This article describes the Buy Now/Make Offer program and how it can be set up on your auction.
This article contains the following sections:
How It Works
LiveAuctioneers offers a Buy Now/Make Offer feature that allows auction houses to list items for purchase after an auction ends.
When your auction ends, we'll automatically convert your passed lots to Buy Now/Make Offer listings for up to 14 days. If you would like to change the duration for which items are listed for Buy Now, contact support@liveauctioneers.com.
Based on your catalog, we'll list your items at either:
- Buy Now Price
- Reserve Price
- Low Estimate
You'll receive offers from buyers in your LiveAuctioneers inbox. You should coordinate the purchase with buyers directly and respond to them within 24 hours.
There are no fees for using the Buy Now/Make Offer feature.
Enabling Buy Now/Make Offer
Account Level
If you would like to participate in the Buy Now/Make Offer program, please contact your Client Success Manager or support@liveauctioneers.com.
Auction Level
Once an auction house is enabled at the account level, all future auctions will automatically be enabled as well. However, if you have an auction that you do not wish to use Buy Now/Make Offer on, you can use the catalog spreadsheet to indicate that none of the lots are eligible for Buy Now/Make Offer. See below for more details.
Auctions created before being enabled at the account level will not be automatically enabled for Buy Now/Make Offer. To request that an auction created before enabling Buy Now/Make Offer be added, please send a request to support@liveauctioneers.com.
Lot Level
When uploading a catalog spreadsheet, enter a 0 into the Exclude From Buy Now column to indicate the item is eligible for Buy Now, and enter a 1 in the column if the item is not eligible. See below for more details.
Adding Buy Now Prices to Lots
Once you've had Buy Now/Make Offer enabled on your account, you can create a new auction and either add Buy Now Prices to lots individually or by uploading a catalog spreadsheet.
- Please note, Buy Now Prices cannot be added or edited once a sale is over.
to indicate whether items are eligible for Buy Now, and to set Buy Now Prices.
Add to Lots Via Catalog Spreadsheet
While best practice is to proof and finalize your catalog before publishing your auction, Buy Now Prices be added into the catalog via batch/bulk upload after the sale has been published- up to 6 hours before the auction starts.
Two columns need to be added to the catalog spreadsheet for Buy Now/Make Offer:
- Buy Now Price: The price at which your item will be listed after the auction if it is passed or unsold. If this field contains a 0 or is left empty, the Buy Now Price will be set at the Reserve Price. If the lot does not have a Reserve Price either, the Buy Now Price will be set at the Low Estimate.
- Exclude From Buy Now: 0 = (default) item eligible for Buy Now. 1 = item not eligible for Buy Now.
If you do not include an Exclude From Buy Now column on your spreadsheet, the lots will default to being eligible for Buy Now/Make Offer.
To learn more about formatting a catalog spreadsheet for upload, click here.
Add to Lots Individually
When creating or editing an individual lot, you can enter your Buy Now Prices into the Buy Now Price field. Check the Exclude From Buy Now box if you do not want the lot to be included in the Buy Now/Make Offer program.