A floor bid is a bid placed by a bidder physically present in the auction room (the “floor”). At hybrid auctions, floor bids compete with online and phone bids in real time, with the auctioneer arbitrating between them.
In some auction-house traditions, floor bids carry priority in tie situations — if a floor and online bid land at the same number, the floor bid wins. This rule exists partly because floor bidders made the effort to attend in person and partly because their bids are easier for the auctioneer to verify. Modern simulcast platforms typically state this rule explicitly in the terms.
Floor bidders bring social energy that online bidders cannot replicate. The visible competition — raised paddles, eye contact, the body language of an underbidder considering one more raise — pushes prices higher than equivalent timed online auctions of the same lots. This is one of the structural advantages live auctions retain over fully online formats. Floor bidders also tend to have stronger interpersonal relationships with auctioneers and consignors, which gives them subtle advantages: better seats near the front, faster paddle recognition, and post-sale negotiation leverage on passed lots.