How Do I Change or Update My Bidding Options?

Overview of Bidding Options

Bidding options are the configurable parameters that control how bidders interact with auction items, including bid increment amounts, proxy bidding settings, closing time rules, Buy Now features, and minimum bid requirements. CharityAuctionsToday provides flexible controls allowing organizers to customize the bidding experience to match their fundraising strategy and audience preferences.

Types of Bidding Options

Item-Level Bidding Options

Settings applied to individual auction items:

Starting Bid:

• Minimum amount for first bid
• Set per item based on value
• Influences participation and competition
• Typically 30-50% of fair market value

Bid Increments:

• Required increase between bids
• Can vary by item or price range
• Prevents penny bidding
• Ensures meaningful bid increases

Reserve Price:

• Confidential minimum selling price
• Optional protective threshold
• Item remains unsold if not met
• Protects high-value items

Buy Now Price:

• Immediate purchase option
• Bypasses bidding process
• Fixed price for instant sale
• Removes item from bidding when purchased

Bidding Window:

• Start time when bidding opens
• End time when bidding closes
• Can differ by item or category
• Allows staggered closing strategies

Event-Level Bidding Options

Settings applied across the entire auction:

Default Bid Increments:

• Standard increment table for all items
• Can be overridden per item
• Often structured by price ranges
• Maintains consistency across auction

Closing Type:

• Hard close: Fixed end time
• Soft close: Extended bidding on activity
• Staggered close: Items close at intervals
• Affects bidding behavior and strategy

Proxy Bidding:

• Enable or disable automatic bidding
• Allows bidders to set maximum bids
• System bids incrementally on their behalf
• Increases convenience for bidders

Mobile Bidding:

• Enable bidding through mobile devices
• App-based or mobile web bidding
• QR code scanning capabilities
• Real-time notifications

Bid Notifications:

• Outbid alert settings
• Closing time reminders
• Winning notifications
• Communication frequency preferences

How to Change Item-Level Bidding Options

Accessing Item Settings

Navigate to individual item configuration:

1. Log into your CharityAuctionsToday event dashboard
2. Click "Items" or "Auction Catalog"
3. Locate the specific item to modify
4. Click "Edit" or the item name
5. Access the bidding configuration section

Updating Starting Bid

Modify the minimum first bid amount:

• Locate "Starting Bid" or "Opening Bid" field
• Enter new dollar amount (numbers only)
• Consider item value and target audience
• Lower starting bids encourage participation
• Higher starting bids protect valuable items
• Save changes before exiting

Best Practices:

• Set 30-50% of fair market value
• Round to clean numbers ($25, $50, $100)
• Consider psychological pricing ($49 vs $50)
• Test different strategies across similar items

Adjusting Bid Increments

Change the required increase between bids:

Fixed Increment:

• Set specific dollar amount (e.g., $10)
• Applied to all bids on this item
• Simple and predictable
• Good for lower-value items

Percentage Increment:

• Set percentage increase (e.g., 10%)
• Scales with current bid amount
• Maintains proportional increases
• Better for high-value items

Custom Increment Table:

• Different increments at different price levels
• Example: $5 up to $100, then $10 up to $500, then $25
• Most sophisticated approach
• Requires more setup time

Setting Reserve Prices

Add or modify confidential minimum selling price:

1. Locate "Reserve Price" field in item settings
2. Enter minimum acceptable sale price
3. Leave blank if no reserve desired
4. Ensure reserve is below fair market value
5. Consider setting at 50-70% of value
6. Save and confirm reserve is active

Important Notes:

• Reserves remain hidden from bidders
• Item won't sell below reserve
• You can waive reserve post-auction
• Remove reserve by clearing field and saving

Configuring Buy Now Options

Enable immediate purchase capability:

1. Find "Buy Now Price" or "Instant Purchase" option
2. Enter fixed purchase price
3. Typically 100-120% of fair market value
4. Enable or disable Buy Now feature
5. Set whether Buy Now removes item from auction
6. Save configuration

Buy Now Strategy:

• Price high enough to exceed likely final bid
• Creates urgency and convenience
• Generates immediate revenue
• Best for items with strong demand

Adjusting Bidding Times

Modify when item opens and closes:

Opening Time:

• Set date and time bidding begins
• Can open before or during event
• Earlier opening builds momentum
• Stagger openings for different categories

Closing Time:

• Set date and time bidding ends
• Coordinate with event schedule
• Stagger closings to prevent conflicts
• Allow adequate bidding duration

Time Zone Considerations:

• Verify correct time zone setting
• Platform typically uses event location time
• Displays adjust for bidder locations
• Test with different time zones if virtual event

How to Change Event-Level Bidding Options

Accessing Auction Settings

Navigate to global auction configuration:

1. From event dashboard, click "Settings" or "Auction Settings"
2. Look for "Bidding Options" or "Auction Configuration"
3. Review current settings before making changes
4. Understand impact on all items
5. Test changes in preview mode if available

Configuring Default Bid Increments

Set standard increments for entire auction:

Increment Table Setup:

• Define price ranges (e.g., $0-$100, $101-$500, $501+)
• Set increment for each range
• System applies automatically to new items
• Existing items retain their settings unless updated

Common Increment Structures:

Conservative (slower bidding):

• $0-$100: $5 increments
• $101-$250: $10 increments
• $251-$500: $25 increments
• $501-$1,000: $50 increments
• $1,001+: $100 increments

Aggressive (faster bidding):

• $0-$50: $5 increments
• $51-$100: $10 increments
• $101-$300: $25 increments
• $301+: $50 increments

Setting Closing Type

Choose how auction ends:

Hard Close:

• All items close at exact scheduled time
• No extensions regardless of activity
• Simple and predictable
• Risk of last-second sniping
• Best for: In-person events with fixed schedule

Soft Close (Anti-Snipe):

• Extends closing time if bids arrive near end
• Typically 2-5 minute extensions
• Continues until no new bids
• Prevents last-second bidding
• Best for: Online auctions prioritizing fairness

Staggered Close:

• Items close at predetermined intervals
• Example: 10 items every 5 minutes
• Maintains bidder engagement
• Reduces simultaneous closing stress
• Best for: Large auctions with 50+ items

Configuration Steps:

1. Select preferred closing type
2. Set extension duration (for soft close)
3. Define stagger intervals (for staggered close)
4. Test with sample items
5. Communicate closing rules to bidders

Enabling/Disabling Proxy Bidding

Configure automatic bidding feature:

Enabling Proxy Bidding:

• Allows bidders to set maximum bids
• System bids incrementally on their behalf
• Increases convenience and participation
• Reduces need for constant monitoring
• Higher final bid amounts typically result

Disabling Proxy Bidding:

• Bidders must manually place each bid
• More traditional auction experience
• Requires more active participation
• May reduce final prices slightly
• Better for in-person events with live excitement

Implementation:

1. Toggle proxy bidding on or off
2. Set clear explanation for bidders
3. Update help documentation
4. Train staff on how it works
5. Monitor bidder feedback

Configuring Notification Settings

Control communication with bidders:

Outbid Notifications:

• Enable/disable outbid alerts
• Choose delivery method (email, SMS, push)
• Set frequency limits to avoid spam
• Allow bidders to customize preferences

Closing Reminders:

• Enable alerts at specific intervals
• Common timing: 24h, 1h, 15min, 5min before close
• Balance reminders with notification fatigue
• Segment by item value or bidder interest

Winning Notifications:

• Immediate notification when auction closes
• Include checkout instructions
• Payment deadline reminders
• Item pickup or delivery information

Updating Bidding Options Mid-Auction

Best Practices for Live Changes

Making adjustments during active bidding:

What You Can Safely Change:

• Extend closing times
• Adjust notification settings
• Update item descriptions
• Add new items
• Modify event-level settings with caution

What to Avoid Changing:

• Starting bids after bids received
• Bid increments on items with active bidding
• Closing times to earlier than originally set
• Reserve prices after item has bids

Communicating Changes to Bidders

When updates affect active auctions:

1. Post announcement on auction homepage
2. Send email notification to registered bidders
3. Update FAQ or help section
4. Train event staff on changes
5. Be available to answer questions

Example Communication: "Due to strong bidding activity, we're extending the closing time for all items in Category A by 30 minutes. Items originally closing at 8:00 PM will now close at 8:30 PM. Thank you for your enthusiastic participation!"

Emergency Adjustments

Handling unexpected situations:

Technical Issues:

• Extend bidding if platform problems occur
• Void bids if system errors identified
• Communicate technical delays immediately
• Document all adjustments for transparency

Rule Violations:

• Disable Buy Now if misused
• Adjust increments if penny bidding occurs
• Extend closing if sniping undermines fairness
• Remove problematic bidders if necessary

Bulk Updating Bidding Options

Applying Changes to Multiple Items

Efficient management of large catalogs:

Bulk Selection:

1. Navigate to item catalog view
2. Use checkboxes to select multiple items
3. Click "Bulk Edit" or "Edit Selected"
4. Choose which fields to update
5. Apply changes to all selected items

Category-Based Updates:

• Select all items in specific category
• Apply consistent bidding rules
• Useful for organizing by item type
• Example: All "Travel" items close at 8:00 PM

CSV Re-import:

• Export current items to CSV
• Update bidding options in spreadsheet
• Re-import with update flag
• System matches and updates existing items

Consistency Considerations

Maintaining fair and predictable auction:

• Keep similar items with similar settings
• Don't create confusing variations
• Document rationale for special cases
• Test bidder experience across different settings

Mobile vs. Desktop Bidding Options

Platform-Specific Settings

Different experiences for different devices:

Mobile Optimizations:

• Simplified bidding interface
• One-click proxy bid setup
• Push notification priority
• QR code scanning for item access
• Touch-friendly bid buttons

Desktop Features:

• Detailed item views
• Multiple items monitored simultaneously
• Advanced search and filtering
• Spreadsheet-style item comparison
• More comprehensive dashboards

Unified Settings: Most bidding options apply across all platforms, but consider:

• Mobile users may prefer proxy bidding
• Desktop users can manage complex strategies
• Notification preferences may differ
• Test on all devices before launch

Advanced Bidding Options

Quantity Bidding

For items with multiple units available:

• Set quantity available (e.g., 5 identical items)
• Bidders compete for individual units
• Highest bidders win at their bid amounts
• Different from traditional single-item bidding

Configuration:

1. Set total quantity available
2. Determine if all units same price or varied
3. Configure how winners determined
4. Set maximum per bidder if applicable

Bidder Limits

Control participation boundaries:

Maximum Bid Limits:

• Set per-bidder spending caps
• Useful for ensuring broad participation
• Prevents single bidder dominating
• Common at school or community auctions

Minimum Bid Requirements:

• Require bidder approval for high-value items
• Pre-authorization for large purchases
• Credit checks for expensive items
• Invitation-only bidding tiers

Bidding Pace Control

Manage auction momentum:

Minimum Time Between Bids:

• Prevent rapid-fire bidding
• Example: 15-second minimum
• Reduces system load
• Encourages thoughtful bidding

Maximum Bid Increases:

• Cap single bid jumps
• Prevent "buy now" through excessive bidding
• Maintain competitive atmosphere
• Example: Maximum 3x current increment

Testing Your Bidding Options

Pre-Launch Testing

Verify settings before going live:

Test Bidder Accounts:

1. Create multiple test bidder accounts
2. Place test bids at different amounts
3. Verify increments enforce correctly
4. Test proxy bidding functionality
5. Confirm notifications deliver properly
6. Check mobile and desktop experiences

Closing Time Tests:

• Verify time zone displays
• Test soft close extensions
• Confirm staggered closing timing
• Check countdown timers accuracy

Review Checklist:

• All items have appropriate starting bids
• Increments make sense for item values
• Reserves set on high-value items
• Buy Now prices competitive but profitable
• Closing times coordinated and logical
• Notifications configured and working

Ongoing Monitoring

During the live auction:

• Watch for bidding anomalies
• Monitor notification delivery
• Check for technical issues
• Review bidder feedback
• Be ready to make adjustments
• Document what works and what doesn't

Support and Resources

Getting Help with Bidding Options

CharityAuctionsToday Support:

• Online help documentation
• Video tutorials on bidding configuration
• Live chat during business hours
• Email support for detailed questions
• Phone support for urgent issues

Best Practices Resources:

• Industry standard increment tables
• Closing strategy recommendations
• Case studies from successful auctions
• Benchmarking data
• Auction optimization guides

Training Your Team

Ensuring staff understands settings:

• Review all bidding options together
• Assign ownership of different settings
• Create internal documentation
• Practice making changes in test environment
• Develop troubleshooting procedures
• Plan for mid-auction support coverage

Conclusion

Changing and updating bidding options on CharityAuctionsToday gives organizers powerful control over the auction experience. Whether adjusting item-level settings like starting bids and reserves, or event-level configurations like closing types and proxy bidding, understanding these options enables you to create an auction that matches your fundraising goals and audience preferences.

Take time before your auction to carefully configure bidding options, test thoroughly across devices, and communicate clearly with bidders about how the auction works. During the event, monitor performance and be prepared to make adjustments as needed. After the auction, review what worked well and what could be improved for future events.

With CharityAuctionsToday's flexible bidding options and this comprehensive understanding of how to manage them, you're well-equipped to create engaging, fair, and successful charity auctions that maximize both participation and fundraising results.

Tom Kelly

Tom Kelly, TEDx speaker and CEO of CharityAuctions.com, helps nonprofits raise millions through auctions and AI. He hosts The Million Dollar Nonprofit podcast and inspires leaders to live their legacy, not just leave it.