Add New Bidder
To add a new bidder, from the main Auction Dashboard, click Bidders and then click Add New Bidder under the Actions sidebar menu. This will open the Register Bidder page.
IMPORTANT
Using the Register Bidder function will always add a new bidder. Adding a new bidder with this function will not trigger any System Email Notifications.
INFORMATION
The only required field for bidders using this approach is Last name. You can provide other bidder information as needed.
It is recommended to either provide a bidder# or let the system automatically assign a bidder# for your guests to use as needed. Also to note, the linking and merging functions of Auctria will require this details to work.
Bidder Panel
Each bidder in your auction is given a bidder number (often displayed as Bidder # in the application).
TIP
Bidder numbers are not required to be strictly numbers. You can use letters as well if you want or any sort of mix that suits your event.
The Bidder panel has fields for the following information:
- Bidder # -- Required
- First name
- Last name -- Required
- Email -- Recommended
This is used for Communication and as part of the Bidder log in credentials along with a password the bidder sets themselves. - Phone Number
- Cell Phone Number
This is a number to accept text bids from and text notifications, for example when the guest is outbid. - Checked in? -- Checkbox
This is an informational item and does not specifically trigger any actions within Auctria. - Additional bidders
Use this field to enter the names of any other people bidding with this same bidder number.
NOTE: This field is purely informational.
See Sharing Bidder Numbers for more details. - Seating preference
An information only field to be used as needed. - Guest of...
- Tags
See the Optional Information section below for more details on these fields.
Address Panel
If you will be mailing information or require physical locations for your bidders, you can enter address details in the Address panel.
The address fields are all simple text fields. Information will need to be manually entered on this page as needed.
Other panel
The Other panel contains additional information fields for the bidder.
- Company - if the bidder represents a company, or organization, you can record this information here.
- Meal choice - if "meals" are being offered at the event, you can choose the bidder meal from the drop-down selector. See Meal Choices for more information.
- Reference - if you have bidder information in another system, you might use this field to cross reference it.
- Notes - this is an internal field only and not displayed by default.
The Company, Reference, and Notes fields are for informational purposes only and not specifically acted upon by Auctria.
Credit Card panel
If the Credit Cards integration feature set is enabled, you can register the bidder's credit card in this panel.
To use an external USB credit card reader, click Swipe card button. See Credit Card Readers And Swipers for more information.
If the swipe is successful, the window will close and the credit card number and its expiration date will populate the appropriate fields in the Credit Card panel.
When using a credit card reader, only the credit card number and expiration date are read. The Card Verification Code (CVC, aka CCV) (found on the back of most credit cards) is not present on the magnetic strip and will not be available by swiping the card. You can either type the CCV security code in manually or you can set the Credit Card Settings to make the CCV security code optional.
If you do not have a card reader, you can simply enter the credit card number information manually. The use of Credit Card Readers And Swipers is completely optional.
Optional Information
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| First name | The bidder's first name |
| If provided, the email address will allow statements to be sent electronically. See Bidder Statements for more information. | |
| Phone number | The bidder's phone number. |
| Cell phone number | The bidder's cell phone number. This can be used as part of text based bidding. |
| Additional Bidders | If other people will be bidding under this bidder's name, but do not have their own bidder record then you can enter their names here. These will be shown on the bidder's statement. |
| Checked In | If selected, indicates that the bidder has checked in. See Check-In Bidders for more information. |
| Seating preference | A bidder's seating preference is usually entered by the bidder during online registration if that option is enabled. |
| Meal choice | Select the meal that the bidder has chosen. |
| Company | If the bidder is representing a company, you can enter the company name. |
| Reference | Add any extra information you need to track about this bidder. If you are importing bidder information from another system then this can be used to store an internal id within that system. |
| Guest of | The name of another bidder who invited or bought the ticket for this bidder. With the ticket sales feature this field will be filled automatically when selling tickets. |
| Tags | Add tags to help categorize and identify the bidder. See How To Use Tags for more information. |
When you are done entering information, click the Save Bidder button.
The Register Bidder windows will refresh to allow you to quickly add another bidder.
Sidebar Actions
The Actions sidebar menu allows you to Save Bidder as well as linking to the Bidder List report page, Bidder Check-in page, and a link back to the Bidder Dashboard by clicking Back to Bidders.
Also to note, every time you save a bidder they will appear at the top of the window in the Recently Registered Bidders panel.
Adding Bidders
There are a number of ways bidders can be added to an event.
- Manually Add New Bidder from the dashboard.
- Copy Bidders from a previous event.
- Importing bidders from an Excel file.
- By selling Tickets online or via the auction dashboard.
- Duplicating an existing bidder.
- Allow self-registration on the auction website, see Bidder Registration/Checkout for more details.
Last reviewed: June 2023