For auctioneersAuction Soft Close Settings: Window Length and Lot Stagger
For most timed sales, a 2-minute soft-close window with lots closing 15 to 30 seconds apart works well. Use a shorter gap for large, low-value sales so the close doesn't drag, and a longer gap and window for fewer, high-value lots so bidders can follow each one. Close in the evening, when bidders are free.
What does soft close do?
With soft close, a bid placed in a lot's closing window resets that lot's clock to the full window, and keeps doing so until bidding stops. A lot set to close at 7:00:00 with a 2-minute window that gets a bid at 6:59:50 now closes at 7:01:50.
It removes the reason to snipe. Under a hard close, whoever's bid lands in the last second wins, and a lot can sell below what an outbid bidder would gladly have paid. Bidders who know the clock will reset can set their max early and stop watching the last seconds.
How long should the soft-close window be?
Longer windows give bidders time to respond from a phone; shorter ones keep sale day moving. Match the window to what's at stake on each lot, and use the same window across your sales so regular bidders know what to expect.
- 1 minute: fast, for big sales of low-value lots and practiced bidders.
- 2 minutes: a sensible default for most sales, with enough time to react.
- 3 minutes: higher-value lots, or bidders who are newer to online sales.
- 5 minutes: a handful of important lots, where you want every bidder to have time.
How far apart should lots close?
Lot stagger is the gap between one lot's scheduled close and the next. Closing everything at once is fastest but forces bidders to choose which lot to fight for, so some lots sell cheap. A gap lets bidders follow lots in order.
Do the math before you publish: total close time is roughly lots times gap. 500 lots at 10 seconds apart close over about 83 minutes; 100 lots at 1 minute apart take 100 minutes. Soft-close extensions add to both. At 2 minutes apart, a 300-lot sale would run for 10 hours, which is why big sales use short gaps.
What settings fit each kind of sale?
These are starting points, not rules. Adjust after each sale based on how long the close ran and whether the last lots drew fewer bids than the first.
- Liquidation or returns, 300 to 800 lots: 10 to 15 seconds apart, 2-minute window.
- General consignment, 150 to 400 lots: 20 to 30 seconds apart, 2-minute window.
- Estate with furniture and collectibles: 30 to 60 seconds apart, 2- or 3-minute window.
- Small specialty sale, under 100 high-value lots: 1 to 2 minutes apart, 3- or 5-minute window.
When should the first lot close?
Close when your bidders are free and near a screen. For most consumer sales that's a weekday evening, after work and before late night. Avoid closing during holidays or big local events, when attention is elsewhere. Put the first close time in every announcement, and in the subject line of the reminder email.
Spread your strongest lots through the order instead of saving them all for the end, so bidders stay engaged for the whole close rather than arriving for the last ten minutes.
Where Auktia fits
On Auktia, you pick a 1, 2, 3 or 5-minute soft-close window and a gap from all at once to 2 minutes apart for each sale, and see the closing schedule before you publish. Bidders see a live clock on every lot that ticks every second, and max bids keep working through every extension. Lots that get no late bids close right on schedule, so the sale ends close to the time you planned.
Questions people ask
What is the best soft close time for an online auction?
Two minutes suits most sales. Go shorter for large sales of low-value lots and longer for a few high-value ones.
Does soft close make auctions run forever?
No. Each extension needs a new bid, and the lot closes as soon as a full window passes with no bid. Contested lots run longer, which is the point.
Does an extension on one lot delay the others?
No. Each lot has its own clock, so an extension only moves that lot. The rest keep closing on schedule.
Should every lot in a sale have the same window?
Yes, one window per sale keeps things predictable for bidders. If a few lots need more time, run them in a separate, smaller sale with a longer window and gap.
How do max bids work with soft close?
A max bid keeps bidding for the bidder through every extension, one increment at a time, up to their limit. See max bids and proxy bidding.
What if a lot is still being extended when the next one is due to close?
Both clocks run on their own. The next lot closes on its schedule while the extended lot keeps going, so one busy lot never holds up the rest of the sale.