# Telegram gift auctions How bids in Stars work, how winners are decided and what happens to a losing bid. https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/gift-auctions Updated 2026-10-02 · 5 min read Since November 2025, new Telegram gifts are built around auctions: you bid in Stars, gifts go round by round to the highest bids, and the other bids carry over to the next round and are refunded at the end. Your place in the auction sets your gift's number. Below is how it works according to Telegram itself, and how to place a bid. ## How gift auctions work The rules, from the [Telegram blog](https://telegram.org/blog/live-stories-gift-auctions): - New gift releases run through auctions: bids are made in Stars and go over several rounds. - Your place decides the gift's unique number: the top bidder in round 1 gets gift #1, second place gets #2, and so on. - At the end of each round the top bidders each receive a gift, while the lower bids automatically carry over to the next round. - Once all the gifts have been awarded, any remaining bids are refunded automatically. - You can take part more than once to win several gifts, and you can raise your bid at any time. - The bid screen shows how many Stars you need to bid to win in the current round. ## Where to find auctions Gifts for sale, per Telegram, are under Settings → Send a Gift. Gifts sold by auction carry an "Auction" banner, and each has its own `t.me/auction` link. If you do not see the banner or the section, update your app: [how to update Telegram](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/update-telegram). ## How to place a bid 1. Open the gift shop and find a gift with the "Auction" banner. 2. Open the auction and check how many Stars you need to win the current round. 3. Enter your bid and confirm the payment in Stars. You choose the recipient when you bid. 4. If you are outbid, raise your bid: you can do it at any time. Button names and their order depend on your app version. A gift sold through an auction cannot be bought the ordinary way: Telegram's documentation says such gifts go through the separate auction system ([Telegram Gifts](https://core.telegram.org/api/gifts)). ## What else Telegram's documentation says Technical details are on the page [Collectible gift auctions](https://core.telegram.org/api/auctions): - **The currency is Stars.** Every auction has a minimum bid. If you have already bid, your own minimum may be different. - **Equal bids.** If two bids are the same, the one made earlier ranks higher. - **Round extension.** In some rounds, if the top places change near the end, the round is extended by a few seconds. - **The recipient.** It is set when you bid and cannot be changed on a bid you have already made. - **Hiding your name.** You can hide your name if the recipient shows the gift publicly, but they will still see that the gift is from you. - **Results.** When an auction ends, Telegram shows final statistics, including the average price and the number of resales on Telegram and on Fragment. ## What happens to your bid A bid that does not make the top of a round carries over to the next one by itself. After all the gifts have been awarded, any remaining bids are refunded automatically. You do not need to tap anything. ## Fragment auctions are a different thing [Fragment](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/fragment) has auctions too, but for other items: collectible usernames and anonymous numbers, with bids placed from a crypto wallet. How that works is in [how to buy a Telegram username on Fragment](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/buy-telegram-username). Selling an NFT gift you already own, including by auction, is a separate topic: [how to sell an NFT gift](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/sell-nft-gift). ## Stars for your bid Bids are made in Stars, and they must be on your account. If you are short, you can buy Stars in the Shiba Bank bot for your own account, from 50 Stars. For how new gifts come out and where to see every gift, read [new gifts on Telegram](https://shiba-bank.com/en/guides/new-telegram-gifts). [Buy Stars — Open the app](https://t.me/barboskich_stars_bot?startapp=site_ai_en_buy) ## Frequently asked questions ### How do Telegram gift auctions work? New gifts go round by round to the highest bids in Stars. Bids that lose carry over to the next round, and once all gifts are awarded, any remaining bids are refunded. ### How do I bid on a gift on Telegram? Open the gift shop, find a gift with the "Auction" banner, check how many Stars you need to win the round, enter your bid and confirm the payment in Stars. ### What happens if someone outbids me? A bid that does not make the top of a round carries over to the next round automatically. You can raise it at any time. ### Do I get my Stars back if I do not win? Yes. Telegram says that once all gifts are awarded, any remaining bids are refunded automatically. ### Can I win more than one gift? Yes, you can take part in an auction more than once and win several gifts. ### How is a gift auction different from a Fragment auction? Telegram gifts are won with Stars, round by round. Fragment auctions are for usernames and numbers, with bids placed from a crypto wallet.