Auction items
To add auction items to your event on Live Events, you need to Auction turned on in your event’s Details.
Add auction items
- Log in to Live Events
- Select your event
- In your navigation menu, select Auction
- Select the Items tab
- Select + Add
A window appears to enter the item's details.
Item details
In the form, enter the item’s details such as name and starting bid. We help define the fields below.
Silent auction items
Details:
- Type*: The type of auction item such as Silent, Fixed Price, Live or Paddle Raise
- Name*: The title of the auction item
- Number*: The identifying number for the auction item
- Category*: The category that describes the auction item. Create a new item category by selecting + Add Category
- Donated By: Name of the person or organization who donated the item.
- Published: Toggle on to allow attendees to view the item
- Open: Toggle on to allow attendees to bid on the item
- Featured: Toggle on to feature the item.
Item options:
- Bidding Closes At*: The date and time on which bidding will close
- Starting Bid*: The starting bid amount for the item
- Minimum Raise*: The minimum amount a bidder can raise
- Enable Buy Now: Toggle on to allow attendees to purchase the item at a set price
- Enable Maximum Bid: Toggle on to allow attendees to set the highest amount they are willing to bid. Their bid will be raised by the minimum bid amount until their max bid is reached.
- Enable Reserve Price: Toggle on to set a minimum amount that must be met before the item is sold. Set this above your starting bid amount to help encourage bidding activity.
- Fair Market Value: The price the item would sell at on the open market
- Allow bidders to enter any amount: Toggle on to allow attendees to enter their own bid amounts
Other details:
- Internal Notes: Only visible to admins. Helpful for tracking the procurement or fulfillment of items.
- Purchase Notes: Visible on invoice/receipt. Add notes specific to this item, such as where and how to pick it up.
- Description: Details about the item for attendees.
- Images: Pictures of the item. You can include multiple images.
*Indicates a required field
Live auction item
Details:
- Type*: The type of auction item such as Silent, Fixed Price, Live or Paddle Raise
- Name*: The title of the auction item
- Number*: The identifying number for the auction item
- Category*: The category that describes the auction item. Create a new item category by selecting + Add Category
- Donated By: Name of the person or organization who donated the item.
- Published: Toggle on to allow attendees to view the item
- Open: Toggle on to allow attendees to bid on the item
- Featured: Toggle on to feature the item.
Item options:
- Starting Bid*: The starting bid amount for the item
- Fair Market Value: The price the item would sell at on the open market
Other details:
- Internal Notes: Only visible to admins. Helpful for tracking the procurement or fulfillment of items.
- Purchase Notes: Visible on invoice/receipt. Add notes specific to this item, such as where and how to pick it up.
- Description: Details about the item for attendees.
- Images: Pictures of the item. You can include multiple images.
*Indicates a required field
Fixed price item
Details:
- Type*: The type of auction item such as Silent, Fixed Price, Live or Paddle Raise
- Name*: The title of the auction item
- Number*: The identifying number for the auction item
- Category*: The category that describes the auction item. Create a new item category by selecting + Add Category
- Donated By: Name of the person or organization who donated the item.
- Published: Toggle on to allow attendees to view the item
- Open: Toggle on to allow attendees to bid on the item
- Featured: Toggle on to feature the item.
Item options:
- Quantity*: The number of items for sale
- Price*: The sale price of the item
- Fair Market Value: The price the item would sell at on the open market
Other details:
- Internal Notes: Only visible to admins. Helpful for tracking the procurement or fulfillment of items.
- Purchase Notes: Visible on invoice/receipt. Add notes specific to this item, such as where and how to pick it up.
- Description: Details about the item for attendees.
- Images: Pictures of the item. You can include multiple images.
*Indicates a required field
Paddle raise item
Details:
- Type*: The type of auction item such as Silent, Fixed Price, Live or Paddle Raise
- Name*: The title of the item
- Number*: The identifying number for the item
- Category*: The category which describes the item. Create a new item category by selecting + Add Category
- Published: Toggle on to allow attendees to view the item
- Open: Toggle on to allow attendees to pledge towards the item
- Featured: Toggle on to feature the item.
Item options:
- Allow user to input custom amount: Toggle on to allow attendees to donate custom amounts
- Donation Options*: Pre-defined donation amounts separated by commas
Other details:
- Internal Notes: Only visible to admins. Helpful for tracking procurement or fulfillment of items.
- Purchase Notes: Visible on invoice/receipt. Add any notes specific to this item, such as where and how to pick it up.
- Description: Details about the item for attendees.
- Images: Pictures of the item. You can include multiple images.
*Indicates a required field
Frequently asked questions
Can I bulk-upload items?
Yes, you can import auction items through a bulk upload.
After creating an auction item can I change the type?
Only some items can be changed. For Silent Auction items, you can switch to Live Auction if there are no bids. Other types will show, but you can’t save them.
If there are any bids or if the item is a Live Auction, Paddle Raise, or Fixed Price, you can’t change the type.
Can I bulk-edit items?
Yes! Select the Options dropdown and select Bulk Edit Items. You can quickly edit item numbers, turn on or off published/featured/open, and edit the item category. Also, you can set a specific date and time for all silent auction items to close.
Are any items banned from being included on Live Events?
Certain terms are not allowed in business-to-person SMS messaging in the US and Canada. As a result, items including terms such as CBD, cannabis, or crypto are not allowed on Live Events. For a complete list of terms, view Twilio's Forbidden Message Categories.
Are there any tips for uploading item images?
Live Events will accept most image types and sizes. However, for the best online experience, we recommend using a JPG or PNG image file type and up to 2 MB image size.
We don't have specific image dimensions you should use, but we recommend uploading images with similar dimensions or aspect ratios for a consistent look on your auction page. For help resizing your images, you can use Adobe's free image resizer tool.
If an uploaded image is incorrectly rotated, you need to remove the image's vertical or horizontal orientation within the hidden EXIF data. Upload the original image here to remove the EXIF data and then download a new version of the picture to use for your auction item.