Overtime Bidding, with a friendly red countdown clock
Unique to Timed Auctions (and the Marketplace), Bidding Extension is a time rate you choose in your Auction Settings that will extend the countdown of your Lots.
We heartily recommend setting a Bidding Extension when creating your Timed Auction or managing your Marketplace, as it will give your Bidders slightly more time to jump back on to your Portal if they’re outbid during the closing of your Lots.
Bidding Extension – Bidding Extension Rate Explained
When Creating a new Timed Auction, one of the first settings you’ll choose in your the General Settings tab is your Bidding Extension. Options range from 5 seconds all the way up to 10 minutes (10 minutes is also the default). Here’s a full list of the Bidding Extension rates available in both the Webtron Dashboard, and VendorPlus:
- No Extension (Disables Bidding Extension)
- 5 Seconds
- 10 Seconds
- 20 Seconds
- 30 Seconds
- 1 Minute
- 2 Minutes
- 3 Minutes
- 4 Minutes
- 5 Minutes
- 10 Minutes
Your Portal will apply your set Bidding Extension rate when a bid is placed during that timeframe of the Lot’s Countdown, essentially if you pick 2 Minutes and a bidder places a bid during the last 2 minutes of the Lot’s Countdown, your Portal will trigger Overtime Bidding and apply a 2 minute extension to the Countdown:
Overtime Bidding is also indicated on the Bid Table with a small timer icon under the Time Left column:
If a bid is placed during the final 2 minutes of a Lot’s countdown, an extra 2 minutes are added instantly. This can keep the Lot open longer, with more time added each time a bid comes in during that window, until no more bids are placed.
In a nutshell: Bidding Extension adds time to a Lot’s countdown clock and will continue adding time with each bid received under the Bidding Extension timeframe.
That being said, our recommended Bidding Extension rate is 2 minutes. We’ve found this is a solid midpoint for enabling Bidders to receive and acknowledge their Outbid Notifications, return to your Portal and place another Bid if they choose to do so, without ultimately dragging out the end of your auction.
Bidding Extension – Editing your Bidding Extension Rate
You can also edit your Auction and change the Bidding Extension rate at any time. If you are finding that your Lots are staying open longer than intended, you can return to the View Auctions, edit your Auction, choose a different Bidding Extension rate and hit Save Auction.
Once saved, the new Bidding Extension rate will apply to all bids placed within the specified Countdown period. For example, if you change the extension from 2 minutes to 30 seconds, any bids placed once the Lot’s countdown reaches 30 seconds or less will automatically trigger the new 30-second extension.
For more detailed steps, click here to open the Setting the Bidding Extension and Enabling Staggered End Times guide.
Staggered End Times: Organised Clustering of End Times or, if you prefer; Cluster Closes
Stagger End Time is a feature unique to Timed Auctions that enables you to soft-group Lots and giving each grouping a separate End Time.
Stagger End Times doesn’t so much set the End Time of each Lot group, but will instead specify a timeframe or gap between each group. This is especially useful for Timed Auctions with greater than 100 Lots, as it will give your Auction a more gradual close, and enable your Bidders to follow the closing of your Lots, especially if they are interested in Lots that are spread across your Lot list.
Stagger End Times – Soft-Grouping and Timeframe Explained
Stagger End Times is available inside the Dates tab (between Auction Starts and Auction Ends) when you are Creating or Editing a Timed Auction. By default, Stagger End Times is disabled but you can enable it by ticking the checkbox for it, this will unfold two further options:
- By – By is a dropdown that sets the Stagger Timeframe between each Lot Grouping, options range from as little as 10 seconds to up to 60 minutes.
- Every – Every is a number field that sets the Stagger Lot Grouping Rate, essentially the number of Lots in each soft-grouping. E.g. if you have 250 Lots and the Stagger Rate to 3, each 3 Lots will share the same End Time.
By and Every work in concert to set the soft-group of Lots and the gap between their End Times. For example, setting your Stagger End Times options to By – 2 Minutes, Every – 3 Lots, will add a 2 minute gap to the End Times of every 3 Lots. Every 2 Minutes, another 3 Lots will close.
But what about Bidding Extension? Your Bidding Extension rate will still apply on any Lots that receive Bids during their specified countdown period. Stagger End Times purely applies a gap to the End Times of your Lots, they are all still subject to your chosen Bidding Extension setting.
Tutorial Video – Enabling Bidding Extension and Staggered End Times
Accessing the Bidding Extension and Staggered End Times options
Once logged in, you’ll land on the Dashboard Home page, look towards the bottom of the screen for the Auctions table. On the very left-hand side, under the Auction Title column, click on the Title of the Auction, this acts as a hyperlink to the Preview Auction Details menu:
Once that menu opens, click the green Edit Auction button at the top-left of the menu here:
Setting your Bidding Extension
Step 1 – The Edit Auction menu and General Settings tab
By default, you’ll land on the General Settings tab, this houses the Bidding Extension dropdown for this Auction. On the left-hand side of the menu, look below the Description text box and under the Currency dropdown, here you will find the Bidding Extension dropdown:
Step 2 – Set the Bidding Extension rate and click Save Auction
Click the dropdown next to Bidding Extension to show the list of Extension rates, these span from 10 seconds to up to 10 minutes. Click whichever option you’d like to set, then (if you’re not also setting up or editing your Staggered End Times) click the green Save Auction button at the top-left of the menu:
Your chosen Bidding Extension will now apply to that Auction. It can be changed at any time, even during the closure of your Auction, by following the same steps as detailed above.
Setting your Staggered End Times
Step 1 – From the View Auctions page click the blue Edit button and open the Dates tab
Staggered End Times is disabled by default. If you would like to enable it or change the Stagger Rate, from the Auctions & Items > View Auctions page, click the Auction Title again, or click the blue Edit button under the Actions column and, inside the Edit Auction menu, click the Dates tab:
Step 2 – Tick the Stagger End Times checkbox
Inside the Dates tab, Stagger End Times appears as the third option beneath the Auction Start & End section, an empty checkbox below the Auction Starts field. Tick the checkbox next to Stagger End Times, this will open the By dropdown and Every field:
Step 3 – Stagger End Times By and Every options Explained
- By – By is a dropdown that sets the Stagger Timeframe between each Lot Grouping, options range from as little as 10 seconds to up to 60 minutes.
- Every – Every is a number field that sets the Stagger Lot Grouping Rate, essentially the number of Lots in each soft-grouping. E.g. if you have 250 Lots and the Stagger Rate to 3, each 3 Lots will share the same End Time.
By and Every work in concert to set the soft-group of Lots and the gap between their End Times. For example, setting your Stagger End Times options to By – 2 Minutes, Every – 3 Lots, will add a 2 minute gap to the End Times of every 3 Lots. Every 2 Minutes, another 3 Lots will close.
Click the By dropdown and select a Stagger Timeframe, then click on the Every field and enter a number to set the Stagger Lot Grouping Rate:
Once set, click the green Save Auction button at the top-left of the Edit Auction menu:
Applying your Stagger End Times settings to your Lots
Step 1 – Open your Item List and draft Lot 1
After clicking Save Auction, you’ll be returned to the View Auctions page. You must now apply your Stagger End Times changes to your Lots as well.
To do this, look to the right-hand side of the Auctions table, under the column labelled Items, click the # items link to open the Item List for an Auction:
The Item List menu will now open, containing the your full Item List table. From here, look to the left-hand edge of the table and click the checkbox for the second row (the first Lot row), then click the grey Draft button above the table. A confirmation panel will appear, click the green Confirm button:
Step 2 – Open Lot 1 in Bulk Edit
After clicking Draft, your Lot 1 will now move to Draft status, as marked by the Status column on the right-hand side of the table. Once in Draft, click the grey Bulk Edit button above the table to open this Lot in the Bulk Edit menu:
From here, simply tick the checkbox at the left-hand edge of the Bulk Edit table to select the Lot again, then click the green Save and Finish button at the top-left of the Bulk Edit menu:
You’ll now be returned to the Item List menu. If your Lot has not automatically moved back to Live status, tick it again and click the grey Approve button above the Item List table:
Step 3 – Confirm your Lot End Times have updated
Your Staggered End Time settings will now have applied to your entire Item List, but to confirm this, look to the right-hand side of the Item List table, you’ll find a column labelled End Time. Beneath this column, each Lot will display their set End Date and Time. Check that the End Time matches both your Stagger By and Stagger Every rates:
If they don’t, repeat Step 1 from the Staggered End Times section of this guide.
FAQ – Bidding Extension and Stagger End Times
Q: Can Bidders see the Bidding Extension time I set?
A: Not directly, the exact timeframe won’t be displayed on your Auction or Lots, but when triggered, the countdown clock on each Lot will display a special “Overtime Bidding” message. We recommend adding your Bidding Extension time to your Auction Description.
Q: Can Bidders see the Stagger End Times options I set?
A: Not directly, but the Staggered End Times are reflected on each Lot’s End Date and Time. Each Lot will display it’s unique End Time prior to the last 24 hours, after which the End Date and Time switches to the countdown clock format.
Q: If bidding is going on too long, can I change the Bidding Extension time whilst the auction is running?
A: Yes, you can edit your Timed Auction at any point, even during the closing phase, and set a new Bidding Extension time. Whilst you can do this, we don’t recommend it, as reducing your Bidding Extension time may give Bidders the false impression that a Lot closed too soon or they might lose a Lot if they were expecting the Lot to stay open longer.
Q: I set up Staggered End Times but it hasn’t applied to the Lots, what do I do?
A: If you enable or edit your Stagger End Times settings, you must also Draft Lot 1 and pull it into Bulk Edit. Staggered End Times will only apply to your Lots after you have Drafted Lot 1, pulled into Bulk Edit and hit Save and Finish. Any changes to your Timed Auction End Dates and Times (including Stagger End Times) must also be applied to your Lots via Bulk Edit.
Q: Instead of using Staggered End Times, can I set the End Time manually on each Lot?
A: Yes, but manually setting the End Time on a per-Lot basis is a very delicate process. This can be achieved by Drafting your Lot list and pulling every Lot into Bulk Edit. New End Times can be manually set under the End Time column by clicking on the existing End Time for each Lot and typing in a new End Time (in 24 hour time format with the colon included, e.g. 1pm is 13:00). We don’t recommend doing this, the Stagger End Times feature will largely automate these changes for you and automatically apply to any late Lots you may add to your Timed Auction.
Q: What should I set my Stagger End Times options to?
A: That depends on two factors;
1. How long do you want the closing phase of your Timed Auction to go for?
2. How many Lots are in your Timed Auction?
As a baseline, if your Timed Auction contains 100 Lots, a stagger rate of 5 minutes (By) for 10 Lots (Every) will see your Timed Auction fully close out approximately 50 minutes after it’s set End Time. From there, we recommend increasing the By rate 5 Minutes for every 100 Lots in your Auction, or increasing the Every rate by 10 Lots for every 100 Lots in your Auction. Stagger End Times gives your Bidders the opportunity to easily follow the closing phase of your Timed Auction, but you also don’t want the closing phase to last half a day and cause bidder fatigue.
Q: After I enable Stagger End Times, how can I see when my auction will really close?
A: Open the Item List and scroll down to the bottom of the Item List table, the End Times column will display the set End Time for each Lot and the last Lot inside the table will show the final End Time for your Auction, but this is still subject to Bidding Extension. We recommend opening the Bid Table, each Lot inside the Bid Table will display a countdown clock (same as on your Portal) and give you a more accurate representation of when your Auction will fully close out.
Q: I tried to edit the End Time for a Lot but when I hit Save and Finish, it still shows it’s old end time, what do I do?
A: If Stagger End Times is enabled for your Timed Auction, you cannot make manual changes to each Lot’s End Time. Stagger End Times will enforce an End Time based on the rate you have set and the Auction End Time.
Q: Does reordering Lots affect Staggered End Times?
A: Yes, but only in the sense that the Staggered End Times will adjust to match your new item order. For example, if Lot 2 was set to close at 12:02 and Lot 3 at 12:04, swapping their order will also swap their end times—so Lot 3 will now close at 12:02 and Lot 2 at 12:04.
Q: Is it Stagger End Times or Staggered End Times?
A: Both, Stagger End Times is how the feature is labelled inside the Webtron Dashboard. Staggered End Times is how we refer to the feature after it has been enabled, as your Lot End Times are now staggered (past tense).
Q: Can Bidding Extension be disabled?
A: Yes, there is a selectable “no extension” option in the Bidding Extension dropdown, but we don’t recommend disabling Bidding Extension, as it gives your Bidders that little bit of extra time to open their Outbid Notification and return to your Portal if they would like to bid again.
Webtron Recommendations
If you choose to use Stagger End Times, we heavily recommend choosing your Stagger Timeframe (By rate) and Lot Grouping (Every rate) when creating your new Timed Auction and before uploading your Lots. We go into greater detail in the Setting Stagger End Times guide, but suffice to say, choosing to use Stagger End Times as early as possible will save you a potential headache later on.
FAQ – Bidding Extension and Staggered End Times
Q: Can Bidding Extension be edited on a per-Lot basis?
A: No, Bidding Extension is applied auction-wide. We recommend using Stagger End Times or carefully applying unique End Times on a per-Lot basis if you would greater control over when your Lots close. We cover Stagger End Times in the next chapter, click the Next button at the bottom of this guide for more details on Stagger End Times.
Q: Can Bidding Extension be disabled?
A: Yes, the first option in the Bidding Extension dropdown is no extension. However, we don’t recommend using this option, especially if you are running a Timed Auction with 100+ Lots. Bidding Extension may drag out the end of your Auction, but ultimately it gives your Bidders more time to consider and place additional Bids.
Q: What does Overtime Bidding mean?
A: Overtime Bidding is our indicator text that’s added to the Countdown clock Bidding Extension is triggered on each Lot. It’s a small indicator to let the Bidder know that a time extension has been applied to that Lot.
Q: Can Bidders see what the Bidding Extension rate is in advance?
A: Not yet, but we do recommend specifying it in your Auction Description.
Q: If a Lot is taking too long to close, can I force it to close?
A: Short answer: no.
Long answer: we don’t recommend disabling Bidding Extension or editing your Lot’s End Time during the closing of your Auction. Changing your Bidding Extension to No Extension will be applied to all remaining open Lots in your Auction. Disabling your Bidding Extension may catch your Bidders off guard, and may be viewed as an intentional disruption of the fair bidding process.
Q: Is it possible for my Lots to end one at a time? E.g. Lot 2 will not start it’s countdown until Lot 1 has fully closed out.
A: No, in Timed Auction, all Lots and Listings will close independently of each other. Even if softly grouped with Stagger End Times, each Lot will close regardless of if any other Lots remain open. We recommend exploring our Silent Webcast Auction guide if you would like greater control over Auctioning your Lots one-by-one.
Q: Does Bidding Extension apply to or affect Listings in a Timed Auction? For example, do Offers made close to a Listing’s countdown extend that Listing’s end time?
A: No, Bidding Extension does not apply to or affect your Listings, but, Listings cannot be reconciled until all Offers have been either Accepted or Rejected. After a Listing reaches it’s End Time, Offers can still be reviewed, but not further Offers can be made by your Buyers.
Q: Do I have to use Stagger End Times?
A: No, Stagger End Times is 100% optional. If you choose not to use it, simply leave the checkbox for that option unticked. We recommend considering, especially if you have a large number of Lots in your Auction.
Q: Can I change my Stagger End Times settings?
A: Yes*, but only before your first Lot closes. Changes to your Stagger End Times settings are also not automatically reflected on your Lots, *if you do change any of your Stagger settings, you must also Draft and pull Lot 1 into Bulk Edit, hit Save and Finish, and this will apply your new Stagger End Times settings to your entire Lot list.
Q: If Stagger End Times is enabled, can I still set End Times manually on each Lot?
A: No, Stagger End Times will override any End Date and Time changes you attempt to make on your Lots. Any changes to the End Date must be reflected between both your Auction End Date and your Item End Dates. If you need to change your Item End Dates with Stagger End Times enabled, you must change your Auction End Date first.
Q: Can I turn Stagger End Times off?
A: Yes, but your Timed Auction Items will retain whatever End Times your Stagger End Times set. If you need to reset your item End Times to match the Auction End Time, click here to open our Resetting End Dates via Bulk Edit and Group Edit guide.
Q: Can Bidders see the Stagger End Time settings I choose?
A: Partially. Each Timed Auction Item on your Portal lists it’s own End Date and Time above the Opening/Current Highest Bid. Whilst not directly specified, each Lot will clearly state when it will close, and in the last 24 hours, switch to the Countdown format.
Q: Can I see when exactly the last Lot will close? Or how do I verify my Stagger End Times settings have been applied to my Lot list?
A: Open the Item List and scroll down to the bottom of the Item List table, the End Times column will display the set End Time for each Lot and the last Lot inside the table will show the final End Time for your Auction, but this is still subject to Bidding Extension. We recommend opening the Bid Table, each Lot inside the Bid Table will display a countdown clock (same as on your Portal) and give you a more accurate representation of when your Auction will fully close out.
Q: Does Stagger End Times apply to Listings as well?
A: Yes, Stagger End Times is applied universally to all Items in a Timed Auction, regardless of Item Type.