A method and apparatus are provided for conducting an integrated auction
that incorporates various features of traditional and online auctions.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the integrated auction
includes a live, in-person auction component and an online bidding
environment component. Bidding information associated with an item in the
online bidding environment is updated to reflect a current bid associated
with the item in the live, in-person auction. During the live, in-person
auction, a bid is accepted from an online bidder in the online
environment that reflects a maximum price the online bidder is willing to
pay for the item. Subsequently, the system bids on behalf of the online
bidder against one or more live bidders that are participating in the
live, in-person auction based upon the maximum price.