Auction. It can take a few hours after the auction closes to process all receipts before they are emailed. If you think you won but do not see an email in your Inbox after all lots have closed, please check your spam or junk email folder before contacting us at 585-343-4529 or [email protected].
• Payment: The debit or credit card on file with your Hibid.com account will automatically be charged after all auction lots have closed. We accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. In some cases, our auctioneer may approve cash or certified check/bank draft payments. Personal checks are not accepted. Buyer’s premium and sales tax are charged for all purchases- see our auction terms for more details.
• Recovering Your Username and Password: If you’ve forgotten your password, click the “Login/New Bidder” link at the top of the webpage. Next, click “Forgot Your Password?” under the password line. You will be prompted to enter the email address used with your account, and a link to reset your password will be sent to your email. If you still have difficulty logging in, please call Hibid.com at 844-775-4774.
• Preview: Many of our auctions have live preview times when you can see lots in person. These times will be posted in our auction details, along with the address.
• How To Make Arrangements To Pick Up Your Purchases: After your payment has been received, we will send you an email and text from Shipping Saint asking you to choose “pick up” or “shipping” If you are picking up, click on “pick-up”, then choose your pick-up time from the list of times available on the screen. The time, date and full address will then be shown on the screen. Please take note of that information.
• How To Make Arrangements To Have Purchases Shipped: After payment is completed, we will send you an email and text from Shipping Saint asking you to choose “pick up” or “shipping”. We will receive a notification that you have chosen “shipping”. If you have additional questions or shipping instructions, contact us at [email protected] or 585-343-4529.
• Refund Policy: Buying from an auction is different from buying at a retail store. Our terms and conditions state that bidders are buying “as-is” with no guarantees, exchanges, returns, credits, or refunds unless specifically stated by the auctioneer. While we do our best to describe items accurately, keep in mind that it is not always possible to test every item. All refunds, exchanges, credits, and returns must be requested within 7 days of the customer taking possession of the merchandise. Bontrager Real Estate & Auction Service reserves the right to refuse refund requests for any item that has left the auction site and/or may have been altered.