What’s the difference between live and silent auction items?

Live items are the projector moment — one item, a countdown clock, bidding that ends with a gavel. Silent lots run in parallel with their own individual cutoff times, browsed and bid on from donors’ own phones with no projector needed.

Do donors need to register before bidding?

Only if you’ve turned on "Require registration to bid" in the Registrations tab. Off by default — donors can bid with just a name and phone number.

How do I record a paddle sale that happened off-platform?

Use Paddle Recording — enter the paddle number and hammer price for an item, and it settles exactly like a normal live-auction win, ready to appear on the donor’s checkout tab.

What happens if no one bids on a live item before the clock runs out?

The item stays in its active state — you can extend the clock (+1/+2 minutes), accept a floor bid manually, or mark it sold at the starting price. Nothing auto-closes without an admin action.

Guide · Updated 6 August 2026

How to set up a live and silent auction, step by step.

A live item with a countdown clock on the projector, and a silent lot donors browse and bid on from their phones — both live in the same Auctions tab. Here it is, screenshotted step by step.

1. Open Auctions → Live Auction

From a campaign, go to Auctions in the left nav. Live Auction is the default tab, showing your QR code for the bidding link and any items already created.

2. Create a live auction item

Press "+ Create Auction" and fill in an item name and starting price — a description and photos are optional but help bidders decide fast. Pick a bid duration (2–15 minutes, or no timer) for when the clock starts once the item goes live; the item itself saves as a draft first, not live yet.

The create-auction-item form with name and starting price fields

3. Go live when you’re ready to start bidding

Press "Go Live" on the draft item to start its countdown — this is the moment the projector display picks it up and bidding opens. The clock can be adjusted (+1/+2/-1 minute) while live, and a floor bid or a manual "Mark as Sold" are both available from the same card.

An active auction item card with the countdown timer controls

4. Open the projector display

Press "Open Projector" to pull up the big-screen view — item photo, current bid and countdown, built to be read from across a room. Open it on a second device or screen before the item goes live so the room sees the countdown from the start.

The live auction item with the "Open Projector" link highlighted

Live fundraising display →

5. Switch to Silent Auction

Silent auction is off by default — flip the toggle at the top of the Silent Auction tab once your lots are ready. Unlike live items, silent lots don’t need a projector moment; donors browse and bid at their own pace from a phone.

The Silent Auction tab with the enable toggle

6. Add a silent lot

Press "+ Add Silent Lot" and set a name, starting price, bid increment and — the one required field beyond name — a cutoff time. Multiple lots can be open at once, each closing independently, and donors can set a max bid to auto-bid on their behalf up to that limit.

The add-silent-lot form with name, price and cutoff time fields

Start Your Fundraiser Book a demo See how it works →