Inspect. Value. Bid.

1. Inspect

   Choose which details of the lot to inspect, and look for clues. You can’t check everything, so you decide what stays unknown.

2. Valuation

   Set your own limit: the most you’re willing to pay, given what you know.

3. Bidding

   Outbid your rivals one raise at a time. When the room reaches your limit, it stops — and you decide whether to go higher or walk away.

4. Reveal

   If you buy the lot, you find out what it really was. Then you sell it straight away, list it on the market or keep it.