In this guide, we’ll provide a detailed breakdown of each of the Item Types and their associated Purchase Options, alongside examples of how they will appear on your Portal.
These guides use the default styling and wording for each of the options listed below, so the buttons and their labels may appear differently on your Portal, as per your branding and customisation requirements.
Bidding Options
Bid
Item Type: Lot and Webcast Lot
Purchase Option: None, Buy Now and Make Offer
The Bid button is the core feature of both Timed Lots and Webcast Lots, it will initially display your Opening Bid/Starting Price and then, as bidding proceeds, it will display the current Asking Price.
When interacting with the Bid button, your bidders are placing a bid at the current Asking Price:
- If there are no bids, the Asking Price will be the Opening Bid or Increment that you set for that Lot.
- If there are bids, the Asking Price will follow the Increment, set either manually or via your Auto Increments table.
The first time a Bidder clicks or taps the Place Bid button on each Lot, the Bid Confirmation panel will appear they’ll be prompted to review your Buyers Premium (and Additional Taxes if applicable) and then proceed with their bid by clicking Confirm Bid:
The Place Bid button will appear on all Items using the Lot and Webcast Lot Item Types, and is available when using any of the 3 Lot-supported Purchase Options (None, Buy Now or Make Offer).
For Timed Auctions and Webcast Auctions (in the Pre-Bidding phase) the Bid button will display “Bid [Asking Price]”:
Place Auto Bid
Item Type: Lot and Webcast Lot (Pre-Bidding only)
Purchase Option: None, Buy Now and Make Offer
The Place Auto Bid button appears beneath the Bid button on both Timed Lots and Webcast Lots (during the Pre-Bidding phase).
Where Place Auto Bid differs from its Bid counterpart is, upon clicking Place Auto Bid, your bidders will be offered the option to enter or select the high amount they’re willing to bid up to on that Lot. The Auto Bid Confirmation panel can appear in two formats for accepting Auto Bids:
- If Auto Increments are disabled, your bidders will have the option to manually type out their Auto Bid amount:
- If Auto Increments are disabled, your bidders can tap on the dropdown and select an Auto Bid amount from the next 100 increments (100 options based on the current Opening Bid/Asking Price), with those increment options scaling to match your Auto Increments table:
Once set, the Auto Bid will be applied if:
- Another bidder attempts to outbid the Auto Bidder
- There is an Auto Bid already present on that Lot
- The Timed Lot is currently Under Reserve
Each of your Timed Lots will display the following disclaimer: “*Autobid will jump to maximum bid until reserve met“
This is due to the logic of Auto Bids vs. the Reserve, i.e. if a bidder’s Auto Bid amount is less or equal to the Reserve amount, their Auto Bid will be accepted as the Current Bid.
If you have the Bid History feature enabled on your Portal, your bidders can see the application of their own Auto Bid or if they are bidding against an Auto Bid, as each bid placed by an Auto Bid will display the following badge: Auto Bid
For Webcast Lots, the Auto Bid button only appears during the Pre-Bidding phase and if Pre-Bidding is enabled. Once your Webcast Auction enters the Live Bidding phase, the Place Auto Bid button changes to the Enter Commission Bid option:
Click Here to Bid
Item Type: Webcast Lot
Purchase Option: None
When your Webcast Auction reaches your set Auction Start Date and Time (or your Clerk presses the Start Auction button), it will transition from the Pre-Bidding phase to the Live Bidding phase:
During the Live Bidding phase, the “Bid” button on each Webcast Lot will disappear and your Bidders will instead see the “Click Here to Bid [Asking Price]” button on the Lot that currently occupies the Ring:
When in the Ring, the Click Here to Bid button will display the Asking Price as set by your Clerk, following the Increments either controlled and manually changed by the Clerk, or auto-switched by your Auto Increments table.
Enter Commission Bid/Absentee Bid
Item Type: Webcast Lot
Purchase Option: None
When your Webcast Auction reaches your set Auction Start Date and Time (or your Clerk presses the Start Auction button), it will transition from the Pre-Bidding phase to the Live Bidding phase:
During the Live Bidding phase, your Bidders can set Commission Bids on upcoming Lots displayed in the Open tab here:
For all intents and purposes, a Commission Bid is technically an Auto Bid, but in the context of the Live Bidding phase, the Commission Bid isn’t automatically being applied by your Portal, it is instead being accepted and applied on commission by your Clerk:
The Enter Commission Bid field can accept any amount typed out by the Bidder, as long as it is higher than the Current/Opening Bid, the bidder can then hit Send to confirm their Commission Bid amount:
Bidders will see their Current Commission Bid displayed on each Lot in both the Open and Closed tabs:
Submitting a Commission Bid will also auto-Star that Lot for the bidder.
Buying Options
Buy Now
Auction Type: Timed Auctions and the Marketplace
Item Type: Lot and Listing
Purchase Option: Buy Now (BUY_NOW)
The Buy Now button can be added to both Timed Auction Lots and Listings by selecting the Buy Now purchase option.
For Lots, the Buy Now button will appear beneath the Place Auto Bid button:
For Listings, the Buy Now button will appear on it’s own:
If a Bidder/Buyer clicks on the Buy Now button, they’ll see the Purchase Confirmation popup and will be prompted to confirm their intent to purchase by clicking the Buy Now button at the bottom-right of the panel:
The Buy Now button will display “Buy Now [Purchase Price]”, with the Purchase Price being set by you or another Dashboard Admin when creating your Lots and Listings:
The Buy Now purchase option is subject to the Purchase Cut-off if used on Timed Auction Lots. If no bidder opts to use the Buy Now option, the Buy Now button will disappear (at a minimum) 24 hours before the Auction End Time.
Timed Auction Listings are not subject to the Purchase Cut-off.
Make Offer
Auction Type: Timed Auctions and the Marketplace
Item Type: Lot and Listing
Purchase Option: Make Offer (MAKE_OFFER)
The Make Offer button can be added to both Timed Auction Lots and Listings by selecting the Make Offer purchase option.
For Lots, the Make Offer button will appear beneath the Place Auto Bid button (in the same place as the Buy Now button):
For Listings, the Buy Now button will appear on it’s own:
If a Bidder/Buyer clicks on the Make Offer button, they’ll see the Offer Confirmation popup and will be prompted to enter the amount they wish to submit as an offer:
If submitted successfully, the Bidder will see a “You have a pending offer” button on that Item, and can click this button to see the status of their Offer:
Offers will display one of 3 statuses:
- Pending – This offer has been submitted and is currently under review by you.
- Accepted – This offer has been Accepted by you or another Dashboard Admin.
- Rejected – This offer has been Rejected by you, or automatically if you set a Minimum Acceptable Offer/Purchase Price.
By default, Bidders can make up to 3 offers on each Item with the Make Offer option.
If an offer is accepted, the Bidder will receive a notification email confirming you have accepted their offer and the offer amount:
If an offer is rejected, no notification email is sent.
Accepting Offers is final and cannot be undone. Once Accepted, that Item is marked as sold.
The Make Offer purchase option is subject to the Purchase Cut-off if used on Timed Auction Lots. If no bidder opts to use the Make Offer option, or no offers are accepted, the Make Offer button will disappear (at a minimum) 24 hours before the Auction End Time.
Timed Auction Listings are not subject to the Purchase Cut-off.
FAQ – Bidding and Buying Options
Q: So what’s the different between Make Offer and an Auto Bid?
A: An Auto Bid will act on your behalf to keep you as the Current Highest Bidder on that Lot, whereas an Offer is an amount that can be accepted or rejected to purchase that Item outright.
An Auto Bid is by no means a guarantee that the bidder will win that Lot, either at or below their Auto Bid maximum, whist an accepted offer is a confirmed purchase.