Online Silent Auctions - Step by Step Guide
It's simple to set up an online silent auction on GalaBid. This article takes you through the basics, with links to our most popular advanced features you may like to consider.
View this video or follow the steps below to set up your auction.
Demo
See this demo campaign created on GalaBid. It includes other item types - raffle, buy now and Crowdfunding/Donations. Any of these item types can be included in a campaign alongside auction items. https://app.galabid.com/ocean
Step by Step Guide
To create a simple auction on GalaBid follow these steps.
Step One - GalaBid Account Set Up
If you have not already set up an account go to galabid.com or speak to your local representative.
Step Two - Campaign Set Up
Click 'Create campaign'. It’s a case of a few fields to complete, to set up the shell of your campaign.
Step Three - Adding your Auction Items
Go to the Items section in the side menu. Click Create item and choose Auction from the dropdown list. Complete the fields. Include one or more images and a description. Alternatively, download the items template, complete the relevant fields and save and upload the file. Then upload images to each item. You can also add categories and add items as you create them to the relevant category or go to Categories tab, and bulk add items to the categories you have set up. See this video on uploading items.
Tip: Vouchers is a very handy feature you may like to consider utilizing. You can set up vouchers for individual items to provide winners with information on how to claim/book their prize. Vouchers are automatically delivered to winners once payment has been processed. For an overview of vouchers see this article.
Tip: GalaBid provides tried and tested auction items you can add to your campaign on a sale or return basis. All proceeds above the cost of the prize are donated to the campaign. Read this article for how No Risk Prizes on Consignment work and how to add them to your campaign.
Step Four - Payment Processing
Head over to Setup > Payments and click to set up a Stripe account or connect an existing Stripe account. This enables you to automatically receive the proceeds into your bank account. To ask participants in your campaign to pay an extra amount, when making a payment (for example to cover the transaction fees charged by Stripe), see this article.
Tip: Make sure to choose Individual/Sole Trader if you are not representing an organization when setting up your Stripe account.
Tip : On Setup > TAX/Invoicing complete the details that will be displayed on the invoice each participant receives when they make a payment to your campaign. This should include the name of the organiztaion or individual collecting the funds along with contact details for any queries. Read more about the Invoice template.
Step Five - Campaign Branding
On the side menu go to Branding to add colours, logos etc. Here you can also set up a widget page. Refer to this advanced help video for Widget Pages.
Step Six - Registration Settings
On Setup > Registration you can create custom fields if you require additional information to be collected. An example may be Company Name. Note that phone and email registration settings are fixed and custom fields are not required for either for phone number or email. These fields will be automatically included if available on the GalaBid pricing option you have selected.
Step Seven - Auction Open and Close settings
Open Auction Controls in the side menu. Auctions are opened manually here.
An automatic start and close time (for all auction items) can be set along with overtime.
The end of auction messages can also be edited via the Communications section in the left hand menu.
Tip: Closing individual items is not yet available but you can hide or lock items to prevent further bids being placed on those items.
Tip: Edit the message that will be sent to participants who did not win/make any purchase/donations during the auction to prompt them to donate by linking a donation item to the message.
Step Eight - Link to Share with Supporters
You will find the link to your campaign in the top left corner of your campaign dashboard. You will also find a QR code pointing to the registration page on your campaign. Share this link and QR code with potential supporters. Note that GalaBid does not share campaign links.
Step Nine - In Person Event Preparation
Set up a leaderboard to display auction items and the highest bids to an in-room audience. Watch this video to learn how. Volunteer accounts are typically used on mobile devices (tablets/phones) to assist guests at an in person event. Volunteer accounts can register bidders, place bids, make bidders anonymous, take payments in person. See this video to see how to set up and use a Volunteer account.
Step Ten - Tracking and Reporting
Access the Summary page in the side menu to see your total raised in real time. Go to the Bids and Buys section to view and delete any mistaken bids. For detailed reporting download the relevant report in the Reports section. When the auction has closed, track the status of payments and send payment reminders in the Checkout Console. Payments made on your campaign will be automatically paid into your bank account by Stripe. The frequency of payouts can be edited in your Stripe dashboard.
This video walks you through all of the features available within the Checkout Console.
Happy Fundraising!!
Checkout our the Auction Section of the Help Center for more auction specific articles. Also our online chat support agents are available to answer any questions you have along the way.