Bid for Simbound User Licenses. Pay what you want
- Licenses in this pool
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- Bidding starts from
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Place your bid
See how the auction works
Bidders are ranked by price per license, highest first. Each rank in turn takes a slice of what is left in the pool, and how big that slice is depends on one number: the gap to the bid right below.
- gap
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(bid[i] − bid[i+1]) / bid[i+1] - How far your bid sits above the next one down. The last rank has nobody below it, so it counts as a decisive gap.
- t
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min(gap / 20%, 1) - 0 when the two bids are tied, 1 when you are decisively ahead.
- fair
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pool_left × request[i] / Σ request[i..n] - The proportional share: whatever is left of the pool, split by how much each remaining bidder asked for.
- greedy
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min(request[i], pool_left) - Everything you asked for — or the rest of the pool, if that is smaller.
- Result win[i]
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round( fair + t × (greedy − fair) )capped at request[i], and so that win[i] / request[i] ≤ win[i−1] / request[i−1] - Tied bids share the pool proportionally, a decisive lead takes the full request, and everything in between slides between the two.
That last cap is the fairness guarantee: you can never be better served, proportionally, than someone who outbid you. Ties are broken by timestamp — the earlier bid ranks higher. Allocations below 5 licenses are set to zero and cascade down, so nobody receives an unusable handful. Any licenses still unallocated after the pass are handed back out top-down to bidders who did not get their full request. You always pay your own bid, so lower ranks pay a lower price per license than the top of the board.
Bids placed this month
- Active bids
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- Licenses requested
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- Top bid
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- Demand vs Pool
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- Loading the board…
Bidders are anonymised — the amount, the number of licenses and the timestamp are public. Projected win shows allocation as it stands now; This changes with every new bid until the auction closes.
Where do I stand now?
Did you bid this month? Enter the same email to see your position and projected allocation.
Four steps, one auction every month
The board is public from the first bid to the last, so you know what it takes to win.
Place your bid
Choose how many licenses you want to bid for and the price you're willing to pay per license. The total is shown as you type.
Confirm by email
Click the link we send you. The moment you confirm and pay the entry fee, your bid joins the live board — anonymously, with its timestamp.
Watch and improve
Monitor competing bids, so you always know exactly where you stand — and improve your offer if you need to.
Check Results on the 1st of each Month
At the close we run the allocation, email you the result, and open a fresh allocation pool for next month.
#1 bid is 27% above #2, so it takes its full request of 40 licenses. The bidders below it sit within a few cents of each other, so the remaining 35 are shared out close to proportionally — never giving a lower bid a better deal than the bid above it. The pool is fully allocated in this example.
| Rank | Bid | Gap to next | Requested | Wins | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | €19.00 | 27% | 40 | 40 | €760.00 |
| #2 | €15.00 | 3% | 30 | 14 | €210.00 |
| #3 | €14.60 | 1% | 25 | 9 | €131.40 |
| #4 | €14.50 | 45% | 20 | 7 | €101.50 |
| #5 | €10.00 | — | 15 | 5 | €50.00 |
Everything that governs this month's pool
Set before bidding opens and unchanged until the auction closes. Simbound makes a new pool availalable at the start of every month.
- Auction period — 1 calendar month. Opens 1st, closes last day at 23:59 UTC.
- Minimum bid — €10.00 per license.
- Bid size — 10–50 licenses per bid.
- Validation — a bid is registered only after the confirmation link is clicked.
- Entry fee — €5.00, one-time per bidder per month. Non-refundable.
- Results — every bidder is emailed at the close. Winners get a payment link and invoice after the close, for won licenses only.
- Price paid — pay-your-bid: winners pay their own bid × licenses received.
- Pool size — 75 licenses this round (Simbound sets about 50–100 each month).
- Bids per person — up to 2 bids per email/month; Only the highest confirmed bid is ranked. Second bid cannot be lower than the first.
- Payment for Second Bid — only the €5.00 entry fee is taken when your first bid is confirmed.
Questions
before you bid
Anything else, and the team answers within one working day.
Why do I have to confirm by email?
A bid only becomes active after you click the confirmation link we email you and you pay the entry fee. That keeps the board free of fake bids and makes sure we can reach you with the result at the end of the month.
I already have a Simbound account — do I need a new one?
No. If the email you bid with already is tied to a Simbound account, the bid is attached to that account automatically. If it does not, the confirmation email also lets you open an instructor account so any licenses you win can be delivered instantly.
What if I win fewer licenses than I asked for?
You pay only for the licenses you actually receive, at your own bid price. Allocations never go below 5 licenses — if the allocation would issue you less than that, the licenses then cascade to the next bidder instead and you pay nothing.
Are other bidders able to see who I am?
No. The live board shows only an anonymous reference, the amount bid per license, the number of licenses requested and the timestamp. Your email is never displayed.
What happens if a winner doesn't pay in time?
Winners have 5 calendar days from receiving the payment link to complete payment via Stripe. If payment isn't completed within that window, the unpaid licenses are released and offered to the next bidder in line, following the same allocation order. A reminder email is sent 48 hours before the payment deadline.
What happens when my licenses expire?
Licenses won through the auction are valid for 6 months from the date you're confirmed as a winner. We'll email you 2 weeks before expiry as a heads-up. Unused licenses expire automatically at the end of that period and aren't automatically renewed — but you're always welcome to bid again.
Can I use my existing licenses together with licenses won through the auction?
Yes, existing licenses can be used alongside licenses won through the auction. Please keep track of the expiration date of each batch.
The board is open. Name your price.
Bidding starts at €10.00 per license, plus a one-time €5.00 entry fee, and closes at the end of the month. It takes 30 seconds to enter.