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      Mock Auctions

      We recommend that you set up a "Mock Auction" with your Event Committee prior to building or opening your event. 

      • Important to know: Setting up a mock auction will be no different from setting up your real auction, once your mock auction is over you can refund any payments, remove bids, and delete your sample items.
      • If this is your first event with us, we have sample items already set up in your account so you can see what the different item types look like and how to set them up.
      • If you are a "Repeat Client" you will notice that your items and bidders are still in the software from your previous event. Go to Organization > Events to create a new event. 

       

      NOTE: Choosing to process payments with a credit card will act as REAL transaction, associated with credit card processing fees that your organization will be responsible for. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND RUNNING TEST TRANSACTIONS WITH THE CASH OR CHECK OPTION.

       

      Step One: Add your committee members as bidders

      There are a few ways to do this:

      1. Register to Bid is a way for guests to register for their own bidder number using the landing page/bid site. They will receive an e-mail and text with their bidder number and bidding link in it. (Email is editable under Software Settings > Landing Page Content > Login/Register Area. Text is editable under Software Settings > Auction Settings > Butler Settings, use shortcodes only in the text message located just above the content area of the message.)
      2. You can do a mass download using our spreadsheet found under Bidders>Manage Bidders> bottom of the page.
      3. You can add individual bidders by going to Bidders>Manage Bidders >Add Bidder. 

      Step Two: Create Sample Items

      1. Go to Items > Manage Items and create sample items. Set your closing times up for the time you want your Mock Auction to close and adjust the status of each item to ACTIVE.
        1. To do a batch update of closing times, toggle All in the "Show Entries" box in the top left of the page, Toggle the top box to include all of the items, or just toggle individual items that you want to be included. 
        2. Scroll down to the batch update section, click status > Active, and click Closing Time. Enter the time and date you want it to close.  Make sure to click update at the bottom right of the page.
      2. Ensure all mock auction items are set to ACTIVE with a closing time in the FUTURE.

      Step Three: Open your Auction!

      1. Go to Software Settings > Landing Page Content > Login/Register Area > Open Auction Early? Yes. Your Action is now open!

      Step Four: Let your Bidders know how to get started!

      1. Have Mass Messaging? Send out a Mass Message to let your bidders know the event is now open. Go to Bidders > Text Bidders or E-mail Bidders, add a subject, and target all bidders. Say something like:
        "[f], Bidding is now open for the "XXX Gala" Click the link below to start bidding. [u]"
      2. Don't Have Mass Messaging? Use personnel e-mail, Facebook, and the event website to let your bidders know your auction is open. Say something like:
        "Bidding is now open for the "XXX Gala". To start bidding, log into our event landing page!"
      3. You can go to each individual bidder record to send out a text and an email with the bidding site and bidding link in it. 
      4. Go to Software Settings > Auction Settings > Butler Settings to customize your Welcome Text, make sure to include the shortcode [u] so bidders can click on the URL this creates and get to the bidding site.
      5. Go to Bidders > Manage Bidders > Click on a bidder, scroll down and click details and hit Send welcome text/email or send it out using the butler 

      Step Five: Log in and Start Bidding!

      1. Sign into the Landing Page with your phone number or email attached to your bidder profile. Complete the Login Process by entering in the One-Time Login Code.
      2. Once Logged in, start bidding on any items

      TIP: The fewer items you have for the mock auction the better so everyone can experience getting outbid text messages.

      Step Six: Complete Checkout

      Once you close your items whoever won an item will have a red pay button on the top of their bidding screen if you have your auction set up to allow guests to check out from their phones (found under Software Settings > Auction Settings > Payment). You also can check out bidders using the Butler's Bidder Lookup area. (Event Central > Butler > Bidder Lookup)

      Step Seven: Refund & Remove the Mock Auction Bids

      1. You can refund any payments made if you practiced making payments (usually cash or check so it doesn't run your credit card). Go to Event Central > Event Payments > Paid Checkouts. Click on the refund icon and refund this whole transaction. 
      2. Then, go to Bidders > Manage Bidders, find the column labeled "Tags" and click on the "Has Bids" tag, here you can remove the bids each bidder placed.
      3. You can now delete any sample items you created by going to Items > Manage Items > Selecting them, then scrolling down to the Batch Update section, clicking delete, typing delete, and clicking update.