Both Auctions (Timed and Webcast) and Items (Lots, Listings, Webcast Lots etc.) use Statuses to denote:
- What phase that Auction or Item is up to,
- If they are visible, and
- If they are biddable/purchasable.
In this guide, we’ll break down each of the different Auction and Item statuses by phase, visibility and interactability.
Auction Statuses
Auctions follow a set workflow of statuses:
Preview > Live > Reconciliation > Archived
Draft and Preview status
After creating a new auction, filling out all required fields and clicking the Save Auction button, your Auction can land in one of two statuses:
- Draft status (If “As Draft” is ticked, not recommended)
- Preview status
Whilst in Preview status, your Auction is hidden from your Portal and fully editable.
To move your Auction from Preview to Live status, on the View Auctions page click on the Actions dropdown and click Approve:
Live status
Once Approved, your Auctions will move from Preview to Live status and, if at least one Item is also Approved to Live status, will now appear on your Portal.
Whilst in Live status, an Auction can be:
- Edited
- Hidden
Timed Auctions remain in Live status until the auction concludes and all Items move past the End Time. Once fully closed, a Timed Auction can be moved from Live to Reconciliation status.
Webcast Auctions also remain in Live status, but whilst in Live status, Webcasts are divided into two distinct phases:
- The Pre-Bidding Phase
- The Live Bidding Phase
The transition from Pre-Bidding phase to Live Bidding phase is controlled by the Webcast Start Date that you set when creating a new Webcast Auction.
Reconciliation status
Once Reconciled, your Auctions will move from Live to Reconciliation status and, if enabled for your Portal, will appear in the Past Auctions menu on your Portal:
Whilst in Reconciliation status, you can:
- Generate Invoices using the in-Dashboard Invoicing menu
- Export Auction results
- Use the Xero Compatibility module for Xero Invoicing
However, once in Reconciliation status your Auction cannot be returned to Live status. Reconciliation is final. Reconciled Auctions (and the Items within them) cannot be edited or moved to a previous status.
Once you have completed all post-Auction Invoicing, your Auction can then be moved from Reconciliation to Archived status.
Archived status
Once Archived, your Auctions will remain available in the Past Auctions menu on your Portal, but all Invoicing options will now be locked.
Auction results can still be exported at any time and all Invoicing Reports will remain available, but no further changes can be made to this Auction. Like Reconciliation, Archiving is final.
Item Statuses
Items follow a set workflow of statuses:
Ghost > Preview > Draft (Optional) > Live > Suspended > Withdrawn > Closed > Reconciled > Archived
Ghost status
Items will appear in Ghost status after they have either been imported via CSV or created inside the Dashboard itself.
Whilst in Ghost status, your Items are fully editable but:
- Hidden from your Portal
- Unavailable for Media Attachment (Bulk Upload Images, Bulk Edit Attachments, VendorPlus Photoapp etc.)
To move your Items from Ghost to Preview status, ensure all required fields are filled in, select your Items in the New Items menu, then click the Convert button at the top-left of the menu:
Your Items will be transferred from the New Items menu to the Item List for that Auction and moved from Ghost to Preview status.
Preview status
Items will appear in Preview status after they have been converted from Ghost status, or Validated from Draft status.
Whilst in Preview status, your Items are:
- Fully Editable via Edit Item or Bulk Edit
- Hidden from your Portal
- Available for Media Attachment in-Dashboard ((Bulk Upload Images and Bulk Edit Attachments)
Items in Preview status can be shown on your Portal by using the Make Visible action above the Item List:
Once you have finished editing your items or adding attachments, you can open items for bidding, pre-bidding, purchase, or offers after moving the items from Preview to Live status by using the Approve action:
Draft status
Items can be moved from any status back to Draft status if you need to:
- Edit your Items
- Hide your Items from your Portal
Items in Draft status can then be edited via the Edit Item or Bulk Edit menus.
To restore Items from Draft to Live status, open the Items List and select your Items, then click the Validate action above the Item List table, click Confirm, then click Approve and click Confirm:
When using the Validate action, your Items will be moved from Draft to Preview status, and when using the Approve action, your Items will be moved from Preview to Live status. Items cannot be moved directly from Draft to Live status.
Suspended status
Items can be moved from any status to Suspended status, primarily to:
- Temporarily disable bidding, buying or offers on an Item
- Enable the Cancel Bid and Disable Auto Bid functions on the Bid Table
Items in Suspended status will briefly disappear from your Portal, but can be manually Hidden using the Hide action, or forced back to visible on your Portal using the Make Visible action:
An Item can be moved to Suspended status using the Suspend action, and can be moved to Suspended from any other status. Suspended Items can then be moved to Draft, Approved to Live, or moved to Withdrawn status:
Withdrawn status
Items can be moved from any status to Withdrawn status, primarily to:
- Indicate to Bidders that the Item is permanently no longer open for bidding, purchase or offers
- Prepare the Item for deletion
Withdrawn Items are visible on your Portal by default, but can be hidden using the Hide action:
Items can be restored from Withdrawn to Draft status by using the Reinstate action:
Deleted status
Due to Deleted Items being permanently purged from the Webtron Dashboard, Deleted is an unofficial status. Items can only be deleted if:
- The Items are in Withdrawn status
Items that have been deleted are permanently purged from the Webtron Dashboard, all deleted Item data is irretrievable.