1. The reserve has not been met. What now?

The reserve price is the minimum price that the seller is willing to sell their property for. It is almost always confidential, but it cannot be more than 10% above the advertised guide price.

If there are bids on the property but those bids don’t meet or exceed the confidential reserve price, the seller is under no obligation to sell.

2. Open the Door to Post-Auction Offers - ‘Make an Offer’

When a property doesn’t sell on Bamboo, it’s not the end… if anything it’s a new beginning. Our ‘Make an Offer’ feature keeps interest alive by allowing buyers to submit post-auction offers (even if they didn’t bid during the live auction), giving vendors a fresh chance to close a deal.

Bamboo’s“Make an Offer” feature is designed to generate interest and secure deals both before and after your auction:

• Post‑Auction Offers: If your listing doesn’t sell in the live auction, buyers can still submit offers afterward using the same “Make an Offer” button. Accepted offers can lead to a private sale—keeping the process transparent and efficient.

Just because the reserve wasn’t met doesn’t mean the end of interest:

• It’s a risky move, but buyers sometimes hold off bidding during the auction, hoping to place an offer afterwards. Since launching the ‘Make an offer’ feature, our agents have seen an increase in the number of deals agreed through the platform.

3. Activate a Pre-Agreed Discretionary Reserve

• Set a secondary, lower reserve before the auction. Why? To maintain control over the auction and to stimulate more interest straight away.

• If bidding stalls, invoke the pre-agreed secondary reserve to revive momentum. It is wise to have these discussions with your vendors and keep them in the loop to manage expectations throughout the auction period.

4. Reassess the Pricing Strategy

Bids on properties that don’t meet the reserve often reflect the market’s true valuation:

• Agents can use bidding history to inform a possible price reduction. At Bamboo we track sales figures and can advise on reduction percentages that see sales in the next auction.

• A more competitive guide price drives interest and encourages bidding. If the pricing is right you stand a great chance of selling at auction so this must be carefully thought of.

5. Summary

There are still options if your property doesn’t sell and there are a number of steps you can take to still achieve success for your vendor. We are seeing a number of properties that do not sell first time round still achieve successful sales prices by following the steps above. Remember, our Customer Success Team is here to help you throughout the sales journey.

If you’d like help navigating these options or advice on next steps, our support team is here to assist—just reach out. And keep an eye on this space for more updates and tools coming soon!

For more information, help and advice, please reach out to your Customer Success advisor or any member of the Bamboo team.