online-only bidding<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n Our customers often ask us what types of items are best suited to each category. Here are some strategies to consider:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
View Only<\/h3>\r\n\r\n
What it means:<\/strong> Visitors to your online catalog may view this package, but not place bids.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n With the \u2018view only\u2019 option, you\u2019re using your online catalog as a marketing tool to showcase certain items prior to the event, without making them biddable until the event. Use such special showpiece items to attract guests to your event. Which types of items are best suited to \u2018view only\u2019 status?<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\r\n - Special, one-of-a-kind items that have great appeal to your potential event guests, like a classroom project that includes each student\u2019s handprint. In this case, you want every parent to come to the event feeling as if he or she has a chance to participate, at the very least, at the opening bid level.<\/li>\r\n
- Items that elicit a huge emotional response, such as lunch with a local celebrity or an ice cream party with a favorite teacher<\/li>\r\n
- Artwork and sculptures by local artists<\/li>\r\n
- Rare or special bottles of wine or liquor<\/li>\r\n
- Items that have done amazingly well at your event in past years. Like special one-of-a-kind items, these proven winners work as a way to lure guests to your event. More guests at your event help drive event bids higher, maximizing your profits.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n
Pre-bidding for Event Auction<\/h3>\r\n\r\n
What it means:<\/strong> The highest online bid at the close of the online auction will become the item\u2019s starting bid at the silent\/live event auction.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n For items and services that typically don\u2019t get full value at your event because they lack broad appeal, online pre-bidding offers a way to give them a little pre-event boost for better exposure and higher bids. For example:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\r\n - Massage therapist gift certificate<\/li>\r\n
- Dental exam and teeth whitening gift certificate<\/li>\r\n
- Doctor procedure gift certificate<\/li>\r\n
- Eye exam gift certificate (even better if it includes a discount on a pair of glasses)<\/li>\r\n
- Health club memberships<\/li>\r\n
- Sports training gift certificate<\/li>\r\n
- Jewelry, scarves and other accessories<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n
Pre-Bidding with Absentee Bidding During Event Auction<\/h3>\r\n\r\n
What it means:<\/strong> The highest online bid at the close of the online auction will become the item\u2019s starting bid at the silent\/live event auction. If that high bidder has an outstanding maximum bid, the auction committee will bid on his or her behalf up to that amount at the event auction.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n This category is really an extension of the one above. Items to which you could apply this category include:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\r\n - Highly coveted or popular items with broad appeal. A perfect example of this is autographed items to which the extended community might be highly attracted. Since your ReadySetAuction-hosted auction website integrates with Facebook and Twitter, you and your constituents can easily spread the word to your extended social networks about these special items. Your cousin from Topeka who collects signed baseballs and your niece in Maine who lives for anything Harry Potter will not only help drive the bidding up online, but \u2014 since any outstanding maximum online bid will be carried over to the event \u2014 they will also drive bidding up at the event. Plus, they will still have the opportunity to win even though they cannot attend your event.<\/li>\r\n
- Expensive travel packages. The number of bidders at your event interested in a big travel package may be limited. So reaching out to your broader social network is an effective way to get the highest final bid.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n
Online-Only Bidding<\/h3>\r\n\r\n
What it means:<\/strong> The highest online bid at the close of the online auction determines the winner of the package.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n Items well suited to \u201conline only\u201d bidding include:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\r\n - Duplicate items. If you have procured two of the same item, auction off one online and the other during your silent\/live event auction. You\u2019ll reach a broader audience and create a more competitive bidding environment both online and at the event.<\/li>\r\n
- Restaurant and store gift certificates. These are often overlooked during a silent auction event and thus bidding does not reach its full potential. Hint: Start online bidding at 50% of the gift certificate\u2019s value and be sure to offer a Win-It-Now price in your online auction of at least $5 to $10 over its value, more if you think people are likely to pay more. To support your organization, diners who frequent a certain restaurant are often very happy to pay over value so they can enjoy an evening out at their favorite eating establishment. And those of us who like to shop will jump at an excuse to spend an afternoon trying on shoes or clothes at our favorite store.<\/li>\r\n
- Date sensitive tickets to a ballet, show or sporting event. Like restaurant and store gift certificates, event tickets tend to get overlooked during a silent auction, especially when they are tied to a specific date and time. Online bidders are more likely to have their calendars handy and know whether a specific show fits into their schedule.<\/li>\r\n
- Overflow items. When you have procured too many items to auction off at your event \u2014 that is, there isn\u2019t enough room at your venue or you simply have too many items for your guests to see and bid on during your event \u2013then use \u2018online-only\u2019 bidding to auction items off prior to your event.<\/li>\r\n <\/ul>\r\n\r\n
We\u2019d love to hear about your online auction. What worked well for you? Feel free to comment to share your successes, suggestions and ideas.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When using ReadySetAuction to conduct an online auction prior to your silent\/live event auction, you can choose whether each item in your online catalog is for: view only pre-bidding for event auction pre-bidding with absentee bidding during event auction online-only bidding Our customers often ask us what types of items are best suited to each […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":118,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-auction-tips-strategies"],"yoast_head":"\n
Strategies for Pre-Event Online Bidding - ReadySetAuction Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Strategies for Pre-Event Online Bidding\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When using ReadySetAuction to conduct an online auction prior to your silent\/live event auction, you can choose whether each item in your online catalog is for: view only pre-bidding for event auction pre-bidding with absentee bidding during event auction online-only bidding Our customers often ask us what types of items are best suited to each […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ReadySetAuction Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-04-14T17:50:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-07-28T13:52:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uploads.readysetauction.com\/images\/sites\/2\/strategy-for-pre-bidding-200x200.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amanda Foran\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amanda Foran\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amanda Foran\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/#\/schema\/person\/a50b0bf07bc8a9e8c52d1799821ad066\"},\"headline\":\"Strategies for Pre-Event Online Bidding\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-04-14T17:50:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-07-28T13:52:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/\"},\"wordCount\":950,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/uploads.readysetauction.com\/images\/sites\/2\/strategy-for-pre-bidding-200x200.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Auction Tips & Strategies\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.readysetauction.com\/rsablog\/2011\/04\/14\/strategies-for-pre-event-online-bidding\/\",\"name\":\"Strategies for Pre-Event Online Bidding - 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