How to Use Auto-Accept for Online Bids in the Online Clerking Panel

Auto-Accept Remote Bids controls whether online bids in the online clerking panel are accepted automatically or wait for your clerk. With auto-accept off, every online bid, including auto-bids the system places on behalf of a bidder's maxbid, sits in a pending state until the online clerk accepts it. With auto-accept on, those bids are accepted as soon as they are placed, and the clerk no longer approves each one individually.

Auto-accept matters during live and simulcast auctions, where the online clerk manages the ask and accepts incoming online bids alongside the floor. Leaving auto-accept off keeps a human decision in front of every online bid, which many auctioneers prefer so the clerk can keep online bids in sync with what the auctioneer is calling. Turning auto-accept on removes that approval step, which reduces clicks for the online clerk during fast bidding. Once enabled via the auction or company settings, Auto-Accept is available as a button on the clerking panel, so you can toggle it for your sale rather than committing to one mode permanently.

We generally recommend leaving auto-accept turned off until you are well experienced with BidWrangler's clerking features, and are comfortable clerking at high speed.

When a bidder has entered a maxbid, the system places auto-bids on that buyer's behalf as the ask moves. What happens next depends on auto-accept:

• With auto-accept off, each auto-bid must be approved by the clerk, and it waits in a pending state until then.

• With auto-accept on, auto-bids are accepted as soon as they are placed, regardless of what the ask is later adjusted to be.

The Live Maxbid Must Follow Ask setting governs what happens to a pending auto-bid when the clerk changes the ask. When that setting is enabled, a pending auto-bid automatically adjusts to follow the new ask. When it is disabled, the pending auto-bid keeps its original total no matter where the ask moves.

That setting only has meaning while a bid is pending. With Auto-Accept Remote Bids turned on, auto-bids are accepted the moment they are placed, so there is never a pending bid for the follow-ask rule to act on. That is why the two settings cannot be enabled at the same time.

1. The setting can be enabled either;

   1. Via Company Settings - Customization - Auto-accept remote bids this will turn it on by default for all auctions

   2. Via the Auction Settings - Live Auctions - Auto-accept remote bids (Choose: Fallback to company setting, Enabled, or Disabled)

2. Open the online clerking panel for your auction.

3. Use the Auto-Accept control on the clerking panel to turn automatic acceptance of remote bids on or off for the sale.

4. Confirm with your online clerk which mode you are running before bidding starts, so they know whether they are approving each online bid or monitoring accepted bids.

During a live Multi-Par sale it is recommended that auto-accept is enabled, along with the 'Allow multiple active items' feature. This allows online bidders to continue to place bids or raise their own bids on specific parcels or combinations, even if that parcel is not being actively clerked in the live session. This helps save time, since online bidders do not have to wait for successive rounds to raise their bid, if they are outbid as part of combination bidding.

Do online bids still need clerk approval when auto-accept is on?

No. With Auto-Accept Remote Bids on, online bids and maxbid auto-bids are accepted as soon as they are placed. With auto-accept off, they remain pending until the online clerk accepts them.

Can a maxbid jump in at a strange increment if I change the ask while auto-accept is on?

With auto-accept on, an auto-bid is accepted at the amount it was placed, regardless of what the ask is adjusted to afterward. The Live Maxbid Must Follow Ask adjustment only applies to bids in a pending state, which do not exist when auto-accept is on.

Why can't I check Live Maxbid Must Follow Ask and Auto-Accept Remote Bids together?

Live Maxbid Must Follow Ask only affects pending auto-bids. Auto-accept eliminates the pending state entirely, so enabling both would give the follow-ask setting nothing to act on. The platform prevents the combination.

A bid shows as accepted but is not appearing on the bids list. What should I do?

Email helpdesk@bidwrangler.com with the auction, the lot numbers affected, and roughly how many lots were involved. Our team has an open investigation into reports of bids intermittently not appearing on the bids list, and specific examples help us pin it down.

• How do I get to the online clerking panel?

• How to Run a Simulcast Auction in BidWrangler: Setup, Registration, Clerking, and Invoicing

• How do I clerk an auction?

• Max Bids Now Supported in Choice Bidding During Live Auctions

Not sure which mode fits your sale? Email helpdesk@bidwrangler.com and we will walk through it with you before auction day.