Auction Event Setup

Create a new event by clicking the green New Event button in the upper right corner of the screen after logging in.

Edit an existing event by clicking the Enter Event button below your auction.

Event Settings

Clicking the New Event button will bring you directly to the Event Settings page. This is where you will set up the core functionality of your event.

Tips for easier event management

Set your event code to be something short and memorable. The event code is the unique portion of your event link: https://[SiteCode].auctionsnap.com/[EventCode]
Do not check the “Allow custom open/close times by location” option. This will ensure that all items will use the default open/close times set on the Event Settings page.
While you are setting up the event, do not use a future Event Open date. You will not be able to preview your event before it opens. Once you have finished setting up the event, come back and set the Event Open date as needed.
If you aren’t worried about unknown bidders, uncheck the “Require Approval of Bidders” option. With that setting disabled, any person can begin bidding as soon as they log in. Otherwise each uninvited user will need to be approved before they can place a bid.

Event Settings Field Explanations

Event Name	The name that will be displayed to your guests
Event Code	The part of the URL to specify your event. No spaces or special characters allowed. Keep it short and easy to remember.
Event Open	The time when a user can log in to your event and see the auction items
Bidding Open	The time when a user can begin bidding on auction items
Bidding Close	The time when no more bids will be accepted on auction items
Event Close	The time when the auction website and checkout pages will no longer be accessible. This is usually multiple days after bidding closes to allow collecting payment at a later date.
Timezones	The timezone where your event will be held. Dates/times will automatically adjust for each user’s location on their device.
Allow Bid Anonymously	Give users the option to hide their name in the Bid History section.
Allow Guest Entry (View Only)	Allow users to browse your auction items without logging in. All users must log in to place a bid.
Allow Payment of CC Fees	Display a checkbox during checkout for the user to add a set percentage to their payment to offset payment processing fees.
CC Fee % to Add	If the user opts to cover the payment processing fees, this percentage will be added to their payment total.
Require Approval of Bidders	Do not allow bidding by users that have not been manually approved in the Participants page.
Allow Custom Bidding Open/Close by Location	Each location will have independent open and close times for bidding. Set up these times on the Locations page.
Allow Texting	Send text message notifications to the users that have enabled them.
Starting Bid Number	The first bidder number that will be assigned to a participant followed by sequential order.
Receipt Template	Select the PDF template that should be used for all printed/PDF generated receipts.

Page/Email Customization

There are many pages in AuctionSnap that can display custom content.

Pre-Event Banner Page Header

This content will show in place of the login screen before the Event Open date.

This content will show above the login fields while the event is open.

Event Welcome Page Body

This content will show in the middle of the page below the countdown timer and buttons after a user logs in.

Email Receipt

The email receipt is sent to a participant after they complete checkout. It contains the details of the items they purchased, additional donations, and any optional payment processing fees they opted in to. Customize your email receipts with a header section above the main receipt content and a footer below the main content.

Winning Bid Email

The winning bid email is sent after bidding has closed to the bidder with the winning bid. By default it tells the participant to consult their tax professional for advice regarding tax deductible status. If you wish to say something different, just replace that content in the footer section.

Contact Us Page

The Contact Us page is located using the navigation menu under My Account > Contact Us.

Locations, Tags, and Donation Types

Locations are typically table numbers or other physical locations, but it could alternatively be any single select categorization of your items.This selection is visible to your participants. All items available for bidding must have a location selected.

Tags are used to group similar items together. Each item can be assigned multiple tags. For example an overnight trip to see a baseball game might be tagged with Sports, Entertainment, and Trips. A cooking class for two might be tagged with Food and Date Night.

Donation Types are used for the item’s donation record in DonorSnap or your donor management system. If your AuctionSnap site is already linked with a DonorSnap account, the Donation Types from your DonorSnap database will auto-populate for each new event you create.

Using Locations to Set Custom Table Open/Close Times

If you choose to close tables at different times, each location can be set up with custom bid open/close times. First enable this feature “Allow custom bidding open/close by location” in the Event Settings screen. Then go to the Locations, Tags, and Donation Types page and add your locations with their custom times. If this feature is enabled, the default open/close times set up in the Event Settings screen will no longer be linked to your locations. Making changes to the default will not affect the existing location open/close times.

Auction Items

There are four types of items that can be set up in AuctionSnap:

Online Auction

Online Auction items are your standard auction item with online bidding in the app. These items can be set up with multiple quantities (but not unlimited quantities). A buy it now price can also be enabled so that a bidder can choose to pay a higher price to win the item right away.

Rules for multiple quantities

When multiple quantities are used, there will be multiple high bidders with varying bid amounts. For example, if an item has a quantity of 4, there will be 4 possible high bidders. A new bidder only needs to outbid the lowest of the 4 high bidders to become a high bidder. If multiple high bidders have bid the same amount, the latter bid will be knocked out first when a new bid is placed.

Auto Bid

Auto Bid can be enabled for items with a quantity of one only. If a bidder chooses to enter a maximum bid amount along with their bid, the system will bid on their behalf when a new bidder tries to outbid them.

Live Auction Only

Live Auction Only items are what you think of when an auctioneer is collecting bids verbally or using paddles in-person. These items will be visible in the event app, but bidding will not be allowed in the app.

Buy It Now Only (Online)

Buy It Now Only (Online) items are available for purchase through the event app, but bidding is disabled for it. They will show up just like the regular auction items. When using the default event settings, these items can no longer be added to a participants cart online when biddings closes.

Buy It Now Only (In-Person Only)

Buy It Now Only (In-Person Only) items are not visible in the event app. They are only available through the admin checkout process. These items could be event tickets, raffle tickets, merchandise, etc.

Item Images

Item Images will be displayed with a max height of 450px. Only .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, and .bmp images under 5MB are allowed. Thumbnails will be displayed at 150px by 125px. The full height of the image will be displayed, and if necessary, the width will be cropped to fill the space. Only one image can be used per item. Animated gif images are allowed.

Auction Item Field Descriptions

Item Number	Unique number or code to identify an item. Can contain numbers or letters.
Name	The item name that will be used in the item listing and detail page.
Short Description	The description of an item that is visible on the item detail page.
Description	The larger description section when more space is needed that is initially hidden until clicked.
Pickup Instructions	Tell buyers what they need to do to receive this item.
Donation Type	Used for the item’s donation record in DonorSnap or your donor management system.
Tags	Categorize your items so that users can filter on similar items.
Status	Active items will be displayed in the auction app. Inactive items will be hidden.
Online Auction	This item will have bidding enabled in the auction app.
Live Auction Only	This item will be visible in the auction app, but online bidding is disabled. Bidding will take place in-person only.
Buy It Now Only (Online)	This item will be available for purchase in the auction app at a set price. Bidding is not allowed.
Buy It Now Only (In-Person Only)	This item will not be visible in the auction app. It will be available for purchase through the admin checkout system only.
Allow Auto Bid	Option to set a max bid that will automatically place bids on behalf of a bidder up to that amount.
Quantity	The number of items available.
Starting Bid	Start bidding at a higher specified amount.
Buy It Now Price	The amount a user can pay to win the item immediately.
Max Quantity Per Purchase	The number of items displayed in the quantity dropdown list while using the Buy It Now option.
Default Bid Increment	The amount used to determine the next bid amount.
Fair Market Value	Optional. Assign a value to the item for calculating tax benefits.
Donated By	Display who donated this item on the item detail page.
Location	The table number or other type of location grouping for the item.

Image Guidelines

AuctionSnap will scale your logos and auction item images according to the device and the image location. Images are used in the website and in emails. For best results, use high quality images with the aspect ratio of your choice. If an image is excessively large, the system will compress the image down to a maximum of 1920px by 1920px.

Event logos are displayed in the header with a max-width of 300px and a max-height of 54px. In emails, the logo is displayed at 250px wide and up to 250px high. For best results use an event logo image at least 250px by 54px.

Sponsor images are displayed at max-width of 400px and a max-height of 90px. For best results use a sponsor image size between 90px by 90px and 400px by 90px.

Auction item images will maximize the thumbnail using an aspect ratio of 6:5. Thumbnails are displayed at 150px by 125px. The full height of the image will be displayed, and if necessary, the width will be cropped to fill the space. Images in the auction item page are displayed in a browser with a 450px height. On a phone they are displayed at 250px height. For best results use an auction item image at least 540px wide by 450px high.

Auction Event Setup