Bid price

In general, the bid price is a price which is offered for a commodity, service, or contract. In the context of transacting shares or exchange-traded funds on a stock exchange, the bid refers to the highest price a buyer is willing to spend for a certain security.

The bid price is contrasted with the ask price, which is the minimum amount that someone is willing to sell a security for. The ask is higher than the bid, and the difference is called the "bid-ask spread". This spread is one of the costs of transacting on stock exchanges, separate from trading commissions.

When selling shares using a market order on a stock exchange, you are expecting to get the current bid.