Auctions FAQs

Almabase supports both silent auctions (online bidding) and live auctions (in-person bidding with manual winner recording). You can run either type or both within a single event.

Yes. You can tag each item as either "silent" or "live" when creating it. Silent items are bid on online, while live items are previewed on the site but auctioned in person.

Auctions are configured within the Fundraising Options section on your event homepage in the admin panel. Click Configure Auctions to get started.

Yes. Each item has its own bidding start and end time. Even if your auction runs for five days, you can stagger items so that some become available on Day 1, others on Day 2, and so on.

The payment window is the time period after the auction closes during which winners can complete their payment. You set the start and end dates for this window when configuring the auction.

Yes. When creating an item, you can assign it to a specific fund. For example, you could route Day 1 items to a Physics Department fund and Day 2 items to a Chemistry Department fund.

The FMV is the estimated retail value of the item. Almabase uses it to calculate the gift portion of the winning bid: winning bid minus FMV equals the tax-deductible gift amount.

Yes. You can add and publish new items at any time from the admin dashboard, even while the auction is in progress.

Participants browse the auction site, click on an item, and place a bid. Bids must meet the minimum starting bid and increase by the set bid increment amount. The highest bidder when the item’s bidding window closes wins.

The bid increment is the minimum amount by which each new bid must exceed the current highest bid. This is set per item (e.g., $50, $100, $200).

Live auction items appear on the auction site for preview with an "Available at live event only" badge. Bidding happens in person at the event. After the item is sold, an admin records the winner and the winning amount on the platform.

Yes. You can bid on as many items as you like. Use the My Bids section to track all your active bids in one place.

You can opt into notifications for any item. When enabled, you receive periodic updates on the item’s status. Notifications are sent at most once per hour to avoid inbox overload.

If you’ve bid on multiple items, Almabase generates a consolidated AI summary email that tells you which items you’re leading on, where you’ve been outbid, and how much time is left. This replaces the need to check individual item status separately.

Yes. You can toggle notifications on or off for each item from the My Bids page.

You’ll receive a congratulations email when the auction closes if you’re the highest bidder on an item. The email includes details about the payment window.

Once the payment window opens, go to the Cart section on the auction site. You’ll see all items you’ve won with a Buy Now button. Clicking it takes you through the standard checkout flow.

Yes. You can save a payment card to your account before or during an auction. This makes checkout faster if you win and enables auto-charge. Go to the auction site and look for the Save Card option to enter and store your card details securely.

Yes. Admins can enable a setting that requires all bidders to have a saved payment card on file before they can enter the auction and place bids. If this is enabled, you'll see a prompt to save your card when you try to participate.

Yes. If the admin has enabled auto-charge, winning bids are automatically charged to each winner's saved card after the auction closes. During bidding, you'll see a consent checkbox — you must agree to automatic payment before placing a bid. The charge is processed at a time set by the admin, and you'll receive a payment confirmation email once successful.

If auto-charge is enabled but you haven't saved a card, you'll be prompted to save one before you can bid (if the admin requires it). If saving a card is optional, you can still pay manually through the Cart during the payment window.

Yes. In addition to setting a scheduled auto-charge time, admins can trigger the charge manually from the auction dashboard at any point after the auction closes.

If the charge is declined, the event admin will be notified and may reach out to you to arrange an alternative payment method. Your won items remain reserved during the payment window.

The payment window has a defined end date. Contact the event organizers if you need to make arrangements outside the standard window.

The dashboard has three views: Silent Auction Items (bid activity, leading bids, gift amounts), Participants (bidder engagement, amounts owed), and Live Auction Items (winner assignment). You can sort, refresh, and paginate across all views.

Go to the Live Auction Items tab, click Assign Winner on the relevant item, select the winner’s name, enter the winning bid amount, and click Record a Sale.

Yes. You can sort by leading bid, gift amount, number of bids, bidder name, sold status, and fund designation.