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A Useful Checklist To Guide Your Next Auction Online

By Whit Hunter

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Hosting an auction online is a great way to raise money and engage your donor base. Anyone with an internet connection can find your event and bid anytime, from anywhere. This is a great way to expand your reach and donor base while giving your community a new and exciting way to bond with each other. Plus, BetterWorld gives you the technology you need to make setting up an online auction as seamless and easy as possible!

No matter if you’re running standalone live online auctions or as part of a live event, BetterWorld makes it easy to cash in. All you have to do is list your items online and send out the link to your supporters. Once you’re set up, you’re ready to accept bids from generous donors.

Ready to get started? This auction planning checklist will help you put your event together and get the bids you want.

1. Choose your platform

To run an auction online, you need somewhere to host it. BetterWorld is the fastest growing platform in the country, with free tools, a beautiful design, and an intuitive interface. Whether you’re running a school or a nonprofit, it is the best online auction software to host everything you need for a successful event in one place.

On BetterWorld, participants can view details of your online auction items, bid in real-time, and pay for their items automatically. Additionally, there’s automated fulfillment assistance to help connect winners with their items. It truly makes running an online action as simple as can be!

2. Ask for online auction item donations

A successful auction happens when you have high-quality items that resonate with your audience. When searching for donations, cast a wide net and get the best possible items from your community — donors, board members, volunteers, local businesses, and more. Put out feelers to anyone you think might be interested in donating an online auction item.

As you choose items, consider your audience’s interests. If you’ve held auctions in the past, see if you can repeat your biggest successes. If something sparked a bidding war before and you can’t replicate it, see what you can get that’s similar.

Not sure what to ask for or who to reach out to? BetterWorld has a Great Items Guide to spark your creativity. We’ve also created an item donation form that you can send out for free to your contacts. They can even send the form out to their contacts, helping you source the best possible items while getting the word out about your live online auctions.

3. Write compelling item descriptions

People can’t touch or hold the items in an online auction. Your descriptions must be as detailed and enticing as possible to ensure viewers feel compelled to bid. Start with an exciting title that highlights one of the item’s main selling points, such as “Designer watch” or “Luxury getaway.”

Below the title — in slightly smaller print — add a one- or two-sentence description with key features like “Sterling silver band” or “limited edition.”

List remaining details using bullets so that they’re easy to read. Your list should answer any questions that a buyer might have. If you’re not sure if you’ve included all of the necessary information, give the description to a friend or colleague before you post for them to read and provide feedback on before you go live.

4. Add great photos of your items

Every online auction listing needs at least one photo, but you don’t need to spend a lot of time or money doing the photography yourself. Ask your item donors if they have any photos of the item. Ask for simple and uncluttered pictures with plain backgrounds.

If you can’t get a photo from the donor, don’t worry — for the vast majority of items, you can find images online. Royalty-free stock images are great ways of showing bidders what the item looks like.

These free online stock images are also great to use for listings of services and experiences. A picture of someone relaxing with cucumbers on their eyes, for example, will sell a spa weekend better than a photo of the spa exterior. You want your bidders to picture themselves experiencing this service for themselves!

There may be a few items that you have to photograph yourself, but don’t worry. All you need is a space with plenty of natural light and a contrasting background. Capture all sides of the item, including key details like size tags for clothing.

5. Set starting bids and increments

To get donors engaged and excited about winning, specify a starting bid and bidding increments for each item. Start with the market value, which you can usually find with a Google search. If a similar item is on eBay, look at what it's selling for.

A common standard for starting bids is from 30% to 40% of the item’s value. If you expect an item to get a lot of interest, set the starting price on the high end.

A safe bet for increments is 10% of the starting price, but stick with whole dollar values and round numbers whenever you can. If 10% of your starting price is $13.50, increments of $10 or $15 will be easier for buyers to calculate. The easier it is for them to calculate, the more likely it is that they will bid on the item. No one wants to stand around trying to figure out the math during an exciting and fast-moving online auction!

BetterWorld makes this easy by automating bid increments based on the current bid value. As bids go up, the bid increment increases accordingly, helping your organization bring in more bids and more donations without asking your bidders to do a complicated math problem.

6. Explain the details

People will have questions about how your online auction works, so make sure you think through the details of bidding and fulfillment. Consider what a bidder would want to know, such as:

  • If there are any rules for participation, such as members-only or in-state bidding
  • How and where to bid
  • How people can find out if they’ve won
  • How winners can pay
  • Whether shipping is available or buyers need to pick up items

If you aren’t sure what information to include, ask a friend or family member who is not connected to your online auction. They can tell you what they would ask in this situation. Often, it’s something you never even thought of!

Using an online auction software, such as BetterWorld, makes it easy to communicate this information, so you can focus on running the auction while feeling confident that your bidders have all of the information they need to bid on your items successfully.

7. Establish a start and end date

We typically recommend that online auctions run for seven to 10 days at a minimum. However, successful auctions can run up to two or three weeks. You want to give your bidders enough time to study your items, bid on them, and drive up the price to increase the amount of money raised.

Cut your online auction off before it hits the month mark, or else you’ll risk people losing interest. Plus, longer auctions involve more effort on your part since you have to communicate more to keep people engaged.

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8. Promote, promote, promote

There are three phases of promotion for an event like this — and a successful online auction needs to hit all three.

Start talking about and promoting your online auction well in advance of the launch date, getting people excited and ready to bid. Keep them excited while the auction is live, encourage them to bid up their favorite items, and finish strong with some exciting bidding wars.

Create buzz

As soon as you’ve scheduled your auction, it’s time to announce the details of your event. Send out an email blast to your list and post it on all of your social channels, letting people know it’s coming. Tell them:

  • When the auction starts and ends
  • How to find it
  • What kind of items you’re offering

As the start date approaches, get people ready with countdown posts and messages. Take this opportunity to preview items and highlight the impact that donations will have.

Keep the excitement going

Every few days while your auction is live, post on social media reminding people to bid. Feature a different item or two every time to keep things interesting and, hopefully, expose your event to more people.

Be sure to send out emails, but do this less frequently — once or twice a week is ideal.

If this sounds like a lot, don’t worry. The BetterWorld platform integrates your online auction site with your Facebook, Twitter, and email marketing platform so you can update your communication platforms quickly and simultaneously.

Close strong and celebrate your success

A strong finish is just as important as a good start. In the last two to three days of the auction, remind people that it’s about to end to drive excitement back up. Encourage them to go back and top the current bids on their favorite items. Bidding wars are great for upping the selling price and raising more money.

Once the auction closes, send out an email and post on social media telling your supporters how much you’ve raised and what you’ll be able to do with the funds.

Thank them for their participation and tell them about other ways they can give, linking to your website so they can stay connected.

Key takeaways

A successful online auction begins with a great platform. Start by checking out BetterWorld and signing up for a free account.

Once you’ve selected the right online platform, start collecting enticing items and services. Describe them clearly and well, staying away from flowery words and opting instead to describe the item’s best features. Include clear and attractive photos taken on a plain backdrop, showing the item from every side so that your bidders can get an excellent feel for the item.

Clearly explain the guidelines for the auction, including starting bids and bidding increments. Set your dates, then get your promotional campaign going. Once your first bid comes in, you’re on your way to hosting a super successful event for your organization, school, or PTO!

Ready to start raising money with an online auction? Sign up for free at BetterWorld today!

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Whit Hunter
AUTHOR

About Whit Hunter

Whit Hunter is the co-founder of BetterWorld, the free, easy-to-use online fundraising platform. His passion for empowering nonprofits and tech expertise have shaped BetterWorld’s mission to make fundraising more accessible and efficient.

Whit's innovative vision has helped countless organizations raise more funds and reach their goals, driving BetterWorld’s ongoing success.

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