How to Turn On Bidding for Your Auction
TL;DR
Two steps turn bidding on. First, activate a plan under Plans & fees in Campaign Hub to unlock bidding. Second, open Bidding Start & End Times on Item Catalog and make sure a timeblock is set and open. Bidding opens automatically at your scheduled start time.
Direct answer: Two steps turn bidding on. First, activate a plan under Plans & fees in Campaign Hub to unlock bidding. Second, open Bidding Start & End Times on Item Catalog and make sure a timeblock is set and open. Bidding opens automatically at your scheduled start time.
Bidding unlocks after you Activate a plan, and bidders can place bids only when your Bidding Start & End Times timeblock is open. Bidding opens automatically at your scheduled start time.
SAM Ai Bot answers from help articles like this one. Use the live labels below.
Step 1: Activate a plan to unlock bidding
- Click All Campaigns, open your campaign, then Manage auction to open Campaign Hub.
- In the left sidebar, click Plans & fees (you may see an Activate badge).
- The page heading is Pick the Plan That Fits Your Budget.
- Choose a plan:
- Pay As You Raise - $0 Upfront - 5% of funds raised - Get Started Free
- Prepay & Save - $499 Setup - 3% of funds raised - Prepay & Save
- Custom Plan - Schedule a call
- Answer Who should collect payments?
- Use our credit card processing (3% processing fee added to bidder invoices)
- Use my own Stripe account (connect Stripe from Settings before you go live)
- Use the activation CTA (it stays disabled until you pick a payment choice):
- Pay As You Raise: Activate plan - no credit card needed
- Prepay: Pay $499 & activate
Hub copy you may also see: Pick a plan and activate your portal, Activate auction, or notes about sample data until you activate.
Note: There is no Publish Auction unlock step and no Auction Setup → Bid Schedule path in the current UI.
Step 2: Make sure your timeblock is open
Plan activation and timeblocks are separate. After the plan is active, set when bidding runs.
- In Campaign Hub, open Online Auction, then Item Catalog.
- Open Bidding Start & End Times (helper text: Set when bidding starts and ends. Once added, it's selected for this item and for new items.).
- Confirm the auction timezone shown (for example Eastern or Central).
- If the list is empty, click Add time block:
- Name (Optional)
- Bid Start Date & Time
- Bid End Date & Time (date format MM-DD-YYYY; defaults often 9:00 AM / 5:00 PM)
- Optional Set as default window
- Click Add Bidding Period
- When a timeblock is live, you may see labels such as Item Block 1, DEFAULT, LIVE, START, END, Close early, Edit, Delete, and Ends in…
Share and hub copy: Bidding opens automatically at your scheduled start time.
If people can view but cannot bid
Check both:
- Plans & fees - is a plan Activated?
- Bidding Start & End Times - is a timeblock set, and has the start time arrived?
Need help? See How to Contact CharityAuctions Support.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on bidding in CharityAuctions?
Activate a plan under Plans & fees in Campaign Hub to unlock bidding. Then open Online Auction → Item Catalog and set Bidding Start & End Times so a timeblock is open. Bidding opens automatically at your scheduled start time.
Where do I Activate a plan?
Open Campaign Hub. In the left sidebar, click Plans & fees (it may show an Activate badge). Choose Pay As You Raise, Prepay & Save, or Custom Plan, pick who should collect payments, then use the Activate plan CTA.
What plans unlock bidding?
Plans & fees shows Pay As You Raise ($0 upfront, 5% of funds raised, Get Started Free), Prepay & Save ($499 setup, 3% of funds raised), and Custom Plan (Schedule a call). Pay As You Raise uses Activate plan - no credit card needed. Prepay uses Pay $499 & activate.
Do I still Publish Auction to turn bidding on?
No. The current UI unlocks bidding by Activating a plan under Plans & fees. There is no Auction Setup → Bid Schedule path.
Where do I set the bidding timeblock?
In Campaign Hub, open Online Auction → Item Catalog. Use Bidding Start & End Times. If empty, click Add time block, set Bid Start Date & Time and Bid End Date & Time, then Add Bidding Period.
Why can people see my auction but not bid yet?
Usually the plan is not Activated yet, or the Bidding Start & End Times timeblock is missing or has not reached the scheduled start. Bidding opens automatically at your scheduled start time once the plan is active and the timeblock is set.
Who should collect payments when I Activate?
Plans & fees asks Who should collect payments? Use our credit card processing (3% processing fee added to bidder invoices) or Use my own Stripe account (connect Stripe from Settings before you go live). The Activate CTA stays disabled until you choose.
Related articles
- How to Clone Items to Another Auction
Clone items from a previous auction into another campaign from Item Catalog. Select all the items you want first, then open Bulk Edit, choose Clone to Auction, pick the destination, then Clone N Items. Cloned items arrive as Draft. Duplicate copies an item inside the same auction only.
- What is Organization Home?
Organization Home is the organization level of your CharityAuctions account. It sits above each auction campaign. New accounts with no campaign land here after login. If you already have a campaign, login opens Auction Campaigns instead.
- How to Contact CharityAuctions Support
Reach CharityAuctions by phone, email, live chat, a booked call, or SAM Ai Bot. Say talk to a human when you want a person. Call 1-844-234-2335 or email support@charityauctions.com.
- Credit Card Processing in CharityAuctions
Card and wallet payments at checkout are processed through your connected Stripe account. Invoices go out after the close. Bidders pay from the invoice link. Stripe processing fees apply. Declines can be retried from that link.
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