To bulk upload a catalog, you will need to use a spreadsheet format, such as Microsoft Excel or Open Office.
Note: If using auction software, e.g. RFC, BidMaster, AuctionFlex, etc., you can build a text file in the software and export it as a CSV file for direct upload into LiveAuctioneers. Please contact your respective inventory management software company for further information on exporting.
See our sample catalog spreadsheet for reference.
Required Columns
- LotNum
- Title
- Description
- LowEst
- HighEst
- StartPrice
Optional Columns
- Condition
- Consigner
- ImageFile.1, ... , ImageFile.20
- Is Firearm
- Buy Now Price
- Exclude From Buy Now
- Reserve Price
- Height
- Width
- Depth
- Dimension Unit
- Weight
- Weight Unit
- Domestic Flat Shipping Price
- Quantity
- Category
- Origin
- Creator
- Materials & Techniques
- Lot Reference Number
- Location Nickname
Column Definitions
Lot Number (LotNum)Lot numbers can consist of up to 10 characters maximum. The lot number may also have an alphabetical character following it to distinguish from identical numbers. For example, 27 and 27A are permitted (no space between the number and letter) as these note 2 different lots.
Title (Title)
This is used to display your lot on LiveAuctioneers, so add the most searchable words to your title. The title must not exceed 100 characters (including spaces).
Description (Description)
There is no word limit here, so try to describe your item as accurately as possible. Be sure to include the size, age, materials used, artist/designer/manufacturer, how it was made, and any unique features. The words you use in the Description column help shoppers locate or discover your items when they search on LiveAuctioneers. Please provide dimensions and weight as it will allow prospective bidders to estimate shipping cost, and will reduce the number of incoming inquiries. All damage should be well described.
You may use simple HTML tags. Links to your website are NOT permitted and must be removed.
LINE BREAKS or CARRIAGE RETURNS. These should be specified using HTML tags such as <br>. Using the tag once is the equivalent of pressing enter once.
Low Estimate (LowEst)
List the low estimate of the item, which cannot be greater than your high estimate or lower than your start price. Do not include currency symbols. Can not exceed more than 9 digits.
High Estimate (HighEst)
List the high estimate of the item, which cannot be equal to or less than your low estimate. Can not exceed more than 9 digits.
Start Price (StartPrice)
The start price will serve as a starting point for your bidders to leave absentee bids. The start price cannot be greater than your low estimate. If this field is left empty, Start Price will be automatically be set at 50% of your low estimate. Can not exceed more than 9 digits.
Note: Do not include currency symbols in the above three columns.
Optional column headers:
Condition
If you are aware of the condition of an item you are selling, please list it in this field as it can be helpful for the bidder determine their bidding.
Consigner
This is for internal use only and will not be displayed online.
Image File (ImageFile.1 to ImageFile.20)
Image file columns are only required if the photographs are not named according to lot numbers. See our Guide to Image Formats for the accepted image file formats and naming conventions.
If using this column you must list the full image file name including the .jpg extension. The file names are case sensitive. Example: If your image is “warhol19front” for lot number 24, then the ImageFile.1 for lot 24 would read “warhol19front.jpg”.
Additionally, if your images are hosted on a website, you may enter the direct URL of your image(s) in the Image File Columns for our image processor to retrieve.
Please note, images that are being referenced with a direct URL in this field should also be a .jpg or .jpeg as we do not accept any other formats.
Is Firearm
If there are firearms or firearm accessories within the auction that were produced after 1898,
0 = this item is not a firearm and does not contain firearm accessories
1 = this item is a firearm or does contain firearm accessories
Buy Now Price
If you enabled the Buy Now feature, this is the price at which your item will be listed after the auction if passed or unsold. If this field is left empty or 0, Buy Now price will be set at the reserve or low estimate. Can not exceed more than 9 digits.
*Buy It Now/Make An Offer Items are available for a default of 14 days post-sale; however, they can be set for a custom length of time.
Exclude From Buy Now
If you have the Buy Now feature enabled,
0 = (default) item eligible for Buy Now.
1 = item not eligible for Buy Now.
Reserve Price
If you are running an automated sale or using the Online Seller pricing plan, you can use this field to enter a Reserve Price above your start price. Items being sold on the automated console will not sell if the Reserve Price is not met.
Height
Used in conjunction with the Dimension Unit column to indicate the height of an item. This field only accepts numerical values.
Width
Used in conjunction with the Dimension Unit column to indicate the width of an item. This field only accepts numerical values.
Depth
Used in conjunction with the Dimension Unit column to indicate the depth of an item. This field only accepts numerical values.
Dimension Unit
Enter the measurement unit you used for height, width, and depth. Acceptable units are: in, ft, or cm
Weight
Used in conjunction with the Weight Unit column to indicate the weight of an item. This field only accepts numerical values.
Weight Unit
Enter the measurement unit you used for weight. Acceptable units are: oz, lb, g, or kg
Domestic Flat Shipping Price
Enter flat-rate shipping prices if available to bidders in the contiguous US. This will display prominently on your item listing pages and encourage bidding. This field only accepts numerical values. If you offer Free Shipping, enter the number zero 0 in this column. By doing so, a Free Shipping note will be displayed on the item page and your item will appear in Free Shipping filtered search results.
Quantity
Enter how many of this item is included in the lot. For example, if lot 45 was a set of 4 armchairs, you would put 4 in the Quantity field for this lot. PLEASE NOTE: This does NOT allow you to set the price per piece in a lot. LiveAuctioneers does not support Price Per Piece or Times the Money for a lot. The price you enter for a lot is for the whole lot.
Category
Enter an ID to categorize the item's Category. Category codes can be found here
Origin
Enter up to two IDs to categorize the item's Origin(s). Separate multiple IDs with spaces. Origin codes can be found here
Style & Period
Enter up to two IDs to categorize the item's Style & Period(s). Separate multiple IDs with spaces. Style & Period codes can be found here
Creator
Enter up to three IDs to categorize the item's Creator(s).Separate multiple IDs with spaces. Creator codes can be found on the Code Spreadsheet.
Materials & Techniques
Enter up to eight IDs to categorize the item's Materials & Techniques. Separate multiple IDs with spaces. Materials & Technique codes can be found here
Lot Reference Number
Enter up to eight digit reference number if internal reference numbers are required.
Location Nickname
If you are storing the lots for a sale in multiple locations (example: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago), please note the respective nickname of the location next to each item. Any lots that are not associated to a location nickname will then be defaulted to the auction location that you enter under Details & Date in Auction details. This will help when arranging shipping or pickup of items post-auction as well generating shipping quotes if you use LiveShipping. For more information on how to add locations, click here.
For the best upload results, save your Excel as a .csv or text-tab delimited file.