Signing Up

How do I get started?

It takes just a few minutes to get your event site up and running.

1. Sign your organization up for an account and choose your personal user name and password.
2. Using your user name and password, log on to your organization’s account by clicking the “Member Login” link found at the top of the ReadySetAuction home page.
3. Click the Purchase Services link to choose and purchase your ReadySetAuction service(s).
4. Optionally purchase the Event Auction Cashier Add-On Module for event check in, bid recording and check out.

That’s it! You’re ready to get going.

How much does ReadySetAuction cost?

Our goal is to give every non-profit that holds an auction access to a technologically sophisticated, efficient and effective auction management tool.

Included in each service’s setup fee is the finest technical support, provided via our web-based help desk. Automatic updates and enhancements are also included, ensuring that you will always have the latest release and newest features.

• Pricing for ReadySetAuction Online Auction services.
• Pricing for ReadySetAuction Live / Silent Event Auction services.

Is technical support included?

Yes. Web-based technical support for all users is included in your event setup fee. We make every effort to respond to all support inquiries within 24 hours during regular business hours (M–F 8:00AM – 6:00PM PST). Technical support is also available via email.

Moreover, on each page of the site you will find a list of Common Questions. The answers not only address how to use ReadySetAuction, but also provide advice and auction tips from seasoned auction professionals.

In addition to our standard web-based technical support, we offer the option of live phone-based support during your silent/live event auction should you request it. This is a premium service that must be requested no later than 10 business days prior to your auction. The cost for this service is a $100 reservation fee plus $25 per incident.

If you are a current customer and would like to reserve live phone-based support during your silent/live event auction, check off Event Auction Phone Support on page 1 of your original Services Agreement and re-fax the complete Services Agreement to us.

How are upgrades handled?

We continually enhance ReadySetAuction with new features. These enhancements are immediately available for your use. There is nothing for you to install!

What is ReadySetAuction’s refund policy?

We do not believe in locking customers in to long-term agreements. Rather, we prefer to win customer loyalty by providing superior products and an excellent customer support experience.

If you would like a 15-day free trial, please contact our sales department at 877•772•2220. We are happy to set that up for you and your auction committee.

With that said, we incur costs immediately when you purchase a ReadySetAuction product. This prohibits us from providing refunds.

Data Handling

For how long do we have access to ReadySetAuction?

When you purchase the Event Planner Basic Service, you and your auction committee can access the ReadySetAuction application and modify your data for up to a year prior to your event and then for the four weeks following your event.

The Premier Service provides the same access as the Event Planner Basic Service and adds an auction website, online catalog, online procurement form, online ticket sales form, online sponsorship sales form and online cash donations form – all of which will be active for the year prior to your event. Online bidding can be open for a maximum of eight weeks, and if you’re holding a silent/live event auction, must end at least 24 hours before your silent/live event auction.

The Online Auction Basic Service includes a total of 12 weeks of access which is broken into two periods: the first eight weeks during which you can set up and conduct online bidding, and the final four weeks during which you will close out your event and accept payments electronically. Your auction website will be active for this 12-week period.

For how long do you store my event data?

We store your data for a minimum of three years after your event. During this period you can continue to view your event data, run reports and print receipts.

Where is my data stored?

Your data is safely stored on the ReadySetAuction servers, automatically backed up on a regular basis and available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Does my data from this year’s event site port to my next event site?

Of course! Complete access to previous years’ information makes organizing this year’s event easy, even for a new group of volunteers. When you create your next event site, ReadySetAuction automatically populates it with the pertinent data from your last event site. So, for example, your last event’s donors automatically populate your new event site’s prospect list. And your last event’s guests (and invitees who did not RSVP) automatically populate your new event site’s invitation list. ReadySetAuction then generates for you personalized printed procurement letters with mailing labels and personalized emails for all prospects, as well as mailing labels and personalized emails for all invitees.

How secure is my data?

Your data is stored in a high security, monitored facility. Sensitive data is transmitted using the industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology. ReadySetAuction will not sell, reveal or share your personal information. For further information on privacy and security, please refer to our Privacy & Security Policy.

Software as a Service

What is “Software as a Service?”

Software as a Service refers to software applications that are delivered over the Internet by a service provider (known as an Application Service Provider or ASP). Customers access these applications using a web browser. Unlike traditional software that you must load onto the hard drive of your desktop computer, this software runs directly from the provider’s servers. Other terms you may have heard include Internet application and web application. These are simply additional ways of referring to software as a service.

What is an Application Service Provider (ASP)?

An Application Service Provider is a company that delivers Software as a Service over the Internet. Software delivered this way is accessed via a web browser, with nothing for you to download or install.

What are the advantages of Software as a Service over traditional software?

The advantages are many. By their very nature, web applications are multi-user and platform independent; they require less maintenance for the user; they are updated more frequently; and they cost less.

In practical terms, this means that you and your entire auction committee can access ReadySetAuction and work with your auction data from anywhere at anytime, from any Mac or PC that has an Internet connection.

Furthermore, there is no software for you or members of your auction committee to install or maintain; ReadySetAuction continually backs up your data for you; and updates and enhancements happen automatically, so you will always have the latest release and newest features.

Unlike other auction management tools that were built for the desktop computer or retrofitted to provide limited networking features, ReadySetAuction was conceived and designed to run on the Internet. In addition to the advantages described above, ReadySetAuction’s Software as a Service technology lets your auction committee capitalize on the power and flexibility of the web to more effectively engage your community of supporters and build relationships, resulting in maximum proceeds for your non-profit organization!

Can we run ReadySetAuction on our own internal servers?

ReadySetAuction is a web-based, hosted service. It is not available for purchase to install on your own servers.

User Names, Passwords & Event Site Access

My organization is already using ReadySetAuction. How do I gain access to our event site?

Your RSA Administrator will send you a staff invitation by email. Click the link in that email and choose your personal user name and password.

Who is my RSA Administrator?

The RSA Administrator is the person in your organization who is in charge of your ReadySetAuction event site. This may be your auction chairperson or a consultant who is helping your organization with the event.

I forgot my user name and password. What do I do?

Your ReadySetAuction Administrator can provide you with your user name. It is listed on the RSA Administrator’s staff roster under the Admin tab.

Once you know your user name, you can choose a new password by clicking on the “Member Login” link found at the top of the ReadySetAuction home page, and then clicking the “Forget your Password” link on the Log In page.

I am helping with several auctions that are all using ReadySetAuction. Can I use the same user name and password for each?

Yes. You can login with a single user name and password, and then toggle among the different event sites with which you are associated. The ReadySetAuction Administrator for each of your event sites will establish your access privileges to the individual event sites. Important: Each time you accept a staff invitation sent to you by a ReadySetAuction Administrator, be sure to enter your existing user name and password when you register.

What is my Event Password?

Your RSA Administrator can provide you with your organization’s Event Password. You will need to know this password in order to accept the staff invitation and gain access to your organization’s event site. Once you have successfully registered, you will not need to use the event password again.

How many of my committee members can have access to ReadySetAuction?

We do not limit the number of people from your organization who can access your event site. Your RSA Administrator — the person in your organization who is in charge of your ReadySetAuction event site — is responsible for sending out the staff invitations. When a staff member receives an email invitation, he or she must click the link in that invitation and choose his or her own user name and password.

Can different committee members have different levels of access to our ReadySetAuction event site?

Yes. Your event site’s RSA Administrator controls the access privileges of each staff member.

Can my committee members access ReadySetAuction simultaneously?

Yes.

Which Internet Browser applications does ReadySetAuction support?

ReadySetAuction recommends the excellent free Firefox web browser.

We strive for maximum compatibility with a broad array of popular web browsers. However, we cannot guarantee that the ReadySetAuction service is fully compatible with every possible combination of computer hardware, operating system and web browser.

In order to qualify for technical support, you must be using a web browser that appears on the list below.

Windows (XP, Vista, 7)

• Firefox 3.0 and higher (preferred Windows browser)
• Internet Explorer 7.0 and higher (IE 6 is not supported)

Mac OS X

• Firefox 3.0 and higher (preferred Mac OS X browser)
• Safari 4.0 and higher

For how long after our event can we modify our data?

You can continue to modify the data in your event site for four weeks after your event. At that time, the site becomes locked in a view-only state after which you can continue to view your data, run reports and print receipts.

The Silent/Live Event Auction

Do I need Internet access at the venue?

To use ReadySetAuction’s cashiering feature during your event to check in your guests (including capturing credit card information at check-in), record winning bids and check out your guests (including real-time, integrated credit card processing and receipt generation), you will need an Internet connection (preferably high-speed) at your venue.

How do I set up my computers at the venue?

ReadySetAuction helps make auction checkout organized, smooth and seamless. When you use ReadySetAuction for checkout, the whole process takes place over the Internet. So depending on the size of your event and the number of checkout transactions you anticipate, you’ll need to set up at least one computer with an Internet connection at the venue.

To handle computer and network setup, it’s best to find a tech-savvy individual in your organization. This person should be familiar enough with computer networking that he or she can set up the computers you’ll be using with the configuration you need. That said, here are the very basic network requirements for your event:

1. All computers must be equipped with a Web browser and be able to access the Internet through a high-speed Internet connection. View a list of supported browsers.
2. Each computer can have its own dedicated Internet connection, or multiple computers can share an Internet connection if you network them via a base station or hub.
3. Each computer should be connected to a reliable printer or share a network printer so that it can print receipts.

How many computers will I need at the venue?

You are welcome to set up as many cashiering stations as you like. We do not limit the number. As a rule of thumb, we advise our customers to set up one computer for every 50 guests that attend the event.

Credit Card Processing

How do I process credit cards with ReadySetAuction?

In order to sell event tickets and sponsorships online, accept cash donations online in conjunction with your event, accept credit cards for payment in real time at checkout, and/or accept online payment from winning bidders of your online auction, your organization must first establish a merchant account with one of ReadySetAuction’s payment processing partners. Learn more about accepting credit cards during your event auction and accepting credit cards during your online auction.

Can I swipe credit cards with ReadySetAuction?

Absolutely! ReadySetAuction integrates with industry-standard magnetic card strip reader devices to make your data entry simple, fast and accurate. Your payment processor will provide compatible models for purchase.

Can I securely capture credit card information at check-in with ReadySetAuction?

Absolutely! ReadySetAuction provides a secure, fully PCI DSS-compliant credit card processing solution for capturing cardholder data at event check-in. To learn more click here.

How much time do I need to establish a merchant account?

Depending on the merchant processor you choose, you can have your merchant account up and running in as little as three business days. However, some merchant processors take longer. Therefore, we advise customers to begin the application process at least 1-2 weeks prior to the first date on which they anticipate processing transactions.

What if my organization already has a merchant account?

If your organization already has a merchant account with one of ReadySetAuction’s merchant processing partner companies you will be able to use that account with ReadySetAuction.

If you choose to use a merchant account that is not compatible with ReadySetAuction, your use of ReadySetAuction will be subject to the following limitations:

• When using the Auction Cashier to check-in a guest, you will not be able to capture the guest’s cardholder data electronically.
• When using the Auction Cashier to check-out a guest, you will be able to select the guest’s form of payment on the check out screen and this payment form will appear on the guest’s receipt and in your reports, but ReadySetAuction will not perform the credit card transaction. Your auction committee must process the credit card transaction using whatever method you have established with your merchant processing company (e.g. knuckle-buster, swipe machine, phone keypad etc.).
• You will not be able to sell event tickets or sponsorships online, unless you setup a PayPal Business account.
• You will not be able to accept cash donations online, unless you setup a PayPal Business account.
• You will not be able to accept online payment from winning bidders of your online auction, unless you setup a PayPal Business account.

How much does it cost to process credit cards?

We do not quote the rates of our merchant processing partners. Please contact our partners directly.

Data Import and Export

Can we import information from our existing database into ReadySetAuction?

We can import your organization’s contact database into your ReadySetAuction Address Book. Once you have paid the ReadySetAuction Setup Fee and created your event site, submit a support request to our support department requesting the necessary import template and instructions.

We bill this import as a professional service at $100/hour with a 1-hour minimum. As long as you provide us with “clean” data, the charge is generally $100.

The import will populate your ReadySetAuction Address Book. After the import, it will still be necessary for you to build your prospect and invitation lists in ReadySetAuction. Building these lists simply requires searching for each contact to place on the list.

Depending on the number of contacts you have and the format the information is in, it may be easier for you to split up the contacts among several of your volunteers who can then enter the information directly into ReadySetAuction when it’s convenient.

Can we export data from ReadySetAuction?

ReadySetAuction provides a series of standard reports in HTML format — including committee reports, solicitation reports, package reports, guest reports, sales reports and more — to help your auction committee analyze data. These reports can be saved to your computer and opened in Microsoft Excel for further sorting and analysis.

If you have specific fields that you would like to export that are not included in the standard reports, please contact our support department.