Walk through all ten steps of the auction wizard, from naming your auction to publishing it.

The auction wizard guides you through setting up your auction one step at a time. This article covers every step, from the basic information and your items to the winner email, payment account and publishing.

Start the wizard

1. Go to Auction > Auctions in the left sidebar.
2. Click Create Auction.

The wizard opens with its steps listed under Form Steps on the left. Completed steps are marked with a green tick. A live preview on the right shows your auction page as you build it. Use the Mobile and Desktop buttons to switch the preview, the moon icon to see it in dark mode, and Hide Preview to close it.

At the bottom of each step:

• Save & Next saves the step and moves on.
• Save & Exit saves your progress so you can finish later.
• Back One Step returns to the previous step.
• Skip appears on optional steps and moves on without changes.

Step 1: Basic Information

Name your auction and choose when bidding opens and closes.

1. Enter the Auction Name. Keep it short and specific so bidders can identify the auction quickly.
2. Under Sales Start Date, choose the date and time bidding opens. Leave it empty to open bidding as soon as you publish.
3. Under Sales Close Date, choose the date and time bidding closes. This is required.
4. Click Save & Next.

Note: Bidding always stops at the close date, so double-check the date and time before you publish.

Step 2: Description

Add optional details about the auction, such as what it supports and what bidders can expect. The description appears under About this auction on your auction page.

• Use the toolbar to format text and add links, images, videos and buttons.
• Click /ai to draft or improve the text with AI.
• Use Snippets to insert text you’ve saved before.
• The description can be up to 2,000 characters.

Step 3: Campaign Color

Choose a theme color for your public auction and bidding pages. Click one of the preset colors, or click + to choose your own. The selected color’s code is shown below the swatches, and the preview updates straight away.

Step 4: Banner

Add a banner image to the top of your auction page. You can upload your own image, generate one with AI, or choose a stock image. To replace the banner, click the delete icon on the image and add a new one.

Step 5: Bidding Settings

Control how much bids must rise by and whether bidders can add a tip.

1. Enter the Default Minimum Bid Increment. This is how much each new bid must beat the current bid by. It must be at least $0.01.
2. Turn on Allow bidders to add a tip if you want bidders to be able to add an optional tip for your organization when they save their card.
3. Click Save & Next.

Tip: The default increment applies to every item. You can give any item its own increment when you add it.

Step 6: Fulfillment

Choose how winners receive their items after the auction closes. Turn on one option:

• Allow pickup — Winners collect their items in person. Add Pickup Instructions, such as your address, opening hours and a contact number.
• Allow shipping — Winners give a shipping address and pay a flat fee. Enter the Flat Shipping Amount. It is added to the winner’s total.

Click Save & Next.

Step 7: Auction Items

Add the items bidders will bid on. Every item needs a title and a starting price.

1. Click the + button at the top right.
2. In the Add Item window, fill in the item details:
   • Title (required) — The item’s name, for example “1965 Ford Mustang Fastback”.
   • Description — Details that help bidders decide.
   • Starting Price (required) — The lowest amount the first bid can be.
   • Minimum Bid Increment — Leave empty to use the auction default, or enter a different increment for this item.
   • Fair Market Value — Optional. An estimate of what the item is worth.
   • Display Order — Controls the order items appear in on your auction page.
   • Images — Add photos of the item. New images upload when you save the item.
3. Click Add Item.
4. Repeat for each item, then click Save & Next.

Your items appear in a list showing each item’s increment, total bids and status. Items show as Draft until the auction is published. Use the ⋮ menu next to an item to manage it.

Step 8: Winner Email

Write the email sent to winning bidders once the auction closes and their card is charged. You can also choose to be notified about new bids.

1. Turn on Notification on each bid to get an email whenever a bid is placed.
2. Under Bid notification email, enter the addresses that should receive these emails, separated by commas. Leave it empty to use the organizer’s default email.
3. Enter the Email Subject. You can use these placeholders: {{BidderName}}, {{CampaignName}}, {{Items}} and {{Total}}.
4. Write the Message. Use the Variable menu to insert details such as the bidder’s first name or your organization’s name, and /ai to help write it. The message can be up to 5,000 characters.
5. Click Save & Next.

Step 9: Payment Account

Choose the account that will collect winning bid payments. Bidders enter a card when they bid, and winning bids are charged to this account once the auction closes.

1. Select an account from the Payment Accounts list. This is required.
2. Click Save & Next.

Note: Don’t see your account? Learn how to set up your payment account.

Step 10: Review

Check your auction before it goes live. The Review & Confirm screen shows your sales dates, minimum increment, tip setting, fulfillment, shipping fee, payment account and number of items. When everything is set, the setup state shows Auction Ready.

1. Check each setting. To change one, click the pencil icon next to it.
2. Click Publish Auction.

A confirmation message tells you your auction is live and ready to accept bids. Click Done. Your auction now appears in the Auction List with the status Started. Next, share your auction so supporters can start bidding.

Good to know

• Finish later — Click Save & Exit at any step to save your progress.
• Required steps — Basic Information, Auction Items and Payment Account can’t be skipped. The other steps can.
• Connect Stripe first — You’ll need a connected payment account for step 9. Learn how to set up your payment account.

Next steps

1. Monitoring and sharing your auction
2. How bidding works for your supporters