Add New Bidder
To add a new bidder, from the main Auction Dashboard, click Bidders and then click Add New Bidder under the Bidders Dashboard sidebar actions menu. This will open the Add Bidder dashboard.
Add Bidder
The Add Bidder dashboard is used by organizers to register bidders directly.
IMPORTANT
Using the Add Bidder function will always add a new bidder.
Adding a new bidder with this function will not trigger any System Email Notifications.
The only required field for bidders using this approach is Last name. You can provide other bidder information as needed. Providing as much information as possible is still strongly recommended, including an email address for the bidder. The email address is recommended to be unique to each bidder if possible.
It is recommended to provide a bidder# or let the system automatically assign a bidder# for your guests to use as needed. Also, the linking and merging functions of Auctria will require bidders to have a bidder# assigned for them to work. Otherwise, the bidder number field can optionally be left blank.
Bidder Panel
Each bidder in your auction is given a bidder number (often displayed as Bidder # in the application).
Auctria Pro-Tip from Launch Services!
Bidder numbers are not required to be strictly numbers.
You can also use letters or any mix that suits your event.
The Bidder panel has fields for the following information:
- Bidder # -- Optional
This value is required for linking and merging bidders. It is often used internally. However, it is quite commonly used when a "Paddle Raise" is part of an in-person event. - First name
This is the bidder's first name. It can be left blank. - Last name -- Required
This is the bidder's last name; when a company is registered, it can be used as the company name. - Email -- Strongly 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
This is typically use for "land-line" telephone numbers with the intent it will not be used for SMS texting messages. - 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.
This field is purely informational. See Sharing Bidder Numbers for additional reference. - Seating preference
An information only field to be used as needed. - Guest of... (advanced)
This is a drop-down selector of the currently registered bidders and should only be changed if moving the bidder from one admission tickets purchaser to another. - Tags
You can use "Tags" for organizational and reporting purposes. If existing tags are available, clicking in the field will provide an auto-populating search. You can also add new tags as needed.
See the Optional Information section below for more details on these fields.
Address Panel
Suppose you will be mailing information or require physical locations for your bidders. In that case, 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 required.
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. These particular fields 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.
If there is a USB credit card swiper connected to the computer, and if the swipe is successful, the credit card number and its expiration date will populate the appropriate fields in the Credit Card panel. See Credit Card Readers And Swipers for more information.
Only the credit card number and expiration date are read when using a credit card reader. The Card Verification Code (CVC, aka CCV) (found on the back of most credit cards) is absent on the magnetic strip. It will not be available by swiping the card.
If you do not have a card reader, you can manually enter the credit card number information. Using Credit Card Readers And Swipers is entirely 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 Where Tags Can Be Used In Auctria for more information. |
When you are done entering information, click the Save Bidder button. The window will refresh to allow you to quickly add another bidder.
Sidebar Actions
The sidebar "actions" 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 Bidders 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.
More Ways To Add Bidders
- Copy Bidders from a previous event.
- Duplicating an existing bidder.
- Selling Tickets via the auction website or the auction dashboard.
- Bidder "self-registration" via the auction website; see the Bidder Registration/Checkout section of the User Guide for more details.
- Importing bidders using, for example, an Excel spreadsheet.
Last reviewed: September 2023