Bidding systems Bidding systems refer to auction - style variable pricing in DKP loot distribution systems . As in real life , there is an arbitrary number of methods to conduct an auction . The most popular are : Basic Systems . Open Bidding . On loot distribution , everybody writes their bids in the open raid channel . The loot master functions as auctioneer . The highest bidder gets the item and loses the amount of DKP he bid . Silent Bidding . When an item is due to be distributed , everyone interested whispers their bid to the loot master . The highest bidder wins the item for the amount bid . Variations . Spend one more . The winner pays not the amount he bid , but just one more than the second highest bidder . Tier bidding . Bidding amounts are in set tiers , e . g . in multiples of 10 ; players bid at tiers , up to the DKP they possess ( or in some cases , the next tier up , resulting in some players have small negative amounts of DKP ) . Maximum bid . Items may have a static maximum bid value ; players may bid no more than this amount , no matter how many DKP they possess . Minimum bid . Items may have a static minimum bid value ; the winner MUST spend at least this much , even if they are the only bidder on an item . Class restrictions . Only high priority classes may be allowed to bid on an item , versus any player who can equip an item . This may be used to prevent situations where an individual member of a class values an item more highly ( and has more points to bid ) than members of a class for whom the item is more traditionally valuable . For example : a Paladin bidding on Drake Fang Talisman and outbidding Rogue s who may get more benefit . Class restrictions ( or priorities ) are traditionally hotly debated . Advantages . The subjective value of a drop is not fixed . The same item may be a valued upgrade for one raid member , and a minor sidegrade for another . In an homogenous and fair environment , bidding leads to the best possible item pricing and item distribution . Since everyone is free to bid as much as they can ( up to their current DKP score ) , it ' s not automatically the person with the highest score who gets the item , if someone with a lesser amount is willing to spend more , he will get it . So items normally go to the raid members who value them most , for whom they are the greatest upgrades . On the other end , even small up - or sidegrades will be distributed and not disenchanted . Disadvantages . Since bidding is a free market , it introduces all problems of a free market . Most problems associated with bidding revolve around finding the right price , and therefore are systematically inherent . The system ' s balance is always disturbed if an item is sold either too cheap or too expensive . Playing the System . Bidding systems not only reward contribution to the guilds goals , but also reward " playing " the bidding system well . In order to gain maximum profit it is necessary to " read " the situation , and to correctly assess when an item starts to become cheap ( or whether it will remain rare / expensive for quite some time ) . This may actually develop into a meta - game with a strong luck factor . The DKP Gap and Collusion . See the extensive discussion in the Loot system article . Lowballing . A player may get away with an item for a very low price , because every other player on that raid didn ' t want or need it , even though other players in the system ( but not in the raid ) would have bid much higher . Draining . Sometimes , one or more players enter a bidding contest with a specific player just to push the price of an item up , and thus drain the point pool of the player in question , ensuring that this player has to stay out of later bidding contests .