Troubleshooting auction bids for advertisers

This page covers every problem and surprise in a prime-slot auction: browsing, placing a bid, buying a slot outright, and what happens after you bid. Find the message you see, or the thing that is not working, under the task you were doing.

A refused bid never holds money. When a bid loses, the amount held for it comes back to your wallet in full. For problems with the booking a won auction creates, see Troubleshooting advertiser campaigns and disputes.

Browsing auctions

These are the messages you can meet on the Auctions page before you bid: empty lists, filters, and what a card shows around its closing time.

"No live auctions right now"

• Where you see it: The Auctions page, on the Live auctions tab, with the line "Prime slots are released regularly — check back soon." and a Browse the marketplace button.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: No channel owner has an auction open at the moment. Nothing is wrong with your account.
• How to fix it: Check back later, or press Browse the marketplace to book a slot at its listed price.

"Nothing matches these filters"

• Where you see it: The Auctions page, on the Live auctions tab, with the line "There are auctions running — just none that fit. Widen the search to see them."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: A collection, your search or a filter leaves out every auction that is open.
• How to fix it: Press Clear filters. Then narrow the list again one setting at a time.

"No bids yet"

• Where you see it: The Auctions page, on the My bids tab, under the header "You have no active bids", with the line "Prime slots go live regularly — the highest bid wins the slot."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: This account has not bid in any auction. The tab lists only auctions you have bid on, live or finished.
• How to fix it: Press See all auctions to return to the live list. If you expected a bid here, check that you are signed in to the account you bid from.

"We couldn’t load the auctions just now"

• Where you see it: The Auctions page, in place of the cards, with the line "Your bids and holds are unchanged. Try again in a moment." and a Retry button.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The page could not load the list, usually because of a weak connection. Only the display failed.
• How to fix it: Check your connection and press Retry. Your bids and the money held for them are exactly as they were.

"No placements to filter by yet."

• Where you see it: The Auctions page, inside the Filters panel, where the Placement choices normally appear.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: No auction is loaded, so there are no placement formats to offer as choices.
• How to fix it: Use the price and audience fields instead, or clear your filters and open the panel again once auctions are listed.

"Closing — settling to the highest bid"

• Where you see it: An auction card whose countdown has reached zero. The clock first reads "Closing…" and "Checking the final bid…", then the card shows the status SETTLING with this note.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Bidding is over and the result is being worked out. A bid in the final moments may also have extended the clock, which is why the card checks once more.
• How to fix it: Wait. Your bid stays held until the result is final. The card then reads SOLD, UNSOLD or WITHDRAWN, and a notice tells you the outcome.

"Channel-owner accounts sell slots, they don’t bid"

• Where you see it: An auction card, in place of the Bid button. An account that has not chosen a side sees "Choose how you’ll use the marketplace to bid" instead.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Only advertiser accounts can bid. A channel-owner account sells slots, and the side an account chose is permanent.
• How to fix it: Bid from an advertiser account. Working the other side takes a separate account. If you have not chosen a side yet, choose it on the Paid Promotions Overview page, then come back.

The countdown on an auction got longer

• Where you see it: An auction card, where Ends in shows more time than it did a moment ago. If the bid was yours, the confirmation adds "The clock extended to the new time UTC because the bid landed in the closing minutes."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: A bid in the final moments extends the clock, so that nobody can take a slot at the last second. The extension has an end: the auction cannot run past the limit set when it opened.
• How to fix it: Nothing needs fixing. If you are outbid, you have the extra time to bid again.

Placing a bid

These problems appear after you press Bid on a card and fill in the form. A bid that is refused holds nothing from your wallet.

Lite plan · Advertiser The bid form, where most of the messages in this group appear. 1 Your bid, which must be at least the minimum shown beside it. 2 Ad post you'd run if you win: a bid needs one. 3 The line that says auto-bid is not available on this account. 4 The note that the amount is held the moment you bid. 5 The slide-in card that names the plan with auto-bid and offers See plans. On Elite and above, mark 3 is the Auto-bid up to field.

"Write an ad post first — a bid without a creative can't be settled if you win."

• Where you see it: The bid form, in place of the Ad post you'd run if you win list, with a Create one link. Place bid is greyed out.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: You have no saved ad post. If you win, the slot is booked with the ad post attached to your bid, so a bid cannot be placed without one.
• How to fix it: Follow Create one, write and save an ad post on the booking page, then return to the auction and bid. See Booking a paid placement.

"Choose the ad post you'd run if you win."

• Where you see it: The bid form, after pressing Place bid. A longer wording adds "a bid without a creative can't be settled."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: No ad post is selected in Ad post you'd run if you win.
• How to fix it: Pick an ad post in the list and press Place bid again.

"The next bid is the amount shown or more."

• Where you see it: The bid form, after pressing Place bid.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Your amount is under the current minimum. Usually someone else bid while your form was open, which raised the minimum.
• How to fix it: The card refreshes with the new minimum beside Your bid. Enter that amount or more and press Place bid again.

"That's at or above the cap amount cap — use Buy now to take the slot outright."

• Where you see it: The bid form, after pressing Place bid on an auction that shows a Cap badge. Other wordings are "That's at or above the instant-buy price — take the slot outright instead of bidding." and "Use Buy now to take this slot."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The owner set a price at which the slot sells at once. A bid has to stay below it.
• How to fix it: Bid less than the cap, or press Buy now to pay the cap and take the slot.

"Bidding has reached the cap — buying outright is the only way to take this slot now."

• Where you see it: An auction card that offers only Buy now, with no Bid button.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The next valid bid would reach the owner's cap, so there is nothing left to bid.
• How to fix it: Press Buy now if you want the slot at that price. Otherwise leave it: you are not committed to anything.

"Auto-bid max must be at least your bid."

• Where you see it: The bid form, after pressing Place bid with Auto-bid up to filled in. Another wording is "Your maximum has to be at least your bid."
• Plans affected: Elite and above.
• Why it happens: The maximum you entered is lower than the bid itself.
• How to fix it: Raise Auto-bid up to to your bid or more, or clear the field to bid by hand.

"Auto-bid, which holds your lead through the closing minutes, is not available on this account."

• Where you see it: The bid form, where Auto-bid up to would be. Pressing the line opens a card titled "Auto-bid" that names the plan which includes it, with a See plans button. If the feature is refused another way, the message is "Automatic (proxy) bidding is a paid feature." The card's own line is "Elite and above can set a maximum and hold the lead automatically."
• Plans affected: Free, Lite and Plus.
• Why it happens: Auto-bid is part of Elite and above. Bidding by hand works in full on every plan.
• How to fix it: Place your bid without it and raise it yourself if you are outbid. To use auto-bid, press See plans and move to Elite or above. See What each plan gives advertisers.

"You've used all your plan's limit placements on your plan this month, so a slot won now couldn't be booked. Your allowance resets at the start of next month."

• Where you see it: After pressing Place bid or Buy now, together with a slide-in card that names a plan with a larger allowance.
• Plans affected: Free, Lite, Plus, Elite and Master. Ultimate has no monthly limit.
• Why it happens: A won slot becomes a booking, and you have already used this calendar month's placements.
• How to fix it: Bid once the new month starts, or press See plans on the card to move to a plan with more placements.

"A bid holds the amount from your wallet until you're outbid, and your balance doesn't cover it."

• Where you see it: The bid form, after pressing Place bid, with an Open wallet action. A shorter wording is "Not enough balance — top up your wallet to bid."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Your wallet cannot cover the bid. When you raise a bid you already hold, it cannot cover the difference.
• How to fix it: Press Open wallet, add funds, then bid again. An earlier bid of yours on the same auction is unchanged.

"Run the compliance check for the channel before bidding — it screens your post against that channel's rules."

• Where you see it: The bid form or the buy-now form, which stays open, with a Run the check link. If the check found a problem, the line reads "The compliance check flagged your post for the channel:" followed by the reason and "Edit the post and run the check again."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The ad post has not passed the compliance check for this channel, or it was edited after it passed.
• How to fix it:
  1. Press Run the check. The booking page opens for this channel and format.
  2. Run the compliance check there. If it names a problem, edit the post and run it again.
  3. Return to the auction and bid.

"That saved ad post couldn’t be found."

• Where you see it: The bid form or the buy-now form, after pressing Place bid or Buy for.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The ad post you selected was deleted after the page loaded.
• How to fix it: Reload the page and pick another ad post. Nothing was held.

"That auction has closed."

• Where you see it: The bid form or the buy-now form. If the auction was removed, the wording is "That auction no longer exists."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The countdown ended, or the auction was removed, while your form was open.
• How to fix it: Open My bids to see the result of any bid you had already placed. This attempt held nothing.

"You can't bid on your own auction."

• Where you see it: The bid form, after pressing Place bid. The buy-now form says "You can't buy your own slot." A related refusal reads "This account is linked to the channel owner running the auction, so it can't bid on it. Bidding up your own slot isn't allowed even from a second account."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: An auction's owner may not bid on it or buy it, and neither may an account connected to that owner. Raising the price of your own slot is not allowed.
• How to fix it: You cannot bid on or buy your own slot. If the two accounts have nothing to do with each other, contact support and quote the auction reference shown on the card.

"Enter your bid."

• Where you see it: The bid form, after pressing Place bid. Two related messages are "That bid is above the marketplace maximum." and "That maximum is above the marketplace maximum."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The amount is empty or zero, or it is far larger than any slot sells for.
• How to fix it: Enter a realistic amount, at or above the minimum shown beside Your bid, and press Place bid again.

"Auctions are paused for a short while. Nothing has been charged, and bids already placed are kept. Please try again a little later."

• Where you see it: After pressing Place bid.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Our team has paused bidding for a short time.
• How to fix it: Try again later. Bids you placed earlier stay in place, and nothing was charged for this attempt.

"Too many attempts. Please wait a minute and try again."

• Where you see it: After pressing Place bid or Buy for many times in a short period.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The same action was repeated too many times in a short period.
• How to fix it: Wait, then try once. If the message returns, wait longer before the next attempt. Nothing was held by the refused attempts.

"Couldn't place that bid — someone may have just raised it."

• Where you see it: The bid form, after pressing Place bid. The card then reloads.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The bid did not get a clear answer. Most often another bid arrived at the same moment, or your connection dropped.
• How to fix it: Read the refreshed card. "You're winning" with your amount means the bid went through. If the card does not say that, bid again at the minimum now shown.

"Your amount bid was placed and immediately beaten by someone's automatic bid. Your funds have been released — bid the amount shown or more to take the lead."

• Where you see it: The bid form, straight after pressing Place bid, with a slide-in card titled "Beaten by an automatic bid", "Set an automatic max next time" or "Your automatic max was passed".
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Another bidder had already set a higher maximum, which answered your bid at once. When two maximums are equal, the one set first leads. Nobody's maximum is ever shown.
• How to fix it: Nothing is held from you. Bid the amount the message names or more. On Elite and above, set or raise Auto-bid up to so your lead is defended for you.

A short message says the action did not go through

• Where you see it: The Auctions page, as a brief line after pressing a button. Examples: "Run the compliance check first." and "Unknown auction."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The page was out of date, a button was pressed twice, or we could not complete the action at that moment.
• How to fix it: Reload the page and try once more. Nothing was charged. Then check the card and your wallet before trying a third time.

Your account cannot bid

These messages are about your account, not about one auction. They stop a new bid or purchase. Bookings you already have continue as normal.

"Your reliability is your score/10 — Paid Promotions needs at least the required score/10 to bid."

• Where you see it: After pressing Place bid or Buy now. A longer wording begins "Paid Promotions needs a reliability score of at least" and points to your reliability page.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Your reliability score is under the score Paid Promotions requires. The message names both figures.
• How to fix it: Open your reliability page to see what lowered the score. Let your current campaigns finish cleanly, because a clean period raises the score again. If an entry looks wrong, appeal it there. See Your reliability as an advertiser.

"Your account is under review while an open fraud concern is resolved. You can finish anything already in progress, but can't start a new deal until it's cleared — see your reliability page."

• Where you see it: After pressing Place bid or Buy now.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: A fraud concern about this account is open and our team is reviewing it. New deals wait for the decision.
• How to fix it: Wait for the decision and answer any request from our team. Anything already in progress carries on. If you believe the review is a mistake, contact support with the reference of the booking it concerns.

"Paid Promotions is paused on this account until the date after a rule break. You can see why, and appeal, on your reliability page."

• Where you see it: After pressing Place bid or Buy now. The date and time are in UTC.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: A decision about a broken campaign rule paused this account in Paid Promotions until the date shown.
• How to fix it: Open your reliability page and read the decision under Decisions about your campaigns. If it is wrong, appeal it there. Otherwise bidding opens again after the date in the message.

"This account can't start new deals right now."

• Where you see it: After pressing Place bid or Buy now.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The account itself is suspended or closed, so it cannot start a bid, a purchase or a booking.
• How to fix it: Contact support and include your account ID, which is on your Account page. Nothing was held. See Your Onflow Ads IDs.

"Your wallet is the amount overdrawn. Top up to clear it and your account unlocks — every credit, including anything you earn, comes straight off the balance first."

• Where you see it: After pressing Place bid or Buy now. If the wallet has been overdrawn for some time, the wording changes but asks for the same thing.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Your wallet balance is below zero, and new bids wait until it is cleared.
• How to fix it: Add funds to cover the overdrawn amount plus your bid, then bid again. See Clearing an overdrawn wallet.

"This is a channel-owner account, so it can sell slots but not book them. Booking is for advertiser accounts."

• Where you see it: After a buy action reached from an old page or a saved link. An account with no side chosen sees "Choose how you want to use the marketplace before booking."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Bidding and buying are for advertiser accounts only, and the side an account chose is permanent.
• How to fix it: Use an advertiser account. Working the other side takes a separate account. If you have not chosen a side, choose it on the Paid Promotions Overview page first.

Buying a slot outright

These problems appear after you press Buy now on an auction with a Cap badge. You are charged only when the purchase is confirmed.

"Write an ad post first — we need a creative to publish."

• Where you see it: The buy-now form, with a Create one link and a Back button.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: You have no saved ad post, and the slot is booked with the ad post you choose here.
• How to fix it: Follow Create one, save an ad post on the booking page, then return and press Buy now again while the auction is still open.

"Choose the ad post you would run."

• Where you see it: The buy-now form, after pressing Buy for. A longer wording is "Choose the ad post you'd run — a purchase without a creative can't be delivered."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: No ad post is selected in Ad post to run.
• How to fix it: Select an ad post, then press Buy for again.

The button went back from "Tap again to pay" to "Buy for"

• Where you see it: The buy-now form. After the first press the button reads "Tap again to pay" with the price; a few seconds later it reads Buy for with the price again.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Buying outright asks for two presses, so that a slip cannot spend your money. The second press did not come soon enough.
• How to fix it: Press Buy for, then press the same button again straight away. Nothing was charged by the first attempt.

"Buying the slot outright takes the amount from your wallet now, and your balance doesn't cover it."

• Where you see it: The buy-now form, with an Open wallet action. A shorter wording is "Not enough balance — top up your wallet first."
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Your wallet balance is lower than the cap.
• How to fix it: Press Open wallet and add funds. Then buy again while the auction is still open. It carries on in the meantime, so another advertiser can still take the slot.

"This auction has no instant-buy price — place a bid instead."

• Where you see it: After pressing Buy now on a page that was out of date.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The owner did not set a cap on this auction, so it can only be won by bidding.
• How to fix it: Reload the page and press Bid on the card.

"Bidding has already passed the instant-buy price — outbid the leader instead."

• Where you see it: After pressing Buy for.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The top bid reached the cap before your purchase arrived, so the slot can no longer be bought at that price.
• How to fix it: Reload the page. If the auction is still open, place a bid. Nothing was charged.

"The slot couldn't be booked, so the purchase didn't go through — the amount is back in your wallet. Check your notifications for the reason."

• Where you see it: After pressing Buy for and confirming.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The purchase was accepted, but the booking was refused at once. For example, the ad post or the slot no longer qualified. The amount was held and returned, and the auction ended without a sale.
• How to fix it: Open the notice titled "Your winning bid could not be booked" and read the reason. Fix what it names, then book the channel at its listed price from the marketplace.

"Could not complete that — the auction may have moved on."

• Where you see it: The buy-now form, after confirming. The card then reloads.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The purchase did not get a clear answer, often because the auction changed at the same moment or your connection dropped.
• How to fix it: Read the refreshed card and check your wallet. If the auction is still open and nothing was taken, press Buy now again.

"New bookings are paused for a short while. Nothing has been charged. Please try again a little later."

• Where you see it: After pressing Buy for.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Our team has paused new bookings for a short time, and buying outright creates a booking.
• How to fix it: Try again later. The auction itself is not affected by your attempt.

After you bid

These are the outcomes that surprise bidders. Each notice arrives in the site bell. It is also sent by email, and to Telegram if you have started the bot, unless you have switched that kind of notice off.

"Outbid · your amount"

• Where you see it: The auction card on Live auctions and My bids, and the notice "You have been outbid in the auction".
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Another advertiser bid more than you.
• How to fix it: The amount held for your bid was released back to your wallet straight away. If you still want the slot, bid higher before the countdown ends.

"Bought outright · held until date UTC · your amount"

• Where you see it: The auction card, and the notice "The slot you were bidding on has been bought outright".
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Another advertiser paid the owner's cap, which ended the auction. Your bid did not win.
• How to fix it: You do not need to do anything. Your money stays held until the date on the card, then returns to your wallet in full. Plan your other bookings around that date. A second notice confirms when the amount is back.

"Didn’t sell · your bid returned · amount"

• Where you see it: The auction card after it ends, and the notice "An auction closed without a sale". While the auction was live, the card showed the badge "Reserve not met".
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The owner set a minimum price that is not shown, and the top bid stayed under it. The slot was not sold and your held amount was released in full.
• How to fix it: In a live auction, bid higher until the badge reads "Reserve met". After it ends, book the channel at its listed price from the marketplace.

"Withdrawn by the owner · your bid returned · amount"

• Where you see it: The auction card, with the status WITHDRAWN, and the notice "An auction you were bidding on was withdrawn". The notice reads "The channel owner has pulled the advertising slot on the channel off the market, so the auction has ended without a sale. The full amount that was being held from your wallet for your bid has been returned to you." It quotes the owner's reason when one was given.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The channel owner took the slot off the market before the auction ended.
• How to fix it: Nothing needs doing. The full amount held for your bid is back in your wallet. The channel may still be bookable at its listed price.

"You won an auction but the ad post was missing"

• Where you see it: A notice after the auction ends.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: The saved ad post attached to your winning bid was deleted before the auction closed. There was nothing to publish, so no booking was made and the slot went unsold.
• How to fix it: The full amount held is back in your wallet. Book the channel at its listed price if you still want it. Next time, keep an ad post until every auction it is attached to has ended.

"Your winning bid could not be booked"

• Where you see it: A notice after the auction ends. It says the booking was refused and gives the reason, or says the slot became unavailable before the auction finished.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Your bid won, but the booking could not be made. The channel may have become unavailable, or the ad post no longer passes that channel's rules.
• How to fix it: The full amount held is back in your wallet. Fix what the reason names, then book the channel at its listed price. See Troubleshooting advertiser booking and checkout.

"A booking expired & was refunded"

• Where you see it: A notice, some time after "You won the auction". On the Campaigns page the booking no longer waits for the owner.
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: A won slot is booked as an ordinary order, and the owner must still accept it. The owner did not answer in time.
• How to fix it: You are refunded in full. The refund is non-withdrawable balance: you can spend it anywhere on the platform, but you cannot cash it out. Book another channel. See Where a refund lands in your wallet.

"Your auction bid hold is back"

• Where you see it: A notice. A related notice is titled "An auction hold has been returned to you".
• Plans affected: Every plan.
• Why it happens: Another advertiser's outright purchase fell through, so your held bid came back earlier than the date you were given. The second notice means an amount still held for an auction that had ended was found and returned.
• How to fix it: Nothing needs doing: the money is in your wallet in full. If the amount looks wrong, contact support and quote the auction reference from the notice.

Still stuck?

If none of the cards matches, contact support. The fastest way is https://onflowads.com/support, which opens the support chat whether you are signed in or not. Include:

• what you were doing, for example bidding, buying outright or waiting for a result
• the exact message, copied or as a picture of the screen
• the reference shown on the auction card, or on the order if you won
• the time it happened

Help and support overview lists every way to reach us.

Related

• Bidding in prime-slot auctions
• Troubleshooting advertiser booking and checkout
• Your reliability as an advertiser
• Escrow and buyer protection
• Adding funds to your wallet
• Help and support overview