Here are the items to complete to successfully run a cross-listed auction:
| Item | |
| Pre-auction | Onboard to LiveAuctioneers |
| Get started with atgXL | |
| Create your cross-listed Timed auction | |
| Market your auction | |
| Proof and publish your cross-listed auction | |
| During-auction | Bidder management |
| Bid management | |
| Post-auction | Results and Invoicing |
| Billing and Commissions | |
Onboard to LiveAuctioneers
LiveAuctioneers is North America’s largest online auction marketplace for art and antiques, connecting 2.6 million visitors each month with more than 1,600 of the world’s trusted auction houses.
Key categories
- ART
- JEWELRY
- ASIAN ANTIQUES
- FURNITURE
- COLLECTIBLES
- COINS
- DECORATIVE ARTS
- FASHION
- LUXURY
- AND MORE
During your atgXL onboarding you will be shown LiveAuctioneers, its back-office tools and the features relevant for cross-listed timed auctions.
Please contact Seller Support if you have any further questions about LiveAuctioneers.
Get Started with atgXL
Built to maximize your hammer prices, atgXL is a multi-marketplace integration from Auction Technology Group (ATG) that allows you to seamlessly list your timed auction on multiple ATG platforms.
There are some considerations that need to be made when creating and cross-listing your Proxibid timed auction:
- Changes should be made primarily in AuctionBuilder, these changes in the most part will automatically synchronize with LiveAuctioneers within approximately 30 minutes.
- There are some features that are not available on a cross-listed Proxibid Timed auction. This table gives more details on these.
- The auction Start Time needs to be at least 2 hours in the future when publishing your auction in AuctionBuilder. This will give time to go into LiveAuctioneers and confirm all auction options before bidding begins. Once an auction's start time has passed, event details cannot be edited. If edits / adjustments must be made after the auction start time, please contact Seller Support.
- Images can take time to export and sync to your additional marketplaces, up to several hours depending on size of catalog. Please consider this when setting the auction Start Time.
- One auction-level increment table should be created and selected in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) for cross-listed auctions. This table will be synchronized across both Proxibid and LiveAuctioneers and will need to be the only table used across all cross-listed auctions. The increment table should be saved as “sbs” and selected when creating the cross-listed auction.
- You are not able to link a cross-listed event to a previous event.
- US clients are required to onboard to and use LivePayments on LiveAuctioneers.
- The Times the money / piecemeal feature is not available on LiveAuctioneers. This lot setting should not be enabled/selected in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) because it will not be supported on LiveAuctioneers.
- Reserves given to lots should not be adjusted once the auction has been published.
- When using Wavebid for cataloging a cross-listed timed auction the auction should be created in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) and then linked in Wavebid. More details here.
- When using Wavebid for post-auction sale results and invoicing for a cross-listed timed auction, some details may need to be manually imported into Wavebid. More details here.
Creating a New Auction
1. Log into your AuctionBuilder account
2. Click the Create New Event link located on the left side of the page under AuctionTools.
- It is essential you do not create the new event via the ‘New Event’ link found at the top-right of Event Management pages.
3. A new section will appear in the center of the page.
a. To create an event without using a pre-built template, click the Create a New Event link.
OR
b. To use a pre-built template to create an event, select a template name from the Pre-built Template field. The template must be a timed event format.
4. Click the Go button.
On the following event set-up page:
5. Ensure that Timed is selected as the Event Type.
6. Select the option to Cross-list my auction. Select LiveAuctioneers.com as a Marketplace that your auction will be cross-listed on.
- These selections cannot be changed once the event is created.
- To cross list the timed auction to other ATG marketplaces and/or ATG White Label, you must first have those marketplaces enabled on your account and should review the details in these guides.
7. Enter an Event Title and Description.
- The Event Title has a 50-character limit.
- The Event Description has a 200-character limit.
8. Select Primary and Additional Categories.
- A primary category that best matches the auction should be selected in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid).
- Lot-level categorization in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) is done in the same way as for a non-cross-listed auction.
- Lot-level categorization in LiveAuctioneers will be handled by the LiveAuctioneers autocategorization tool. This tool reviews the uploaded lot’s title and details to determine the category of the lot. Categories on LiveAuctioneers can take upwards of 24 hours to be determined and assigned.
9. Select the event's Approval Criteria for Buyers.
- Approval settings set in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) do not sync to LiveAuctioneers.
- Auto-approval rules should be set on your LiveAuctioneers account ahead of creating a cross-listed timed auction and apply at the auction house/account level.
10. Enter the bidding start time and end time, as well as the closing time increment.
- The auction Start Time should be at least 2 hours in the future when Saved in AuctionBuilder. This will allow a window of time to make the necessary checks and selections in LiveAuctioneers before the auction is published and before bidding begins.
11. Select a Currency.
12. Enter the Sequential Paddle Number.
- Ensure that significantly different ranges of paddle numbers are used for each marketplace.
- The LiveAuctioneers paddle seed will automatically be set to start at 900.
- The Proxibid paddle seed could be set in AuctionBuilder to start at 4,000 - to avoid potentially crossover.
13. Check the Require SSN box to require that all bidders enter the last 4 digits of their Social Security Number (SSN) when registering for the event on Proxibid.
- This setting will not synchronize with LiveAuctioneers, nor is this feature available on LiveAuctioneers.
14. Click the "Choose File" button to select a Feature Image. This will be the image associated with the auction event on Proxibid.
- The Feature image or auction “cover images” will not sync from AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) to LiveAuctioneers. On LiveAuctioneers, when proofing and publishing your auction you can select 1-3 cover images from the auction catalog that best represent your event to be displayed on LiveAuctioneers.
15. The Next Page brings up Payment, Terms & Conditions.
- The Payment & Terms page provides an auction company's contact information to bidders, and also contains the terms and conditions bidders agree to when they enter an auction event.
-
Select the accepted cards and payment options for Proxibid bidders in AuctionBuilder. These selections will not transfer to LiveAuctioneers automatically; LivePay will be the payment option for bidders on LiveAuctioneers and settings and terms for this will need to be completed in LiveAuctioneers ahead of publishing the catalog there.
16. When complete in AuctionBuilder, click the Create button.
17. Review the customer billing template on the next page. Once Save is clicked, the event will be created in LiveAuctioneers. Now it’s time to upload the catalog in AuctionBuilder.
Importing Lots & Images
You can upload lots and images in the same way you would normally in AuctionBuilder - through the Bulk Loader or Catalog Generator.
- Unless expressly told otherwise, lots and images should only be added and edited in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) and not in LiveAuctioneers.
- Updates can take up to 30 minutes to feed through to LiveAuctioneers.
- Images can take time to synchronize from AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) to LiveAuctioneers.
- Lot descriptions have an 8,000-character limit.
- The minimum required number of lots per sale is 50.
- All lots must have a Lot Tile, Lot Description, and Lot Number in order to cross-list the auction.
- When using Wavebid for cataloging a cross-listed timed auction the auction should be created in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) and then linked in Wavebid. From there you can then upload the catalog and images. More details here.
Setting Prices and Reserves
Set Prices and Reserves in the same way you would normally when cataloging a Timed auction in.
- For cross-listed timed auctions ask prices and reserves that are off-increment will be rounded up to the next valid increment. This is to ensure bid alignment between Proxibid and LiveAuctioneers for the auction.
- An asking price equal to your first valid increment will be automatically created if one is not specified.
Look out for notifications when an alteration is made:
Estimates
High and Low Estimates should be given to lots where available. If estimate values are not given to items in Proxibid AuctionBuilder, the estimate filed on LiveAuctioneers will show "Estimate: $0-$0".
Checks in LiveAuctioneers
Log into LiveAuctioneers Seller Tools to see data transfer and verify the corresponding event is ready.
There are elements that do not transfer from AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) and will need to be reviewed / added to the auction in LiveAuctioneers.
- Cover images
- Accepted Payment Types (LivePayments will need to be used on LiveAuctioneers)
- Shipping options
- Auto-approval settings
Deposits
Deposits are not supported on LiveAuctioneers for cross-listed timed auctions.
Feature Differences, Gaps and Settings Specific to Cross-Listed Timed Auctions.
This table describes the features that are not available on timed auctions cross listed from Proxibid to LiveAuctioneers. It also describes the auction and lot fields that don’t automatically sync from AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) to LiveAuctioneers or align:
- Enabling these features where they are not available on LiveAuctioneers will result in disruption to your cross-listed timed auction and in some cases can only be remedied by shutting down the entire auction on all marketplaces.
| Feature | Availability | Notes |
| Live auctions | Not available | atgXL supports cross-listed timed auctions only. |
| Times the money / Piecemeal | Not available | LiveAuctioneers does not support this feature. This lot setting should not be selected in Proxibid. |
| Tiered Buyer's Premium | Not available | LiveAuctioneers will not automatically support tiered buyer's premiums pushed from Proxibid. |
| Buyer's Premium caps | Not available | LiveAuctioneers does not support Buyer's premium caps. |
| Lot-level Buyer's Premiums | Not available | LiveAuctioneers does not support lot-level Buyer's Premiums. |
| Decimal Increments | Not available | LiveAuctioneers does not support decimal increments, therefore decimal increments should not be included in the increments table used for cross-listed timed auctions. |
| Requiring SSN | Not available | There is no option on LiveAuctioneers to request a SSN from a bidder as part of registration. |
| Payments: atgPay | Not available |
atgPay is not available on LiveAuctioneers, nor should it be used to charge LiveAuctioneers bidders or bidders from other marketplaces other than Proxibid. LivePayments can be used for LiveAuctioneers bidders. Although atgPay and LivePay are similar products, they should be treated as separate products, with separate enrollment/onboarding and features. |
| Deposits | Not available | Deposits are not supported on LiveAuctioneers. |
| Proxibid Payments and Terms | Not available |
The necessary LivePayments settings and relevant terms should be selected during the proofing and publishing step on LiveAuctioneers. Select the accepted cards and payment options for Proxibid bidders in AuctionBuilder. These selections will not transfer to LiveAuctioneers automatically; LivePay will be the payment option on LiveAuctioneers and settings and terms for this will need to be completed in LiveAuctioneers ahead of publishing the catalog there. |
| Invoice Comment | Not available | This comment does not sync to LiveAuctioneers. |
| Seller Info | Not available | This information does not sync to LiveAuctioneers. |
| Meta data: Lot locations | Not available | Lot locations given in Proxibid are not mapped to LiveAuctioneers. Instead, only an auction-level address is shown. |
| Make an offer | Not available | This feature should not be selected or utilized in AuctionBuilder. |
| Renumbering lots: using Bulk uploader | Not available | The Bulk uploader tool should not be used in AuctionBuilder to renumber lots. |
| Meta data: Condition, Year, Model | Partially available | Condition, Year, Model etc. from Proxibid is added into the lot description on LiveAuctioneers and are not shown in specific fields like on Proxibid. |
| Multi-ring / Linked auctions | Partially available |
Auctions can be linked in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) but the auctions on LiveAuctioneers will not be linked. If linking cross-listed events, it's recommended to link them when they are in a "Disabled" state. When events are linked on Proxibid, items cannot be moved between linked auctions – this will cause breaking issue for the cross-listed timed auction. |
| Featured Image | Partially available | Featured Images selected in Proxibid are not synced to LiveAuctioneers. During proofing and publishing on LiveAuctioneers, up to 3 "cover images" can be selected to represent the auction on LiveAuctioneers. |
| Categorization | Partially available | Primary and secondary categories specified in Proxibid will not map directly to LiveAuctioneers. The most appropriate categories for the LiveAuctioneers audience will be given to items on LiveAuctioneers. |
| Auto-approval rules | Partially available | Auto-approval rules set in Proxibid including MarketGuard tiers are not synced to LiveAuctioneers. Auto-approval rules should be set on your LiveAuctioneers account and apply at the auction house level. |
| Sequential paddle numbers | Partially available |
The seed for sequential paddle numbers should be significantly different between Proxibid and LiveAuctioneers to ensure no crossover. Paddle numbers on LiveAuctioneers start at 900 and cannot be adjusted. The seed on Proxibid should be significantly different to 900. |
| Auction status | Partially available |
Auction statuses set in AuctionBuilder are respected in LiveAuctioneers when progressive e.g. Disabled to Pending to Online (with proofing) to Closed. Regressive steps will not be automatically respected in LiveAuctioneers e.g. Online to Pending. Contact Seller Support if there is a need to regress the status of an ATG XL event once Online. |
Market your Auction
The Auctioneer Marketing Program (AMP) is a comprehensive marketing solution for clients looking to promote their businesses. This program offers a range of marketing services, including newsletter promotions and website advertisements, designed to reach a wider audience and increase brand visibility. Book effective marketing campaigns tailored to your goals, ultimately driving more traffic, engagement, and sales.
Contact your Client Success Manager who can work with you in maximizing your auction’s success with Auctioneer Marketing Program support.
Proof and Publish your Cross-Listed Timed Auction
Auction status is synchronized from AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) to LiveAuctioneers.
When an auction is created and saved in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid), the cross-listed auction appears in LiveAuctioneers Seller Tools. The auction, with the status Draft / Unpublished, can be found in the Pre-sale tab and is described as inactive.
From the Auction Details tab, select a listing and commission plan by selecting Click here to activate.
Select a corresponding and relevant plan.
The auction’s shipping options are set to None selected. These must be set, and you can do this by clicking Edit from the Shipping Options row.
The relevant shipping options must be chosen for the auction.
- Free local pick-up - this is a shipping option if the auctioneer allows pick up for purchased lots from the catalog location, provided during catalog setup.
- In-house shipping - if the auctioneer can provide a shipping quote and arrange shipping for all or selected lots after the sale. In addition, LiveAuctioneers allows auction houses to provide a pre-sale shipping flat rate for each lot or marks lots to have free shipping. In this case, the auctioneer can contact the LiveAuctioneers Seller Support Team to update the catalog information.
- Self-Arranged shipping is allowed - if the auctioneer doesn’t provide in-house shipping (this will be the default shipping option)
The shipping settings can’t be changed once the auction has started. It’s important to address all the above steps as part of proofing the catalog and before publishing.
Payments on LiveAuctioneers
LivePayments allows auctioneers to collect payments quickly and easily, directly through LiveAuctioneers. Your Client Success Manager and the LiveAuctioneers Payments team will work with you to ensure you are set up with LivePay ahead of running your cross-listed timed auction.
Once your application is approved and you are officially enrolled, you can now accept credit/debit card, Bank Transfer (ACH), and installment payments through LivePayments. LivePayments will be automatically enabled each time you set up a new auction.
You can then choose your preferred Autopay setting as well as whether your Auction House will absorb the LivePayments Online Payments fee, or if you would prefer to pass the fee on to your winning bidders.
The payments settings can’t be changed once the auction has started. It’s important to address all the above steps as part of proofing the catalog and before publishing.
Once an auction's start time has passed, event details should not be edited. If edits/adjustments must be made after the auction start time, please contact Seller Support.
Auction Edits
Edits to auction or lot information must only be undertaken in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) and not directly in LiveAuctioneers.
Please note that edits can take up to 30 minutes to fed over to LiveAuctioneers.
This table describes which fields can be edited and when - to avoid auction disruption:
- Yes = field can be edited
- No = field cannot be edited
| Type | Field | Before Bidding Start Time | After Bidding Start Time | After First Bid |
|
Auction |
Event Title, Description |
Yes |
No* |
No |
|
Auction |
Featured Image |
Yes |
No* |
No |
|
Auction |
Increments / Increment Table |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
Lot |
Title, description, etc |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Lot |
Quantity |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Lot |
Lot Type (Piecemeal) |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Lot |
Opening |
Yes |
No |
No |
|
Lot |
Reserve |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Lot |
Sequence |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
* If edits / adjustments must be made after the auction start time, please contact Seller Support.
Bidder Management for Cross-Listed Auctions
Auction and catalog data is automatically synchronized from AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) to LiveAuctioneers for cross-listed timed auctions however, once the sale is in flight bidder management on the marketplaces will behave largely independently. Bidder management, bid retractions and post-sale steps are handled separately on the relevant marketplace tools.
Proxibid bidder management should be handled in the same way you would normally in AuctionBuilder for Proxibid bidders. More details here.
LiveAuctioneers bidder management can be done once logged in to LiveAuctioneers. More details here.
Registered Bidders
View, sort, and filter the list of bidders who have registered for your auction in each respective marketplace.
To access your LiveAuctioneers bidders, use the bidder list view to get a quick overview of bidders within each category and quickly evaluate which bidders need extra scrutiny.
Managing registered Proxibid bidders
Managing registered LiveAuctioneers bidders
Approving Bidders
Accepting, declining, or reporting pending bidders is handled in each respective marketplace.
Approving Proxibid bidders – more details here.
The Registered Bidders page houses information related to bidders who have registered for an event. This page can be accessed by clicking the Registered Bidders link located on the left side of the page in AuctionBuilder under Auction Tools.
Click on the Status drop-down to filter bidders based on their status:
- Pending: Awaiting review by the Proxibid Risk team.
- Accepted: Allowed access to bid in the event.
- Declined: Denied from bidding in the event.
- In Review: Has had an initial review by the Proxibid Risk Team but has not yet been approved.
- All: Displays all bidders
Click on the Sort By drop-down to sort bidders by:
- Paddle Number
- Name (first or last)
- Username
- Hammer Rating
- Phone Number
To accept a pending bidder, click the Accept link to the right of the bidder's name. By accepting a bidder, the bidder will be able to participate in the event and will not be required to provide any further personal information. It is important to remember that any bidders approved outside of MarketGuard guidelines, would be the responsibility of the Auction House.
To decline a bidder, click on the Three Dots located to the far right of the bidder's name and select Decline. By declining a bidder, the bidder will not be able to participate in the event. Even if the bidder takes further steps to complete the registration process, the bidder will remain declined unless manual action is taken by the seller or by Seller Support.
Automatic Approval Rules on LiveAuctioneers
Use these rules in combination to automatically approve bidders who meet LiveAuctioneers’ and your criteria to take the majority of approvals work off your plate. Bidders who are not auto approved will remain in your pending folder for you to manually approve.
Settings recommendations
- Set automatic rules first to take care of the bulk of good faith bidders with strong bidding history.
- Use Bid Limits to conditionally approve unknown bidders, they will come to you if they want to increase their limit.
- Use Custom House Rules to require a card on file if you are running your sale with Autopay.
- Bidders without a card on file can still participate in sales with Autopay, if they win the lot(s) they will be instructed to complete payment through checkout.
- Use bulk actions to message, favorite, approve & decline groups of similar bidders.
- Give remaining bidders extra scrutiny by vetting individually, messaging for more information if necessary. More details on Manual Approval.
Bid Management for Cross-Listed Timed Auctions
Retracting Bids
We recommend that if you require a bid to be retracted / removed during a cross-listed Timed auction that you contact Seller Support.
- LiveAuctioneers bidders can retract bids up to 24 hours prior to the lot’s estimated end time.
Post-auction Steps
- It is important that you only close your auction once it is finished. Do not attempt to close the auction midway through or between selling days where your sale covers more than one day.
Close the auction in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) in the same you would for a standalone timed auction.
1. Navigate to the event's Listing page.
2. Select a new status from the Status drop-down.
3. Ensure that all bidding in the auction has been completed and select Closed.
4. Click the Update button located in the bottom-right corner of the page. A confirmation message will appear.
The auction on LiveAuctioneers will close automatically once closed on Proxibid.
Results & Reporting
Reports from AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) will only show buyer details of Proxibid bidders. Bids from LiveAuctioneers will be represented in Proxibid by “offsiteBidder” with a paddle number of “-3”. Buyer details for these bidders can be accessed via LiveAuctioneers.
Proxibid (AuctionBuilder) reporting – more details here.
Reports in the LiveAuctioneers dashboard will show only full buyer details for LiveAuctioneers bidders.
LiveAuctioneers reporting – more details here.
When using Wavebid for post-auction sale results and invoicing for a cross-listed timed auction, some details from the LiveAuctioneers export may need to be manually imported into Wavebid. More details here.
Passing lots should follow the standard steps of the marketplace the winning bidder is on. More details here on passing lots in AuctionBuilder Proxibid.
Invoicing
Notifying and invoicing your winning bidders must be conducted on each of the marketplaces your timed auction is listed, results are not consolidated into one place automatically.
- LiveAuctioneers bidders will be represented in AuctionBuilder (Proxibid) by “offsiteBidder”.
- If the intention is to invoice Proxibid bidders through atgPay, these LiveAuctioneers bidders will need to be removed or excluded from the invoice list before invoicing.
- Proxibid bidders in AuctionBuilder can be invoiced in the normal way.
- LiveAuctioneers bidders should be invoiced in LiveAuctioneers via LivePayments. More details here - How to invoice bidders.
When using Wavebid for post-auction sale results and invoicing for a cross-listed timed auction, some details from the LiveAuctioneers export may need to be manually imported into Wavebid. More details here.
Billing & Commissions
Buyer Premiums
Buyer’s premium for cross-listed auctions will be taken from the account-level on Proxibid and will synchronize on LiveAuctioneers.
- Ensure you have the required account-level Buyer’s Premium set in AuctionBuilder when creating a cross-listed event. If you do not, are not sure what it is, or want to adjust the value, please contact Seller Support.
- If a Buyer's Premium is not Active on an event, downstream marketplaces will display a Buyer's Premium of 0%.
If you require a different Buyer's Premium on your auction on LiveAuctioneers to your auction on Proxibid, please contact Seller Support who can assist you with adjustments.
- Tiered buyer’s premium is not supported on timed auctions cross listed from Proxibid to LiveAuctioneers.
- LiveAuctioneers does not support Buyer’s Premium caps.
- LiveAuctioneers does not support lot-level Buyer’s Premiums.
Client Commissions
Listing fees and commissions can be found in the Proxibid and LiveAuctioneers rate cards - your Client Success Manager will confirm listing fees and commissions with you ahead of the auction. You will need to select the relevant Promotional plan for your auction when reviewing and proofing your auction in LiveAuctioneers – this plan will reflect the agreed commissions and fees.
Billing
Billing will be handled separately for Proxibid and LiveAuctioneers. You will likely receive two invoices (one from Proxibid, one from LiveAuctioneers) and they will both be in your native currency ($ for US Proxibid and LiveAuctioneers clients).