How to Set Up a Test Auction in BidWrangler

A test auction lets you and your team practice running a sale from both the admin and bidder sides before your real auction goes live. To set one up, build an auction the way you normally would, start the auction title with "TEST" in all capital letters, set the auction to Private so it stays off your public website, and then Publish it so closing and clerking features behave correctly. To practice the bidder experience, open the private auction link in an incognito browser window and register a practice bidder account.

A test auction is a full auction you build for practice rather than for a real sale. It works exactly like a live auction, so you can rehearse cataloging, closing, clerking, and bidding before the real event. Running a test auction is the best way to confirm your closing times, bid extensions, and live tools behave the way you expect, and to let new team members get comfortable before auction day.

1. Create a new auction in the Admin Portal the same way you would for a real sale.

2. Start the auction title with the word TEST in all capital letters, for example "TEST Spring Equipment Sale." This clearly identifies the auction as a practice run so you and the BidWrangler team can recognize it as a test rather than a real sale.

3. Add a few sample lots so you have items to bid on and close. Duplicating an existing auction is a fast way to populate a realistic catalog.

4. Set your closing settings (closing speed, variable closing, and Group Auto Extend) to match how you plan to run the real sale.

5. Set the auction to Private so bidders cannot find it on your website (see Making an auction private).

6. Publish the auction. Publishing is required for closing, extensions, and the clerking panel to work correctly.

It should be both private and published. These are two separate settings, and each does something different:

• Private keeps the auction off your public website and out of bidder search results. No one can see it unless you send them the direct link. This is what keeps your practice run separate from your real sales.

• Published makes the auction fully functional. Closing times, bid extensions, and the clerking panel only behave correctly once an auction is published.

Required: Publish the auction. An unpublished auction does not behave correctly, and viewing it through the preview link alone will not close, extend, or clerk the way a real auction does. If your closing or clerking tools seem to misbehave during a test, an unpublished auction is the most common cause.

Recommended: Set the auction to Private before you publish it, so a published practice auction never appears to real bidders.

Because your test auction is private, bidders cannot see it unless you give them the link. To experience the auction the way a real bidder would, use an incognito browser window:

1. Log in to the Admin Portal and open your test auction.

2. Copy the auction's URL from your browser.

3. Open an incognito window (a private browsing window where you are not logged in as an admin).

4. Paste the auction URL into the incognito window.

5. Choose Register to Bid and create a practice bidder account using a placeholder name and email, for example "practice@example.com." You do not need a real email address for a test account.

6. Place bids from this practice account to watch how bidding, closing, and extensions look from the bidder's side.

If you want to reuse the same practice bidder for future tests, set a password you will remember when you create the account. Inviting a few team members to register and bid the same way is a good way to simulate real activity.

No, as long as the auction is set to Private. A private auction stays off your public website and is only reachable by bidders via the direct link, so no one can find or bid on it unless you share the link with them. Admins that are logged in can also see the auction.

The most common reason is that the auction is not published. Unpublished auctions and preview links do not run the closing engine correctly. Publish the auction (while keeping it Private) and test again.

No. When you register a practice bidder in an incognito window, you can use a placeholder name and email such as "practice@example.com." Use a password you will remember if you plan to reuse the account for future tests.

Yes. Duplicating an existing auction is a fast way to build a realistic test catalog. Just rename the copy so the title starts with TEST, set it to Private, and publish it before you begin. You may also duplicate lots from pre-existing sales into test auctions.

Start the title with the word TEST in all capital letters, followed by any name you like, for example "TEST Fall Consignment." This clearly marks the auction as a practice run for you and the BidWrangler team.

Reach out to the BidWrangler help desk and we will be glad to help you set up or troubleshoot your test auction.