How Do I Set a Custom Bidding Increment for a Range of Lots?

Quick answer: You can override the bid schedule for an lot via item settings. In order to specifically apply one custom bidding increment to many lots at once — instead of setting the increment manually on each lot or relying on the auction's default bid schedule — use the Items import tool. Include a Lot ID column (to match each row to an existing lot) and a Custom Increment column (with your desired increment value) in your import spreadsheet, map those two fields during the import, and save. BidWrangler will overwrite the bid schedule's custom increment field on every matched lot in one step.

BidWrangler lets you set bidding increments at three levels:

1. Company default — applies to every auction unless overridden.

2. Auction default — overrides the company default for one auction.

3. Item (lot) level custom increment — overrides both the company and auction default for a single lot.

The item-level override normally has to be set one lot at a time from Items > (select lot) > Bidding Configuration. That works fine for a handful of exceptions, but it does not scale. If you have an auction with a range of lots — for example, bulk or volume lots — that all need the same non-default increment, editing each one individually can take hours.

The item import method solves this: it lets you push a single custom increment to an entire range of lots (or the whole auction) in a single upload, the same way you would bulk-upload or update any other item field.

Note: this custom increment field is not available through the Bulk Item Update ("Filtered Items" / "Selected Items" > Update Items) tool. Item import is the only bulk method for updating the custom increment field.

• The auction and its lots must already exist in BidWrangler. Item import updates existing lots when the Lot ID in your file matches an existing lot; it does not need to be a brand-new catalog upload.

• You'll need a spreadsheet (.csv) with at minimum:

  • A Lot ID (item number) column identifying each lot you want to update.

  • A Custom Increment column with the increment value for that lot.

• Only include the rows (lots) you actually want to change. Rows for lots outside your target range should be left out of the file, or their increment column left blank, so unrelated lots are not affected.

• Simply export all items in that auction with Lot ID, then add a column for Custom Increment.

• Increments accept decimals. To set a $1.00 increment, enter 1. To set a $0.10 (10 cent) increment, enter 0.1. Both whole-dollar and cent-level increments import correctly.

1. Build your import spreadsheet. First filter Items in the Admin Portal by auction > Filtered Items > Export Items. Select the Lot Identifier field, then export. In that .csv or spreadsheet file, add a column for Custom Increment. Fill in the increment value for every lot in the range you want to change — for example, 1 for all lots from 350–735 if you want a flat $1 increment on that range.

2. Navigate to Items import. In the BidWrangler admin portal, scroll to the bottom of the left-hand menu and select Items import.

3. Click + Create.

4. Choose your auction from the dropdown, then click Choose File next to Items CSV and select your spreadsheet.

5. Map your fields. BidWrangler will try to auto-match your column headings. Confirm that your Lot ID column is mapped to Lot ID (so BidWrangler updates existing lots instead of creating new ones) and that your increment column is mapped to Custom Increment.

6. Save. BidWrangler will process the import and apply the custom increment to every matched lot. You can monitor progress, and review any errors, from the Items import list — click the info ("i") icon next to your import for details.

That's it: every lot in your file now uses the custom increment you specified, overriding the auction's default bid schedule for just that range, while all other lots continue to use the auction or company default.

Can I apply a different increment to two different ranges of lots in the same auction? Yes. You may include any combination of different increments in the Custom Increments column. Leave this field blank for any you don't want to change the increments on. You may also tun two separate imports each with its own Custom Increment value for different ranges of lots.

Does the custom increment support cents, not just whole dollars? Yes, if decimals are enabled for your platform. Check with helpdesk@bidwrangler.com if you are not sure. Enter a decimal value such as 0.1 for a $0.10 increment or 0.25 for a quarter increment. Whole numbers such as 1 or 5 work the same way they do when set manually.

Will this affect the reserve price or starting bid? No. The custom increment field only controls the bid step size for that lot. It does not change the reserve, starting bid, or quantity fields — those must be set separately if needed.

Is reserve price based on the per-unit price or the total lot price? Reserve price is based on the bid amount entered for the lot, not the quantity. If a lot has a quantity, and you want a $60 total reserve on a per-unit bid structure, set the reserve based on the per-unit bid amount that gets you there (for example, $6 per unit on a 10-unit lot), not the total.

What happens if I leave the Custom Increment column blank for a lot? A blank value will not force a change — leaving a row out of your import file entirely is the safest way to make sure a lot is left untouched. If you're unsure how a blank cell will be treated for a specific field, test on one lot first.

Can I use item import to update other fields at the same time? Yes. Item import can update any mapped field on matching lots in the same pass, including name, description, and other catalog fields, alongside the custom increment.

Is there a limit to how many lots I can update at once? No practical limit — item import is built for bulk catalog uploads and updates, so a range of a few lots or several hundred lots can be processed in a single file.

• How do I adjust my bidding increments?

• How do I bulk upload an auction catalog into BidWrangler with a .csv/spreadsheet?

• BidWrangler Bulk Item Actions: How Do I Make Changes to Multiple Lots at Once?

Still have questions about setting up bidding increments for your auction? Contact BidWrangler support at helpdesk@bidwrangler.com — we're happy to walk through your specific auction setup.