The following is our official recommendation. No one will receive a forum or account penalty if they choose a different way to run their auction.

To start, we highly recommend players make use of the Crossroads for their auctions.

This has several benefits. By using the Crossroads, the auctioneer will be able to see the currency (or item) being submitted as a bid. Inversely, it means the bidding player is not and will not be out any currency (or item) until the trade is fully completed. The swap is secure and assured. Utilizing the Crossroads means that both parties are safely using a supported feature that is visible to all parties as well as the Flight Rising staff.

Simply put: it is not possible to exploit bidders using the Crossroads; the goods will need to exist in the trade in order for it to complete successfully and payment to be taken.

An additional benefit is if the auction is run silently through the Crossroads only, the auctioneer is able to reject any bid from a player they do not wish to do business with (simply cancel the trade).

Crossroads does not pull items from the Vault, and only sends items or currency that a player currently has actively available in the Hoard. If someone is attempting to gain currency or items through a bad faith auction, the Crossroads trade will fail and the bidding player or the auctioneer will not be out any funds or items.


The Bidder

1. Initiate a Crossroads trade with the player running the auction.
2. Enter your bid, specify in the trade details chat what you're bidding on, and send the trade notification.
3. You can cancel your bid at any time.
4. If you wish to change your bid, cancel the trade and create a new one.
5. If you win, you will confirm the trade once the auctioneer has added the auction prize(s) to the trade.

The Auctioneer

1. After you post your thread with the starting bid, brace yourself for incoming Crossroads trades.
2. Update your thread, and/or communicate with your bidders via the trade details chat when the bid increases.
3. Complete the trade with the winning player using their Crossroads trade with their current bid.

'Silent' Auctions

For player-run auctions on Flight Rising, silent auctions are ones where bidding is done solely through Crossroads.

1. Bidders subscribe to the thread but do not post indicating their participation, or at the very least, their bids.
2. The auctioneer updates the thread with the current high bid.
3. Bidders cancel and submit new trades accordingly if they wish to remain in the running.
4. The auctioneer eventually announces the winner, accepts the winning trade, and cancels all others.

This method fully allows bidding player privacy. It also provides protection for the auctioneer. If you do not wish to do business with another player, simply reject the trade. While we consider it a courtesy to politely notify the other player you do not wish to do business with them, it is not mandatory.

We strongly encourage any player bidding on an auction to insist on the above guidelines.