Checklist: Before Your Auction Starts

So you've gone through the Auction Manager and have set up & adjusted the auction to your liking? Make sure things will go smoothly on opening day by double checking the following:

Note: All blue links are clickable to the appropriate help article. 

1. Make sure your Homepage is Created & Activated. 
   Once created and activated, you might wish to show your homepage before the auction goes live via the online bidding dates. For that, See How to Show your Coming Soon Homepage before the Auction starts. It is important to note that activating the homepage does not start the auction. 
   The online bidding dates determine when your auction starts. Once the homepage is activated, you can click the blue view your auction button beneath the reports tab to see how your auction looks as a bidder. 
   
   
2. Know Your Auction URL: 
   Your Auction URL can be found anytime on the main dashboard right after logging into Auction Manager. This is known as the "long" URL. It is useful for when you are running multiple auctions. You can also find your Org URL under Event > Set Up > Switch Active Event. This shorter URL is active for your Org, and will automatically point to the latest auction you are running. 
   All of these are useful for advertising on social media. 
   
   
3. Check your Online Bidding Dates:
   Under Event > Set Up> Online Bidding Dates. Also make sure that the timezone is correct. Your online bidding dates determines when your auction and bidding starts.
   
   
4. Double check your Item Types to be sure they are marked correctly. This goes along with step 9, as if you do not have the live event enabled, you will be unable to mark items as online to bid sheet or live event only.
   Example: online to mobile, online to bid sheet, live event only etc. 
   
   Items can also have their own start and date times. We Highly suggest making sure each item is marked to use the online bidding dates. This is the default setting, but please double check your item starts and ends when you would like. 
   
   
5. Make sure you have Items in Published. Items that are in draft will not show on the homepage. Use the view your auction button in the top right corner below the reports tab to see what your homepage will look like to others. Get an error message when clicking view your auction? This means your homepage is not activated or created. See step 1.
   
   Still not seeing your items on your homepage? See this help article.
   
   
6. Confirm your Payment Processor is set up:
   Check Close out > Get Ready > Confirm Payment Processor and if it shows it is connected you are set up. You might need to check the box that says: I acknowledge that my payment processor selection for this auction cannot be changed once I click the Save button. Then at the bottom of the page click confirm payment processor settings.  See this help article on how to set up a payment processor, as well as for more information on payment processors.
   *Note: While you can open your auction without a payment processor, you will need to sign up and have one confirmed in order to access the close out tab to finalize the auction. It is a good idea to sign up as soon as possible to make sure the processor account is ready to make payments by the time the auction closes.
   
   
7. Set up your Winning Bidder Email:
   Your winning bidder email found under Close out > Get Ready > Winning bidder email communicates your custom message to your bidders once they are awarded an item. This is useful for informing them about shipping fees, pickup dates and times, etc. We do highly suggest that if you add shipping fees to mention this both on your homepage and item description. 
   
   
8. Understand the Close Out Process:
   The link in the title takes you to the most common close out procedures, however take note of the other close out steps for live event or bid sheet auctions on the left hand side of the help article.
   
   
9. If you have a Live Event (Gala):
   Please check the dates there by doing the following:
   Go to Event > Live Event > Live Event Dates. Make sure everything appears correct. If the live event is not enabled, please contact our support team by clicking submit a request above. Please include the date, time, name of your Organization & Auction name with your request.
   Please also see Understanding Guest Check In and Bidding at Live Events. 
   
   
10. If you are Selling Tickets: 
    You must have the Live Event enabled in order to sell tickets.
    Go to Event > Tickets > Sell tickets. Under the edit section of your tickets, at the bottom of the page, double check the start and end date/times. Make sure the tickets date/time is correct. The order tickets button will not appear on the homepage unless the ticket start date/time has started. 
    You also might be interested in the following help article: How to Sell Tickets Before the Auction Opens