Categorizing Items

This article describes the importance of properly categorizing your items, as well as the various methods that can be used to apply categories.

This article contains the following sections:

• Why is Categorization Important?

• Categorizing via Import

• Categorizing via All Items Page

• Categorizing via Lot Manager

Why is Categorization Important?

Categorization is vital for ensuring that items appear in bidder searches, creating an improved bidder experience. Bidders are likely to grow tired or become frustrated with scrolling through thousands of lots trying to find items pertinent to their search. 

Properly categorized items get more views, and subsequently more bids, than their uncategorized counterparts. In fact, properly categorized items can sell for three times the price of an uncategorized item. This means the more precise the categorization, the more valuable the item.

Categorizing via Import

You can categorize lots via import by adding columns to your catalog spreadsheet. You can add a 'Category' column and enter the specific Category Code for each item. You can add additional columns to further categorize your items. Using categorization will help your bidders narrow down their searches. Additional information on formatting your catalog spreadsheet can be found here.

Below are the categorization columns you can add to your catalog spreadsheet (be sure to title them as you see below):

• Category
  • Enter one (1) ID to categorize the item's Category. Category codes can be found can be found here.
• Origin
  • Enter up to two (2) 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 (2) IDs to categorize the item's Style & Period(s). Style & Period codes can be found here.
• Creator
  • Enter up to three (3) IDs to categorize the item's Creator(s). Separate multiple IDs with spaces. Creator codes can be found here on the Category Codes Spreadsheet.
• Materials & Techniques
  • Enter up to eight (8) IDs to categorize the item's Materials & Techniques. Separate multiple IDs with spaces. Material & Techniques codes can be found here.

For example, here is a lot that has utilized all of the categorization columns:

A list of Category Codes can also be found in our Category Codes Spreadsheet.

Categorizing via All Items Page

Lots can be categorized either individually or in bulk via the All Items page.

1. From your Seller Dashboard, click on the Auctions tab and select either Live Auction or Pre Auction, depending on whether or not your auction has been published.

2. Click on the title of the applicable auction.

3. Click on the All Items tab (for published auctions) or the Items tab (for unpublished auctions).

4. Click on the Edit Categories button at the top of the page.

5. To update an individual lot, scroll down to the applicable lot and use the Category drop-downs to select the correct category for the item.

6. To update multiple lots at once, check the box to the left of each applicable lot or check the box in the header to select all of the lots that are currently on the page.

   • Use the View drop-down to have more lots appear per page.

   • Then, use the Set drop-down to select Category, select the appropriate category, and click the Apply button.

7. Be sure to view all of the pages on the All Items list to ensure all of your lots have been correctly categorized.

Example:

Categorizing via Lot Manager

Lot Manager can only be used to categorize items in auction that have already been published.

1. From your Seller Dashboard, click on the Lot Manager tab.
2. Use the Auction drop-down at the top of the page to select the applicable auction. 
   • Only published auctions will appear in this drop-down.
3. Click on each lot you need to edit (lots will turn green as they are selected).
4. Use the drop-down at the top of the page to select the category to be applied to the lots and then click the Tag Items button. 
   • The selected category will then appear as text across the primary image of the selected lots.