Ricardo.ch

On a Ricardo auction you can set a price limit (Preislimit) instead of bidding step by step. The system then bids for you, always one increment above the others, only as far as needed, and if you win you pay the price the auction reached, not your limit. When two bidders offer the same amount, the earlier bid leads.

Late bids do not end the game either: a bid placed in the last three minutes extends the auction to three minutes after that bid, and this repeats until three minutes pass without a new one. On BuyHub you can sort a search by ending soon or by most bids, and set an alarm on a lot, from the results or by pasting its Ricardo link, so you hear about it before it closes.

Ricardo AG belongs to SMG Swiss Marketplace Group, whose shareholders include TX Group, Ringier, Mobiliar and General Atlantic, and which also runs tutti.ch and anibis. Anyone abroad can create an account, but bidding, buying or asking a seller a question requires an activation code that Ricardo sends by post. For security reasons, registration is not possible from a list of countries that includes Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Ukraine and Russia; the United Kingdom and the United States are not on it. The delivery cost shown on a listing applies only within Switzerland, so ask the seller what shipping to your country costs before you bid.

Ricardo is one of the best-known online auction and second-hand marketplaces in Switzerland. Running since 1999 and based in Zug, it combines classic bidding with fixed-price items that can be bought straight away. Both private sellers and businesses use it, and the site is offered in three of the country’s national languages: German, French and Italian. Listing is free; sellers pay a commission only when an item sells.

Collectors will find Swiss watches, vintage electronics, antique furniture, books and memorabilia. Prices are in Swiss francs and each seller writes in their own language, so running the same search in each language widens the results. People living abroad can open an account to buy, though not to sell as private individuals; many sellers ship only within Switzerland, and parcels sent abroad may incur customs duties and import taxes.