Insights: Auction FAQs

Display FAQs on your Experience Page to make it easier for donors to participate in your Auction.

If your donors aren't used to participating in online Auctions, consider displaying FAQs that anticipate their questions and give them peace of mind. This can increase participation and help you raise more funds.

We've provided several common FAQs below that you can copy and paste or use as templates.

Before You Begin

This Knowledge Base article will walk you through how to add FAQs to your Experience Page: Can I Add FAQ’s to My Fundraising Page?
Other Knowledge Base articles are included at the end of this article. If you like, you can add the Articles for Donors to your FAQs to give donors further guidance.

Placing a Bid

The instructions you give your donors for placing a bid will depend on the Auction style you select:

English-Style

How do I bid on an item?

Find the item you're interested in and select Place bid, then enter the amount you want to bid. Select Add to cart, then check out to submit your bid. Please note: your bid won't be officially submitted until you've completed the checkout process.

Proxy Bidding

How do I bid on an item?

This Auction uses Proxy Bidding, so the bidding process will be different from a traditional Auction.

Find the item you're interested in and select Place bid, then enter the maximum amount you're willing to bid on that item (this is your max bid). Don't worry, you won't bid this amount right away.

Select Add to cart, then check out. Please note: the system won't start bidding for you until you've completed the checkout process.

After you check out, the system will take over and bid the lowest amount possible to keep you in the winning position until your max bid is reached. If someone outbids your max bid, you'll be notified by email. If you want to stay in the running, you can increase your max bid.

Updating a Bid

Instructions for rebidding will also depend on the Auction style you select:

English-Style

If I'm outbid, how can I re-bid?

You'll receive an email notification whenever you're outbid. If you've enabled SMS notifications, you'll also receive a text. The email or text will include a link you can follow to update your bid.

You can opt into SMS notifications whenever you place a bid or re-bid.

Proxy Bidding

If I'm outbid, how can I re-bid?

This Auction uses Proxy Bidding, so the system will re-bid for you until your max bid is reached. When that happens, you'll get an email notification. If you've enabled SMS notifications, you'll also receive a text. The email or text will include a link you can follow to update your max bid.

You can opt into SMS notifications whenever you place a bid or re-bid.

Canceling a Bid

Donors can't cancel a bid on their own, so you'll need to let them know how to contact you so you can do it for them:

How do I cancel or withdraw a bid?

If you need to cancel a bid for any reason, let us know! Click on the Contact Organizer button in the bottom right corner of the screen, and we'll cancel the bid for you.

Updating Payment Information

Donors can update their payment information anytime from their RallyUp account:

How can I update my payment information?

Log into your RallyUp account, click on your initials in the top right corner of the screen, then select My Account. Click on the My Bids tab and find the bid in question. Click on the three-dot menu on the right, then select Edit Payment Information.

If you aren't able to update your payment information yourself, click on the Contact Organizer button in the bottom right corner of the screen and we'll update it for you.

Optional Features

You'll only need the following FAQs if you enable Buy It Now or Auction Gifts, or if you're auctioning off multiples of the same item:

Buy It Now

Can I buy an item instead of bidding for it?

If an Auction item has a Buy It Now button, you can click on that button to buy the item outright instead of bidding for it.

Auction Gifts

Can I still support your cause even if I don't win any Auction items?

Absolutely! When you check out, you'll be asked if you'd like to give an Auction Gift, which will only be charged if you don't win any Auction items. You can set your Auction Gift amount to whatever you'd like.

Items with Multiple Quantities

Is there a different bidding process for Auction items with multiple quantities?

Auction items with multiple quantities will have multiple winners. The bidding process will be the same whether there are multiples of an Auction item or not. You'll need to bid an amount over the current bid displayed on the site to stay in the running. Note that if you win one of these items, you will only be charged for the amount you bid. This means that you may pay a different amount than other winners.