How to Approve Bidders for an Online Auction, and Block Them

Should you approve bidders or open the auction to everyone?

Every Auktia auction is either open to anyone with a bidder number (paddle number) or limited to bidders the seller approves. Open is the simpler choice: anyone with a bidder number can join in without waiting on you.

Approval adds a step for bidders but gives you the final say. It suits auctions where you want to know who's bidding before they start, such as an auction of high-value items, a dealer auction, or your first auction with a new crowd.

Either way, every bidder on Auktia already passes the checks covered below, so approval is an extra layer, not the only one.

How do I approve bidders for my online auction?

Approval is set per auction, in the auction's Bidders tab. If you turn it on, say so on the auction page and in your invitations so regulars register early.

1. Open your auction and go to its Bidders tab.
2. Choose Only bidders I approve.
3. Bidders tap Register to bid on your auction and appear in your list.
4. Tap Approve for each bidder you accept, or Approve all to accept everyone waiting.
5. Tap Decline to turn down a registration, or Block to keep that bidder out.

How do I block a bidder?

Tap Block on a bidder in the Bidders tab. You choose whether the block covers this one auction or all of your auctions, so a bidder you never want back can be kept out of every auction you run.

Common reasons to block: a winner who didn't pay or pick up, a bidder who caused trouble at a past pickup, or a bidder you suspect is bidding up a consignor's items. A bidder leading one item (lot) after another on the Live board is worth a closer look.

For non-payment, Auktia also acts on its own: unpaid wins pause a bidder's bidding, and from day 3 you can tap Report non-payment in the Invoices tab, which pauses a no-show's bidding across Auktia. See what happens when a winner doesn't pay.

What protections does every Auktia bidder have?

Whether or not you turn on approval, Auktia checks every bidder before and during an auction.

Here's the new-bidder limit at work: a first-time bidder leads three items with max bids of $800, $900 and $700. That's $2,400 in use, leaving $100 of room until they pay their first invoice. Bidders see how much is in use under Settings → Bidding.

• A verified card: every bidder adds a card before bidding, checked with their bank, with nothing charged or held while they bid. See why bidders add a card.
• A $2,500 limit for new bidders: max bids on items they lead plus unpaid wins stay within $2,500 until they've paid an invoice.
• Unpaid wins pause a bidder's bidding.
• No bidding by the seller: accounts tied to the selling business by the same device, card or address can't bid on its items, as part of Auktia's ban on shill bidding.