Learn how the bidding process works when you have multiples of an Auction item.
If you’re running an Auction you can give away multiples of the same Auction item. Auction items with multiple quantities will have more than one winner, and each winner will pay whatever they bid.
For example, if one of your Auction items is a t-shirt and you have 10 t shirts to auction off, the top 10 highest bidders will win a shirt. When bidders go to your Auction, only the lowest of the top bids will be displayed. Bidders will need to place in the top 10 to win a shirt, so they simply need to beat the lowest of the top bids.
If you have 20 shirts to auction off, the top 20 highest bidders will win, and so forth.
Note that if a bidder wins an item with multiples, they will only be charged for the amount they bid. This means you may receive different winning bid amounts even though all winners won the same item.
How It Works
From the bidder’s perspective, the bidding process should be the same as if there were only one of that Auction item available:
- Go to the Auction page.
- Find the item(s) they want to bid on.
- Place a bid that is higher than the displayed Current bid
The Current bid displayed is the lowest of the current top bids. - Check out to confirm the bid.
Common Questions
What if multiple bidders are tied for bid amount?
Since an item with multiple quantities will have multiple winners, it's possible for more than one of the top bidders to place the same bid. In this case, priority will be given to whoever placed their bid first.
For example, imagine you're auctioning off three t-shirts. The current top bids are $35, $30, and $29. Bidder A bids $32, then Bidder B also bids $32 two minutes later. The new top bids will be $35, $32 (Bidder A), and $32 (Bidder B). If someone then bids $34, the new top bids will be $35, $34, and $32 (Bidder A). Bidder A will stay in the running because they placed their bid first.
What if I want to add more items after the bidding has already started?
There may be times when you learn that you're able to auction off higher quantities of an item than you originally planned. In that case, you can increase the quantity of an item, even if the bidding has already started. Please note, however, that this will reset the displayed “Current bid” amount to the starting bid amount.
For example, imagine you're auctioning off 5 t-shirts, then learned you can auction off 5 more. The starting bid for the shirts was $15, but the current lowest winning bid is $50, meaning bidders need to bid more than $50 to stay in the running. When you increase the number of t-shirts to 10, the current bid amount will reset to $15. This means bidders can bid at lower amounts and still be in the running to win.
Good to Know
Another way to auction off multiples of the same item is to list each one as its own item. In this case, you would have only one winner for each item.
You may want to add an FAQ about Auction items with multiple quantities so that your donors know how the bidding process will work. You can copy and paste the following text or use it as a guide while writing your own FAQ:
Question: Is there a different bidding process for Auction items with multiple quantities?
Answer: Auction items with multiple quantities will have multiple winners. The bidding process will be the same whether there are multiples of an Auction item or not. You'll need to bid an amount over the current bid displayed on the site to stay in the running. Note that if you win one of these items, you will only be charged for the amount you bid. This means that you may pay a different amount than other winners.