Features Archives - WP Auctions

The Pro version of WP Auctions contains a very cool little feature that some website owners, with a discreet clientele, will find quite helpful.

The ability to hold anonymous auctions by obfuscating the usernames of registered bidders for privacy.

Privacy For Bidders

If you have the need for adding a level of anonymity, or secrecy, to the bidders of your auction then this function is right for you. Activation is as simple as turning the option to anonymize bidder names or not. Once you’ve selected your choice just update your auction settings and you’re done.

Now all your usernames will get replaced with random numbers and stars, with only the first and last initial of the bidder name being shown. This is to make sure that the bidder knows that their bid has actually been recorded.

A big enhancement to your auction profile with a click of a button.

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This feature applies to the Standard (i.e the Proxy Bidding) engine.

In the proxy bidding engine the bidder gets to place a “Maximum Bid”, i.e this is the amount he is willing to bid up to.

For example:

John’s “River” Painting has a starting bid of $10.
Betty places a Maximum Bid of $50, this is the maximum she is ready to pay for the painting.
The starting bid is now $10.
But Betty decides that she is willing to pay up to $75.
So she comes back to the auction, and since she is already logged in, enters her new Maximum Bid of $75.
Now she will only lose the auction if someone bids over $75. Until then Betty’s bid is safe.

This feature works best for auctions that have a variable value, depending on demand and scarcity. So do let your visitors know that they can always increase their “Maximum Bid“. It’s a great way to create interest and excitement for your auctions.

The “Request to Bid” feature allows only approved bidders to bid on an auction. This feature can be activated by going to:

Auction Settings > Other Settings > Request to Bid Mode

You can turn this feature on by following these steps –

Traditional Display ONLY – Registered Users Only Mode: Set this setting to be “Yes, only registered users can bid“
Request to Bid Mode: Set this option to “Yes, bidders need to be approved before they can bid“
Click “Update Options“

Once this feature is switched on, registered users will be shown an option to “Request to Bid” on all auctions. Once they click on the button to request permission, this action will be logged in your “Manage Bidders” panel.

Manage Bidders Panel

In this panel you can select to auto-approve all bidders requesting permission, or approve them on an as requested basis.

You can filter each auction and view the list of approved bidders and their approval status.

The benefits of using this feature can be seen when you have exclusive auctions that cater to a particular audience, or if it’s an auction which is being conducted on an invitation basis.

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To turn this feature off, simply undo the steps 1 and 2 from the list above and click Update Options again.