How to Close Out Your Auction

Let's Learn

• Preparing for Close Out
• Closing Out Your Auction

Close out is not an automatic process. You will need to sign in to Panorama to charge your bidders, donors, and ticket purchasers. 

Follow these simple steps to have a successful close out! 

Preparing for Close Out 

Step 1: Confirm your Payment Processor is set up

• If you are using Frontstream Global Fund, no action is required as your processor has already been set up.
• If you are using STRIPE or ARGOFIRE you will need to manually confirm your payment processor. Check Close out > Get Ready > Confirm Payment Processor to get started.  

Step 2: Set up your Winning Bidder email template  

• The winning bidder email is the receipt sent after you award items to the winning bidders. To update the generic message, go to Close out > Get Ready > Winning bidder email. 
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  • Helpful Tip! We recommend adding information about shipping fees, pick up dates and times, etc. to help bidders know what to expect.  
• You may also want to update the generic credit card failed email template – go to Close Out > CC Failed Email

Step 3: Review item online close date and times

• Helpful Tip! We recommend you double check the online close date and time of each item before you close your auction so there are not items that close too early or too late. 

Step 4: Understand Close Out processes

• Before you start the Close Out process, we recommend you review our helpful tips and resources:
  • How to handle failed credit cards 
  • How to remove or retract a bid 
  • How to submit a refund 
  • How to award an item to a second-place bidder 
  • How to change payment method to a new method 
  • How to close an item as not sold (or with no winner) 
  • What to do when a bidder backs out 
  • How to award items to offline or live event bidders 

Step 5: Review auction data   

• There are a number of auction reports that you can run beforehand, during your auction and at close out.  We suggest using these helpful reports: 

Close Out Your Auction  

Once the auction closes, you have time to review the different types of contributions, bidder info, and add shipping costs before you process the credit cards.     

Helpful Tip! Many organizations often find it easier to take their time and close out their auctions the next day. 

Step 5: Review winning bidder information and contact information 

• Use the Awarded Items Report to review bidder contact information – for example, ensure credit card address matches the shipping address 
• For high-value items such as electronics and gift cards, we suggest contacting the bidder to arrange for secure delivery and sending items via certified mail.  You may also want to consider insuring the item and waiting until payment is confirmed (approximately three to seven business days) before sending it.

Step 6: Add sales tax and confirm payments for tickets, donations, items, and quick sales 

• Review our best practices on item sales tax and then add tax to your item total.
• The donation/sale/item will automatically be charged to the credit card the bidder set up in their Bidder account. However, you can change the payment method for each bidder before you process the payment.  

Step 7: Add shipping costs and process payments 

• Go to Close Out > Process Payments 
• Review our best practices on item shipping and then add shipping costs to your item total before processing (and how to add shipping if you forgot to add it before you processed the payment).
• Please note that if there is a value in the Fee column that is the processing fee. For more information on the Cover the Processing Fee feature and processing fees, click here. 
• You can process each purchase individually or process them all at once by clicking Process All Purchases. 

 Step 8: Send bidder receipts to supporters 

• Email bidder receipts or print them off and include them in the package with the item you are sending 

 Step 9: Hand out, send or arrange for item pick up

• Ensure that the payment has been processed before you give the item at the end of an event, or ship or arrange for pick up afterwards
• Use the Awarded Items report to view item information (e.g. special notes that say whether an items is to be picked up or shipped), winning bidder contact info to coordinate a pick up time and bidder address to ship items
• Use our shipping label template – go to Close Out > Final Steps 
• Be sure to thank your bidders and tell them how their support has helped your organization 

 Step 10: Thank Donors 

• Thank your donors by sending a letter, phone, email or any way you choose
• Be sure to thank all supporters including bidders, donors, sponsors, guests, families, friends, community supporters, etc.  

 Step 11: Consider a Cash Campaign 

• Give non-winning bidders a way to support your organization by sending the cash campaign email – go to Close Out > Cash Campaign Email  

 Step 12: Auction invoice 

• An invoice will be sent within 7-10 business days for FrontStream performance fees  
• Auction fund disbursements 
  • For those using Frontstream Global Fund (FGF) you will receive your funds via your specified payment preference, monthly check or weekly direct deposit. A reminder to set up EFT payments if you haven’t already to receive funds quickly!
  • For those using iATS or Stripe, you will receive funds directly from them via the method you arranged.  

 Step 13: Auction review 

• The End of Auction and Auction Activity reports are great resources to see how your auction performed.
• Consider using our Auction Report Card suggestions to review this year’s auction and record ideas for next year