How to Close an Auction, an Item or a Category

This article explains how to close your auction using a timer, entirely, close an item early, or close a specific category.

Organizations can use several strategies to start closing an auction. You can close by category, on a timer, all at once, or by individual item(s). This article will outline the steps for each method.

 

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Article Index:

1. Overview
2. Close Auction by Timer
   1. Cancel Timer
3. Close Entire Auction Immediately

   1. Auction Close Process

   2. Ramifications of Closing Auction
4. Close by Category
   
   
5. Close Individual Item(s)
   
   

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Overview

When you are ready to close your auction or to schedule it to close, you can do so through the shortcut menu. 

• Schedule the auction to close when you open the auction. When you open the auction a pop up will appear that will provide the option to set a timer now or set a timer later.
• Close auction by Timer - BEST PRACTICE (schedule it to close in the future)
• Close Auction NOW - (this will close it immediately)
• Close Category (close a specific category) 

                                

Close Auction By Timer

Video: 

 

Instructions:

You can choose to set the auction closing timer based on the event's end time when you first open the auction, or you can decide to set a closing time for your auction later on. Once you select to open your auction, a pop-up will appear with these two choices.

If you choose to close your auction automatically, a timer will begin counting down from the moment you open it until the auction ends. To set a different closing time for your auction later, select "No, I will set a close time on my auction later."

Once you are ready to close your auction, go to the shortcut menu and select "Close Auction by Timer"

 

You can set a timer to close your auction in either a specific number of hours or minutes (using the left side) or at a particular time and date (using the right side). 

If you want your auction to close in 15 minutes, simply enter "15" in the minutes box on the left and click the "SET TIMER" button. 

If you prefer for your auction to close later in the week, for example, on Friday night at 9 PM, click the calendar icon on the right side and select your desired time and date.

Note: the date and time you select will be based on your auction's timezone. 

When you have the time and date set, click the "START TIMER" button. Handbid will then confirm the timer and ask you if you want to "Keep Timer". If the timer is set, a timer indicator will appear in the top right corner of the manager dashboard.

                                     

Canceling a Timer

We do not recommend canceling a timer as a general practice (it annoys your bidders), but if you must, you can. Simply click "CANCEL TIMER" in the auction status tab in the toolbar.

Handbid will not notify your bidders when the timer is canceled. We recommend that you do so and explain why if necessary.

 

Close the Entire Auction Immediately

It is generally not the best approach (as no bidders are warned), but you can close your auction immediately by clicking "Close Auction Right Now".  Handbid will pop up a confirmation box and ask you to type the word CLOSE in there to close it. 

 

The Auction Close Process

When you close your auction, whether by setting a timer or doing so immediately, Handbid initiates the auction closing process. This process systematically reviews each category to identify any open items that have received bids. These items are then marked as SOLD and added to the winners' invoices.

You will see the notifications tab updates as the items are processed.

After the auction closes, Handbid performs a quick audit to ensure accuracy and verify that all invoices are correct. Once this audit is complete, if you are a manager, you will receive an alert notifying you that the results are finalized.

Once you see the "AUDIT Complete" message, you can start processing invoices and/or running a checkout.               

Ramifications of Closing Your Auction

Once your auction is closed, any items that had bids will be marked as SOLD to the winning bidder and included in that bidder's invoice. Please note that this action cannot be undone easily; it requires a significant amount of manual work on your part and can lead to a great deal of frustration for your bidders, who may feel confused, upset, or both.

 

Close Auction by a Category

To close a category in the auction, select "Close a single category in the auction" in the Shortcut menu.

The Close Auction by Category modal will appear. In this modal, you can select a category and then type CLOSE in the box below to close it.

                         

Close Category by timer

The category manager allows you to set a timer to close each category.  Category timers can be set, provided there are no items within that category with a timer already set.

Close Individual Item(s)

To close a single item, click on it in the Handbid Manager to open the edit window. From there, you can change the item's status to "SOLD." When you do this, the item will be marked as sold and put on the winning bidder's invoice. 

NOTE: There will be no warning to bidders that the item is closing - you should do that through a broadcast message, giving them ample notice to get their bids in. 

                                 

NOTE: Once an item is marked as sold, a purchase will be added to the winner's invoice.  This action can be reversed if you wish to make the item available again. To do this, you will need to remove the winning bid for that item, which will allow the item to be re-opened with the previous bidder recognized as the winner.

Close item(s) by timer

Auction Managers can set a timer for individual items by clicking on the clock icon in the item toolbar. Please note that item timers cannot be scheduled to close after a category that is already set to close. You can specify either the exact date and time for the item to close or the duration in hours and minutes until it closes.