Online Auctions
Learn about online bidding and how bidders can participate through the website, mobile app and texting.
🌐 What are Online Auctions?
Online Auctions are fully digital—from item browsing to bidding to checkout. They're flexible, easy to set up, and accessible to anyone with a phone or computer.
Online Auction items use the Online Bidding item type in Auctria.
🛠️ How to Set Up an Online Auction
- Go to your Items dashboard.
- Click Add Item and choose the Online bidding type.
- Enter your item’s name, description, fair market value, minimum bid, and other details.
- Set your bidding open and close times in the Bidding Settings section.
- Publish the item to make it visible on your auction website.
🖥️ All items will appear on your event site once they’re published and bidding is open!
📱 How Guests Participate
Guests can browse your catalog and place bids through:
- The event website (mobile and desktop friendly)
- The Mobile Bidding App
- Text Messages (if enabled)
- Kiosk Mode (at in-person events)
Event participants can register with an email or Facebook account to start placing bids.
📝 Record Online Bids
Online bids can be manually recorded in the Auctria system. Click Bidding on the left sidebar, then select the Record Online Bids block.
This will open the Online Auction page, where you can select the item, participant, and bid amount.
➡️ See Record Online Bids for more information.
✉️ How to Notify Participants
Auctria helps you keep your guests engaged and informed:
- Outbid notifications via email, text, or app push
- Custom announcement banners on your event site
📣 Keep your auction competitive with timely reminders!
⚙️ Optional Features
📲 Text Message Bidding
Allow guests to bid via SMS—no smartphone required. Works well for guests who already know item numbers.
➡️ See Text Messages to learn more.
🖥️ Kiosk Mode
Set up shared devices (like tablets) at your event so guests can place online bids without needing their own phone or login credentials.
➡️ See Kiosk Mode Bidding for more information.
🔗 More About Online Auctions
- ✅ Online Bidding Items — Create and configure online bidding items
- ✅ Mobile App — Encourage bidders to install the Auctria app for alerts and easier bidding
- ✅ Combine with Paper Auctions (Optional) — Enable online pre-bidding for paper items to build momentum before your event
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Last reviewed: July 2024