This article provides steps for clerking lots via the LiveAuctioneers Clerking Console. For information on launching the Clerking Console, click here.
Need Training? Click here to access our Live Auction Clerking seminar, or to request a practice clerking session.
If you have an emergency during your live auction, you can call our emergency line for immediate assistance: 1-888-600-2437, (Option 6).
This article contains the following sections:
Clerking Actions
For information on launching the Clerking Console, click here.
Recording Bids
Click the Competing Bid button to increase the 'Current Ask' value by the current 'Bid Increment' value. Each time the Competing Bid button is clicked, the bid will be recorded in the 'Bid History' section of the page.
To manually adjust the 'Current Ask' value, double-click on the Current Ask field, enter the new value, and then press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Selling a Lot
To mark a lot as sold for the last bid, click the Sold button and then click the Next Lot button to progress to the next lot. The Sold button will not be available until a bid has been recorded on the lot.
Lots marked as Sold can be reopened prior to moving to the next lot, but cannot be reopened after moving to the next lot.
If a clerk incorrectly logs a lot as 'Sold' and moves on to the next lot, please email our Support team with the details and we will help you correct the clerking, or you can remove the lot from the End of Auction (EOA) report. Step-by-step instructions on doing so can be found here.
Passing Lots
To pass a lot, click the Pass button and then click the Next Lot button to progress to the next lot. Passed lots are lots that are not being re-offered in this auction, generally because they did not get any bids or the reserve was not met. They did not sell, so they are passed and are not revisited.
Lots marked as Pass can be reopened prior to moving to the next lot, but cannot be reopened after moving to the next lot. For passed lots that need to be marked as 'Sold':
- If the lot was sold to an off-platform bidder: Update the Hammer Prices page on the End of Auction (EOA) report. Step-by-step instructions can be found here.
- If the lot was sold to an online bidder: Contact Support with the details to have the lot added to the End of Auction (EOA) report.
Unsold Lots
To skip a lot or mark is not being sold, click the Unsold button and then click the Next Lot button to progress to the next lot. The Unsold button will not be available once bids have been recorded on the lot.
Unsold or skipped lots can be returned to at any time by typing the lot number into the Lot Number field in the top left corner of the console and pressing the Enter key on your keyboard.
Retracting Bids
To retract the last bid that was recorded, click the Retract button. The retraction will be noted in the 'Bid History' and 'Auction Information' sections of the page, and the 'Current Ask' value will change accordingly.
The Retract button can only be used once in succession. If a clerk mistakenly logs multiple consecutive bids, they should manually adjust the Current Ask price to match the last accepted floor bid and click the Enter key on their keyboard. Once they are certain they are moving forward from this point, they can click the Competing Bid button to log it, effectively restarting the lot from that point.
Moving Between Lots
After passing, skipping, or selling a lot, you can click the Next Lot button to automatically progress to the next lot in the catalog.
To navigate to a lot that is out of sequence, click on the Lot Number field in the top left corner of the console, enter the lot number, and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Please note, you cannot revisit lots that have already been marked as 'Passed' or 'Sold'.
If you attempt to navigate to a 'Passed' or 'Sold' lot, you will see an error message in the Auction Information section of the page.
Adjusting Bid Increments
The increments in the Clerking Console are set to follow the increment table that was set up when the auction was created. Steps on updating the Bid Increment table for the auction can be found here, but the increment table cannot be changed within 2 hours of the start of the sale.
If adjustments need to be made to the Bid Increments within two hours of the sale, you can manually change them in the Clerking Console by typing a new value into the Bid Increment field.
However, the system will automatically change the Bid Increment back to match the auction's Bid Increment table when you get to the next scheduled increment change. This means that you may need to manually adjust the Bid Increment multiple times throughout a sale.