GC Auctions - What Bidders See in GC Auctions

Summary: GC Auctions gives your bidders a branded, mobile-first experience that's built around one question: "Where do I stand?" From the moment bidding opens, every item tells each bidder whether they're leading, outbid, or done. When the auction closes, everything they owe lands on one invoice. Bidders don't need an app or a GiveCampus login to get started.

This article covers the bidder experience for:

• Browsing the auction catalog
• What an item page shows
• Registering to bid
• Placing a bid and setting a max bid
• Leading, outbid, and closing states
• After the auction closes
• Paying the invoice
• Common bidder questions

Browsing the auction catalog

Bidders reach your auction from the auction tab on your event page, from a link you share, or from a QR code. Anyone can browse the catalog, even before registering.

At the top, bidders see your auction's name in your school's colors, a status label, and a countdown to when bidding opens or closes. Once a bidder is registered and signed in, a status card shows their paddle number and how many items they're leading on or have been outbid on.

Bidders can:

• Search for an item by name.
• Sort by Ending soon, Price: High to low, or Price: Low to high.
• Use the quick filters: Hot (items with lots of activity) and Needs some love (items with few or no bids).
• Switch to My items to see only the items they've bid on, then filter to Leading or Outbid.

All items appear in one continuous grid. There are no pages to click through.

What's on each item card

• Photos. Bidders can swipe or click through up to eight per item.
• The item name and current bid.
• One badge that sums up what's most important right now, such as New, Hot, Most bids, a countdown, You're leading, You were outbid, or Sold.

Bids update automatically, so bidders don't need to refresh.

What an item page shows

Selecting an item opens its page. Bidders see:

• A photo gallery they can expand to full screen
• About this item: your item description. Links in the description are clickable.
• Donated by: the item donor's display name
• Bidding log: every bid on the item, with the bidder's own bids marked You. Other bidders are told apart without showing their names or paddle numbers.
• The bid card, where they place a bid

Bidders can also share an item with the Share button to various social platforms or via link.

On a phone, the bid card becomes a bar pinned to the bottom of the screen. Tapping it opens a bid sheet.

Registering to bid

The first time someone tries to bid, GC Auctions asks them to register. Registration opens on top of the item page, so they never lose their place.

1. They enter their email address.
2. They check their email and verify it. If the email doesn't arrive, they can resend it after a short wait.
3. To actually place a bid, they complete their bidder profile: name and a credit card. They can also add a mobile phone number and a display name, and choose to bid anonymously.
4. They can start bidding right away.

If a bidder has registered for your event before, GC Auctions recognizes them and fills in the name it already has.

Paddle numbers

Whether a bidder gets a paddle number when they register depends on your auction settings:

• Auto-assign paddle numbers is on: Each bidder gets the next number in sequence, starting from your Starting paddle number (100 if you don't set one), as soon as they finish registering. They see it on their status card and in the account menu.
• Auto-assign paddle numbers is off: Bidders don't get a number when they register. They can still bid on silent items. Your team assigns paddles from the Bidders tab or at check-in, which is common when paddles are handed out at the door.
• Bidders who already have a paddle keep it. For example, a guest your team checked in and handed a paddle keeps that number when they finish registering online.

A bidder needs a card on file to bid on silent items, with or without a paddle number. A guest without a card can still be given a paddle at check-in for the live auction and paddle raise.

Guests your team checks in without a card

When a volunteer selects Check in & send link, or your team sends a registration link from the Bidders tab, the guest gets an email titled "Register to bid at [your event name]." The link takes them straight to the card step. They don't need to verify their email again, because opening the email already proves it's theirs. Once they add a card, they can bid on silent items and pay from their invoice.

A few things to know:

• The link works for 30 days. After that, it opens the regular registration page, and the guest verifies their email as usual.
• If the guest already has a paddle from check-in, they keep it.
• You can resend the link, but you'll need to wait a few minutes between sends to the same guest.

Bidders who arrive from an email or QR code see a short introduction to your auction before they register.

Tip: A card is required to bid. It's only charged for what the bidder wins or pledges.

Placing a bid and setting a max bid

The bid card shows the current bid, how many bids the item has, and the minimum next bid. The bid field starts at that minimum, and bidders can type a higher amount.

Bidders can also Set a max bid. GC Auctions then bids for them, one increment at a time, whenever someone outbids them, up to their max. Only the bidder sees their max.

Leading, outbid, and closing

The bid card and the item's badge change as the auction goes on:

• You're leading: The bidder has the high bid. If they set a max bid, they see how high GC Auctions will bid for them.
• You were outbid: Someone bid higher. The bid card offers the amount needed to retake the lead, with a Bid to retake button.
• Closing soon: A countdown shows how much time is left.
• Extended: If you use anti-sniping, a late bid adds time to that item, and the badge shows it was extended.
• Bidding paused: If you pause the auction, bidders see that bidding is paused and can't bid until you resume.

After the auction closes

When bidding ends, every item tells each bidder what happened:

• You won, with a link to their invoice
• Sold for $X, for bidders who didn't win
• Didn't sell, when an item closed below its reserve or without bids

If you hold results for admin review, bidders see that winners are being confirmed until you select Confirm & Notify.

After the auction closes, bidders can sign in to see their results without adding a card.

Paying the invoice

Bidders can open their invoice at any time from the account menu at the top of the page, or from the Your invoice is ready email.

The invoice shows:

• Every item they won and any paddle raise pledges, together on one bill
• Their balance due
• The card on file, with an option to Pay with a different card

If the card on file is about to expire, the invoice warns them but still lets them pay. Once they pay, the invoice doubles as a receipt they can screenshot or forward. If they don't owe anything, the invoice says so and confirms their card was never charged.

Common bidder questions

Do I need an app? No. Bidding works in any web browser, on a phone or a computer.

Will my card be charged when I register? No. Your card is only charged for items you win and any pledges you make.

Can other bidders see my name? Other bidders will see bidder display names in the bidder log. You can choose to bid anonymously when you register.

How do I know if I've been outbid? The item shows You were outbid, and the My items tab lists every item where you've been outbid.

Where do I pay? Open your invoice from the account menu, or use the link in your Your invoice is ready email once the auction has been closed.

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