Cancelling Bids and Disabling Auto Bids

Having trouble viewing the Tutorial Video for this Guide? Click this link to view it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqkWiqTdfKA&list=PLw8RuwC1CKuoF3H2Mwhew81nu9EhVqrVp&index=6

In this guide, we’ll detail how to access an Auction’s Bid Table to Cancel a Bid, and Disable an Auto Bid. Each Auction records every Bid and Auto Bid in it’s own Bid Table, you can track incoming bids in near-real-time and Cancel the Current Highest Bid on an Item, as well as Disable any Auto Bids, typically at the request of the Bidder. If a Bidder’s Bids are cancelled or Auto Bids disabled, they will automatically receive a notification email. You can edit this email prior to confirming the bid cancellation, and also add a time extension to that Lot if necessary.

Navigation Path to the Bid Table

Across the top of the Webtron Dashboard, click the Auctions & Items dropdown then click View Auctions. On the View Auctions page, look to the middle right-hand side of the page, next to the Actions button click the ⋮ Shortcuts button, then click Bid Table.

Per-AuctionView Auctions page > Auctions table > ⋮ Shortcuts > Bid Table

Step 1 – Accessing the Bid Table and Suspending a Lot

1. From the Dashboard Home page, click on the Title of your Auction, then at the top of your screen, click the Bid Table shortcut:

2. Alternatively, from the View Auctions page, look to the right-hand side of the Auctions table, next to the Actions button click the ⋮ Shortcuts button, then click Bid Table.

3. You’ll now see the Bid Table, scroll down or use the Search bar at the top of the menu to find a specific Item:

4. Once located, look to the right-hand edge of the Bid Table, here you’ll find the Bids column. Click on the ↓ to open the Bid History for that Item:

5. You’ll now see the full Bid History for that Item in the form of a table, with Bids at the top of the table and Auto Bids at the bottom of the table shaded green:

Step 2A – Cancelling a Bid:

1. At the top-right of the of the Bid History, click the orange Suspend button, this will disable bidding on that Lot and temporarily hide it from your Portal whilst you cancel a bid or disable an auto bid. Once your lot is Suspended, you’ll see the cancel X button beside the current highest bid. Click cancel X on the highest bid that you would like to remove:

2. You will then be shown a preview of the Cancelled bidder Email and Under-bidder Email notifications that will be sent to the bidder and any under-bidder respectively. You can alter the content of either of these emails by clicking into each Text Box or leave them as-is. After that, scroll down and click the drop-down beside Extend bidding by and set it to 0 minutes. (Optionally, if this request is during the closure of your auction, set the Extend bidding by to 5 minutes, this will trigger a 5-minute overtime extension as soon as you click Make Live):

3. After setting the Extend Bidding rate, click the green Confirm and Send Emails button:

4. You’ll now land back on the Bid Table menu, from here you will need to move the Lot back to Live status, to do this click on the ↓ under the Bids column to open the Bid History table again, then click the green Make Live button. You’ll then see a confirmation message that the Lot has returned to Live status:

The Bid you cancelled will now be crossed out in the Bid History panel and will also show a Bid Status of Cancelled:

Step 2B – To Cancel/Disable an Auto Bid:

The process of Disabling an Auto Bid mirrors that of Cancelling a Bid, you will need to navigate to the Bid Table first. Open the Bid History for a Lot by clicking on the ↓ button. Any Auto Bids placed on this Lot will be contained in the Auto Bids section at the bottom of the Bid History panel and highlighted in green.

1. Same as Cancelling a Bid, first you’ll need to click the orange Suspend button in the Bid History panel. You will then see a red disable X button beside each Auto Bid at the bottom of the Lot. Click the red disable X button on the Auto Bid that you would like to cancel.

2. This will bring up a preview of the Cancelled Bidder Email that will be sent to the bidder, which can be edited by clicking into the Text Box:

3. When ready, click the green Confirm and Send Emails to proceed:

4. You will then need to ensure you make the lot Live. Scroll down and click on the ↓ under the Bids column to open the Bid History table again, then click the green Make Live button to restore the Lot to your Portal.

From the Bidder’s Perspective

If you have Bid History enabled for your Portal, your Bidders can open the Bid History and will see a special Cancelled badge next to any bids that have been manually or automatically cancelled:

FAQ – Cancelling Bids and Disabling Auto Bids

Q: Is withdrawing a bid and cancelling a bid the same thing?
A: Yes, “withdrawing” or “withdraw” a bid is just alternate terminology for cancelling a bid. In the Webtron Dashboard, we refer to it as Cancelling a Bid, not Withdrawing a Bid.

Q: Why would a bid be automatically cancelled?
A: Bids may appear as Cancelled if the bid amount matched a competing Auto Bid’s maximum amount. The Portal will favour the original Auto Bid maximum amount over the competing bid, as the Auto Bid maximum will have been set first.

Q: Can Bidders cancel or withdraw their own bids?
A: No, only Dashboard Admins have the ability to cancel bids and disable auto bids, if your Bidders request their Bids be cancelled, we recommend following the steps detailed in the Cancelling Bids and Disabling Auto Bids guide.

Q: Can Webtron cancel bids for a bidder?
A: We can, but while we’re setting you up and onboarding your staff, we will ask if you would like to grant us authority on cancelling bids, or if you would prefer to handle it. If a Bidder contacts us through our 1300 Support Line (Australia-only) or our Bidder Support Form (linked at the bottom of your Portal) and you have granted us authority to cancel bids, we will do so and confirm the request with you afterwards. If you would prefer to handle all bid cancellation requests internally, we will forward over any requests we receive to your team.

Q: When I try to suspend a Lot, I’m seeing a red error message saying “ListingStatus not changed – webcast item currently in-play.“, what do I do?
A: The “webcast item currently in-play” error message means this Lot is currently in the Live Webcast Ring and being managed by your Webcast Clerk. Webcast Lots can’t have their status changed or be edited whilst they are in the Live Webcast Ring, you’ll need to request the Clerk cancel the bid for you via the Clerking Console, or if you have pulled a Lot into the ring by mistake, open the Clerking Console and click the red Remove from Bidding button. After that, try changing the Suspending the Lot in the Bid Table again.

Q: In the Bid Table’s Bid Information panel, why does the word CANCELLED appear red or sometimes orange?
A: Good question, the Bids section of the Bid Information panel follows a simple colour key:
When CANCELLED is shaded orange – this bid has been cancelled manually by an Admin or the Webcast Clerk.
When CANCELLED is shaded red – this bid has been cancelled automatically (either by a competing bid or auto bid).
Cancelled/Disabled Auto Bids use red shading as Auto Bids can only be cancelled manually.