SWHelp:Live Auctions - Auctioneer
From StampWantsWiki
StampWants Live Auctions provide an easy and accessible way for both auctioneers to allow live bidding through the internet, as well as a simple and easy way for bidders to bid live. Running a live auction on StampWants is simple, intuitive and easy.
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How to Get Started
If you are interested in allowing live bidding for your public auction through StampWants.com, please Contact Us for more information and pricing. We'll need a csv file with all of your lots, including lot number, title, opening bid, category, image (if available), etc. We'll go over the complete details when you contact us. Once your public auction is up on StampWants, bidders will be able to browse and search your lots not only on your public auction page, but throughout StampWants. Bidders will also be able to place absentee bids, and we'll email you their bids and bid information so you can update your opening bids.
On the day of your public auction, review this page for complete instructions on how to run your live auction on StampWants.
Requirements
- A computer (desktop or laptop)
- An internet connection (preferably broadband - especially if you plan on having live audio / video)
- For Live Audio - A microphone connected to your computer
- For Live Video - A webcam connected to your computer
- Someone to run the StampWants Live Auction online software (and has read this page!)
What You Will Need the Day of Your Auction
Please Note: For the rest of this help page the term "Floor Bidder" will refer to floor bidders, book bids, and all other non StampWants bids.
When you open a lot in a StampWants Live Auction, the lot will open at the current bid. However, you will need to either acknowledge a floor bidder as opening with this amount, or an internet (StampWants) bidder as opening with this amount. Of course if you do not have a bid, just proceed as normal. If you have a floor bidder as the opening bid, just place a floor bid for the opening amount, and proceed as normal.
If you have an internet bid noted as your opening bid - you should acknowledge the opening bid as going to the internet bidder, and then proceed with the bidding. However, it is essential that you do not bid for the internet bidder yourself (as you would with other book bidders), because the StampWants Live Auction software will handle this. As a result, you must know which opening bids you have noted came from StampWants. The easiest way to do this is by indicated this when you update your bids from the emails sent to you by StampWants. If you only entered the bidder's name, and not the source of the bid, you will need to confirm which opening bids came from StampWants. This can be done by logging into your StampWants account, and clicking on the "P Auction & Mail Sale Area" under the "Custom Menu" heading in the My StampWants area. Scroll to the "OR Download All of the Current Bids (as a *.csv file)" section of that page, select your public auction and click on "Download Bids". This will provide you with a csv file, which you can open in Excel or any other spreadsheet program, and print out. Print out the file and for each lot where a bid has been placed by a StampWants member, check if your opening bid for that lot matches, and if so indicate in your bid book that the opening bid goes to StampWants.
Starting Your Live Auction / Session
Launching Live Audio/Video
If you are not using live audio or video for your live auction, please skip this section.
If you are utilizing live audio or video for your live auction, please open a new instance of your web browser (or a new tab) and proceed to www.ustream.tv (.tv not .com). You will need to know the username of the account set up to broadcast your live auction. The default username is stampwantslive. You will then need to login with your username and the correct password. You must first contact StampWants for the password to the account you will be using. Ideally you should do this BEFORE your auction begins, and make a note of it.
Once you login with the correct username and password, click on the large orange button "Broadcast Now" at the top of the page. At this point, a small window will pop-up. Next, you may see a small window pop-up asking if you would like to allow Ustream to use your microphone and webcam, please click to allow. For the next instructions, please draw your attention to the part of the screen which looks like this:
First, check to ensure that the "Audio Source" and "Video Source" are correct. Next, you will need to adjust the volume on your microphone. If the auctioneer is using a P.A. system, place the microphone as close as possible to one of the P.A. speakers. Have someone speak into the microphone the auctioneer will be using (which will go through the P.A. speaker and into the computer microphone). You will want the "VU Meter" to move toward the far right as the person speaks (however, it should not constantly be all the way to the right). Adjust the "Volume" accordingly. Please note, that you may have to adjust the computer's microphone levels if you can not do it by the Volume setting on Ustream alone (please see this page for help on changing your microphone volume settings in Windows).
Once you have confirmed that the microphone and webcam (if applicable) are correctly set, click on the "Start Broadcast" button.
Congratulations, you are now broadcasting live audio/video! Now, just make sure that you do not close the browser window or tab (you can minimize it, or switch to a different tab), and continue to the next step to open your auction/session.
You should double check the audio/video and volume settings by having another person login to StampWants (using a different account, NOT the auctioneer's account). Join the Live Auction, and go to the Live Audio/Video tab. Even if the session has not yet started, the audio and video will be active as long as you previously clicked on "Broadcast Now".
Note: In the unlikely event that ustream.tv should stop working, we have a backup system in place: Yahoo Live. In case of an emergency, to switch to Yahoo Live please follow the instructions on the SWHelp:Live Auctions - Auctioneer - Yahoo Live page.
Opening Your Auction/Session
To open your auction or session on StampWants, login to your StampWants account and proceed to the My StampWants area. From this section click on the "P Auction & Mail Sale Area" under the "Custom Menu" heading on the left hand side of the page. On the "P Auction & Mail Sale Area" page, scroll to the "Start a Live Auction Session", and select your auction AND session number. If your auction only has one section, there will only be one session to chose from. Otherwise, you must select the correct session. Once you select the correct session click on the "Open Session" button to the right.
Let the Bidding Begin!
Once you open your session you should see a screen similar to the one displayed below:
The first lot of the session will immediately open for bidding. At this time, bidding can begin. However, it is essential that you first read and understand the section above entitled "What You Will Need the Day of Your Auction", before you begin acknowledging bids.
Acknowledging Floor Bids
When the auctioneer opens the lot, and begins acknowledging floor bidders (or book bids), the person in charge of the StampWants Live Auction software will be responsible for acknowledging these bids in the StampWants Live Auction software. If this is not done correctly, and at approximately the same speed of the auctioneer, it will not be possible for internet bidders to bid as expected.
When the lot is first opened in the StampWants Live Auction software, no bid is acknowledged. This means that the first bid placed will be for the opening amount. If the auctioneer indicated that he has this bid, and that bidding will begin one increment over the opening bid, you must first acknowledge the opening bid as being placed. To do this either click the standard floor bid button, or the internet bid button (again, see the "What You Will Need the Day of Your Auction" section for clarification on this).
Standard Floor Bids (the next bidding increment)
The standard floor bid button can be seen at the bottom left of the StampWants Live Auction page, just under the "Suggested Bid". This button will read "Floor Bid" followed by the opening bid, or the next bid increment. Just click this button to acknowledge a floor (or book bid) in this amount. The button will instantly change to then reflect the next bidding increment's value.
Advanced Floor Bids (higher increments and custom bids)
At the very bottom of the page there are 3 additional floor bid buttons. These buttons represent the next increments after the standard floor bid button. These buttons should be used if the floor bid jumps, or in the case that the person running the StampWants Live Auction software falls behind (it's an easy way to catch up). Additionally, you can enter a custom bid at the bottom right of the page, and then click the "Submit Floor Bid" button, to submit the custom bid.
Acknowledging Internet Bids
Here is where StampWants Live Auctions shine - internet bids! These bids are either absentee bids placed by StampWants members, or live bids being placed by live bidders on StampWants! Once an internet bid comes in, the "Internet Bid" button on the right will be enabled, and display the amount of the internet bid. Simply click on the "Internet Bid" button to acknowledge the internet bidder's bid! Additionally, if the internet bid is an absentee bid form StampWants, the "Internet Bid" button will be pre-pended with an "*A* "
Removing the Last Bid Placed
If you accidentally acknowledge a bid, you can undo it by clicking on the "Remove Last Bid" button found at the bottom left of the page. Please try your best not to use these feature, as it may confuse bidders.
Changing the Opening Bid
If not bids have been placed yet, and the opening bid is incorrect, you can change the opening bid. To do this enter the correct opening amount into the field on the bottom right, and then click on the button "Opening".
Available Options During the Bidding Process
In addition to acknowledging floor bids and internet bids, there are several additional options you have available for use while a lot is open.
Setting the Lot Status
The lot status allows you to indicate the current status of the lots. The status you set (or is set automatically) will be flashed at the bottom left of the "Messages" panel on the bidders' screens. There are 3 settings which you may use (2 of which are set automatically):
- Last Call for Bids - Clicking on the "Last Call" button indicates that it is the last call for bids. This status will also be automatically set after 7.5 seconds of inactivity when no status is currently set.
- Going Once... Going Twice... - Clicking on the "Going" button indicates that the lots is about to close. This status will also be automatically set after 7.5 seconds of inactivity when the status is currently set to "Last Call for Bids".
- 1.. 2.. 3.. 4.. 5.. SOLD - Clicking on the "12345..." button will start a flashing red countdown which will display 1,2,3,4,5 and then SOLD (with one second in between each interval). This setting is optional, but will give the bidder a strong indication of exactly when the lot will close. However, it may not always be possible to use, depending on how the auctioneer is running the auction (they would need to be using the 1..2..3..4..5..SOLD format in the actual public auction). Please note that you will still need to manually close the lot. This setting will not be set automatically. However, if you acknowledge any bid, the countdown will start over.
Please note that you can switch between any status at any time while the current lot is open.
Send a Message
You may send a message to all of the bidders by entering it in the "Send Message" text box and then clicking on "Send Message". This message will appear in the "Messages" panel on the bidders' screens.
Closing a Lot
Once the auctioneer has closed the current lot (whether sold or unsold), ensure that you have the proper bid entered (this is important) and then click on the "Close Lot" button. This will close the lot, and prevent further bidding.
Please note that while no further bidding is possible after you close the lot, a bid may still come in. This can happen if the bidder was sending their bid at the exact same time you closed the lot. You will not be able to acknowledge this bid, but you will see it because it will be displayed on the "Internet Bid" button. In most cases the correct thing to do is to ignore this bid, because it is late. However, you can actually reopen the lot, and accept the bid (this is not recommended as it may confuse the other bidders, or even anger them!)
Opening the Next Lot
Once you close the current lot you will see the following screen:
Re-opening the Last Lot
If you accidentally closed the current lot, or need to re-open the previous lot for any reason, you can do so by clicking on the "<-- Re-Open Last Lot" button. This will re-open the last lot where you left off, right before you close the lot the first time.
Opening the Next Lot
To open the next lot click on the "Open Next Lot -->" button.
Re-opening any previous Lot in the Current Session
If for any reason you need to re-open any lot in the current session, click on the "Realized" tab in the left pane of the main Live Auction window. Find the lot you want to re-open and then click on the lot number (in the left hand column). This will open a detailed view of that particular lot in the left pane. Then click on the "Re-open Lot" button. This will pause where you are currently, and re-open the specified lot. Once the lot is closed, click on the "Open Next Lot" button which will return you to where you left off.
Please note that if you need to re-open a previous lot, you should ensure the bidders understand what is going on. First explain what you are doing both using the Live Audio, as well as the Send Messages feature, and then re-open the lot.
Important Status Indicators
The internet is not perfect, and your internet connection, as well as the bidders' internet connections certainly are not either. StampWants Live Auction software however is aware of this, and can help you manage this through status indicators, located in the middle of the bottom pane of the page:
Seconds Since Last Update
The "Seconds Since Last Update" status indicated the amount of time (in seconds) which have elapsed the StampWants Live Auction software last successfully communicated with our servers. Usually this should display "0", which means the StampWants Live Auction software is up to date, and that all bidders without any connection issues of their own are up to date as well. If the "Seconds Since Last Update" status is greater than 0 you should wait (and ask the auctioneer to wait to close the auction, if there have been any internet bids, or you expect there to be) until the status returns back to 0. Otherwise, the information you see, as well as any internet bids you see will be out of date or missing!
Bidders Not Up to Date
Your internet connection is not the only internet connection you may need to worry about. Bidders may have connection issues of their own, especially if they are using older computers, or dial-up connections. However, StampWants Live Auction software can actually tell you when any bidder (a bidder who has placed a bid on the current lot) is having trouble with their internet connection! The "Bidders Not Up to Date" status will display the number of bidders (again, a bidder who has placed a bid on the current lot) who do not yet have up to date information. When this status is greater than 1 it means that 1 (or more) bidders who have bid on the current lot do not yet have up to date information, and may have been outbid, but do not yet realize it, and can not yet place a new bid. If the "Bidders Not Up to Date" status is greater than 0 you should wait (and ask the auctioneer to wait to close the auction) until the status returns back to 0. Otherwise, bidders may want to bid, but would be unable to do so! However, we do recommend that if more than 10-15 seconds have passed and the "Bidders Not Up to Date" status does not return to 0, you consider continuing the auction, as something may have happened to the bidder's computer or internet connection other than standard small issues.
Notes and Tips
Live Audio Testing and Live Audio Tab
On the right hand side, you may notice the "Live Audio Volume". As the auctioneer you may visit this tab to test the live audio/video stream. However, once you visit this tab the live audio/video stream will become active. You MUST click the mute button (small speaker icon) once you visit this tab, or the sound will begin to echo for all listeners, even if your speakers are turned down.
Help! I accidentally left the Live Auction - What Do I Do?
If for any reason you leave the live auction page, simply log back in to your account (if you are logged out) and join the auction from the StampWants.com home page, or your public Live Auction page on StampWants.com. Do not attempt to open a new live auction session from the Public Auction and Mail Sale page, as this will cause the current session to close, and it can not be opened again!
Jump Bids
An internet bidder may bid more than once increment ahead of the current bid. In such cases, the Internet Bid button will display "JUMP Bid:" and the background will be a striped green, as opposed to a solid green. If this happens you must inform the auctioneer what the bid is, otherwise they will assume it is for the next increment (when in fact it is higher).
Prices Realized
In the left panel, where the "Messages" are displayed, you can switch to the "Realized" tab by clicking on it to review the prices realized so far. You can then switch back to the "Messages" tab by clicking on the "Messages" tab.
Attendees
In the left panel, where the "Messages" are displayed, you can switch to the "Attendees" tab by clicking on it to see how many people are currently participating in the live auction, as well as their usernames. You can then switch back to the "Messages" tab by clicking on the "Messages" tab.
Try Our Demo!
Why not get a feel for the real thing? We have a demo setup for you, which even includes pseudo internet bids for you to acknowledge! It's just like a real auction, only no real bidders, and you can try it at any time. Just Contact Us for a link!
