Pro/Standard Rental Auction Platform — Complete User Guide

Platform: Machinery & Commodity Auctions Audience: Auctioneers, Bidders, and Administrators Last Updated: May 2026

Overview
How Rental Differs from the Coffee Auction Platform
Auction Types and Styles
Lot Setup and Configuration
Bidding Methods
Live Auctions
Sealed Bid Auctions
Buy Now
Private Treaty Auctions
Auction Control for Auctioneers
Winner Determination and Notifications
Lot Sales and Post-Auction Reporting
Payment and Price Breakdowns
Lot Deposits
Registration and Approval
Catalog and Display Options
Watch Lists and Notifications
VAT, Buyer's Premium, and Commission
Edge Cases and Special Scenarios
Troubleshooting / FAQ

1. Overview

The Pro/Standard Rental platform is our machinery and commodity auction system. It powers auctions for clients such as:

1st Machinery Auctions (1stmachineryauctions.com) — Machinery auctions
Plaats je Bod (plaatsjebod.nl) — Generalized commodity auctions
Machinebidder — Equipment and machinery auctions
Other specialized machinery and equipment auction clients

The platform supports a rich set of auction styles including live auctions (where an auctioneer drives bidding lot-by-lot), sealed-bid auctions (where bids are submitted secretly), timed online auctions, buy-now lots, and private treaty sales.

Key Capabilities

Multiple auction formats in a single platform
Per-lot and per-auction pricing configuration
Live auction control panel for auctioneers
Automated winner detection and email notifications
Batch sealed-bid winner selection
Comprehensive price breakdowns (VAT, buyer's premium, postage, transaction fees)
Lot deposits for high-value items
Vendor payment tracking and charge line items

2. How Rental Differs from the Coffee Auction Platform

Feature	Coffee Platform	Rental Platform
Primary use case	Green coffee bean auctions	Machinery, equipment, and commodity auctions
Live auctions	Not supported	Full live auction control panel with bid confirmation
Sealed bids	Not supported	Supported with batch winner selection
Buy Now	Not supported	Supported with automated winner detection
Private Treaty	Not supported	Supported — prices hidden, no incremental bidding
Pre-bidding for live	N/A	Supported — online bids before the auctioneer reaches a lot
Lot deposits	Not supported	Supported — refundable deposits on lots
Bid confirmation	N/A	Auctioneer confirms which bids are active during live
Asking price	Not supported	Auctioneer sets asking price live
Lot labels	Numeric only	Alphanumeric labels (e.g., "1a", "12b")
Guide price	Not supported	Supported per lot
Final sale price	Not supported	Supported — displayed after auction ends
Viewing only mode	Not supported	Lots can be display-only (no bidding)
Registration fees	Not supported	Per-auction registration fees with options

3. Auction Types and Styles

3.1 Timed Online Auctions

The default auction style. Lots have start and end dates, and bidders place bids until the lot closes.

When to use: Standard online auctions where bidders compete over a set period.

How it works: - Each lot has a start date (optional — if not set, bidding is available immediately) and an end date - Bidders place incremental bids at or above the next bid amount - The highest active bid when the lot closes wins - If a reserve price is set and not met, the lot does not sell

Bidding rules: - Bidding is only available after the lot's start date and before the end date - Auto-bidding (proxy bidding) is available unless disabled by site settings - Overtime periods can extend the end date if bids are placed near closing [NEEDS REVIEW: exact overtime configuration not visible in available source files]

3.2 Live Auctions

Auctioneer-driven, real-time auctions where lots are presented one at a time.

When to use: In-person or broadcast auctions where an auctioneer manages the pace.

How it works: - The auction is marked as a Live Auction - The auctioneer uses the Auction Control Panel to advance through lots - At any time, one lot is the Current Live Lot — this is the only lot accepting active bids - Other lots may accept pre-bids (if pre-bidding is enabled) - The auctioneer can pause, restart, finish, or navigate between lots

Lifecycle: 1. Auction starts in ACTIVE status with no current lot 2. Auctioneer selects the first lot → status becomes ACTIVE, lot becomes current 3. Bidders place bids; auctioneer confirms which bids are active 4. Auctioneer finishes the lot → moves to the next lot automatically 5. When no more lots remain, auction enters FINISHED status 6. Auction can be restarted from FINISHED if needed

States: | Status | Description | |--------|-------------| | ACTIVE | Auction is running, bids are being accepted on the current lot | | PAUSED | Auctioneer has paused — no incremental or auto-bidding allowed, but the lot is still open | | FINISHED | All lots have been completed; no further bidding |

3.3 Sealed-Bid Auctions

Bidders submit confidential bids. The auctioneer selects the winning bid after the closing date.

When to use: When you want to keep bid amounts secret or when selling high-value items where bidders should not see competition.

How it works: - Lots are marked as Sealed Bidding Only - Bidders submit one sealed bid (can be updated before the lot closes) - Bidders cannot see any other bids or the current price - After the lot closes, the auctioneer selects the winning sealed bid (manually or in batch) - The winning sealed bid must meet the reserve price to result in a sale

Important rules: - Sealed-bidding-only lots disable auto-bidding, incremental bidding, and buy now - Prices are not visible to bidders on sealed-bid-only lots - The auctioneer can use the Batch Select Win Sealed Bid admin tool to process multiple lots at once

3.4 Private Treaty Auctions

Negotiated sales where prices are hidden and there is no public bidding process.

When to use: When items are sold through negotiation rather than competitive bidding.

How it works: - The auction is marked as Private Treaty - Prices are hidden from all bidders - No incremental bidding or auto-bidding is available - Buy now is disabled - Sealed bidding is still available if enabled on individual lots

Note: Private treaty cannot be enabled on live auctions — the system automatically disables private treaty if the auction is marked as live.

4. Lot Setup and Configuration

4.1 Essential Lot Fields

Field	Description	Example
Lot Label	Alphanumeric identifier shown to users	"1a", "12b", "LOT-001"
Sort Order	Internal numeric ordering (auto-generated from label)	"1a" → 110, "12b" → 1220
Slug	URL-friendly identifier	"john-deere-tractor-2024"
Short Name	Display name for the lot	"2024 John Deere 6120R"
Start Date	When bidding opens (optional)	01 Jun 2026 09:00
End Date	When bidding closes	15 Jun 2026 18:00
Status	DRAFT, PUBLISHED, ARCHIVED	PUBLISHED

4.2 Pricing Fields

Field	Description
Opening Bid	Minimum starting bid amount
Reserve Price	Minimum price the seller will accept
Guide Price	Estimated value shown to bidders (informational only)
Buy Now Price	Price at which a bidder can purchase immediately
Asking Price	Price the auctioneer is seeking (set during live auctions)
Final Sale Price	Price the lot actually sold for (set after auction)

4.3 Lot Flags

Flag	Effect
Viewing Only	Bidding form is hidden; lot is display-only
Preview Lot	Marked as a preview/demo lot; affects email templates and price visibility rules
Bidding Suspended	No bids can be placed on this lot
Unsold	Marked as unsold after auction closes
Sealed Bidding Only	Only sealed bids accepted; prices hidden
Buy Now Only [NEEDS REVIEW]	Only buy now bids accepted
Featured Archive	Archived lots marked as featured remain accessible
Dispatched	Item has been shipped/delivered (triggers payment sync)

4.4 Lot Label and Sort Order

Lots use a two-part identification system:

Lot Label (alphanumeric): What users see — "1a", "2b", "10c"
Sort Order (numeric): Internal ordering — automatically derived from the label digits multiplied by 10

Example: Label "11a" → Sort Order 110, Label "12a" → Sort Order 120

This allows flexible labeling while maintaining proper ordering.

4.5 Vendor and Location

Each lot can be associated with: - A Vendor (the seller/consignor) — can be set per-lot or inherited from the auction - A Location (physical location of the item) - A Sticker (visual badge shown on the lot listing)

5. Bidding Methods

5.1 Incremental Bidding (Standard Bidding)

Bidders place bids one at a time, each at or above the next required bid amount.

Availability rules: - Not available on archived lots - Not available before the lot's start date - Not available when bidding is suspended - Not available on sealed-bidding-only lots - Not available on private treaty auctions - Not available when the live auction is paused - Not available on lots where live bidding has finished (past lots in a live auction)

Pre-bidding exception: During a live auction, non-current lots can accept incremental bids if pre-bidding is enabled on the auction.

5.2 Auto-Bidding (Proxy Bidding)

Bidders set a maximum bid amount, and the system automatically places incremental bids on their behalf up to that maximum.

Availability rules: - Same as incremental bidding (all conditions above) - Additionally requires autobidding to be enabled in site settings - Not available on sealed-bidding-only or private treaty auctions

How it works: - User enters their maximum bid - System places the minimum necessary bid to keep them in the lead - If another bidder exceeds the proxy maximum, the proxy bidder is notified - The system always keeps the proxy bid one increment above the next-highest bidder (up to the maximum)

5.3 Room Bids (Auctioneer Bids)

During live auctions, bids placed by the auctioneer on behalf of in-room bidders are treated differently:

A bid is marked as a room bid if the bidder is an admin user
Room bids are displayed separately in the auction control panel
The auctioneer can see the highest web bid and highest room bid independently

5.4 Pending Bids

In live auctions, bids placed by non-admin users on the current lot enter a pending state:

They are not immediately active
The auctioneer must confirm them via the Auction Control Panel
This gives the auctioneer full control over which bids count

Exception: Admin users' bids on the current lot are automatically active.

6. Live Auctions

6.1 Pre-Bidding

Pre-bidding allows online bidders to place bids on lots before the auctioneer reaches them.

Configuration: - Enable Allow Pre-Bidding on the auction - Optionally set a Pre-Bidding End Date to close pre-bidding at a specific time

How it works: - Bidders can place bids on upcoming lots (not yet the current live lot) - When the auctioneer navigates to a lot, pre-bidding for that lot closes - Pre-bids become part of the bidding pool for that lot during the live auction - Once a lot has been the current live lot (or the auction has finished), pre-bidding is permanently closed for that lot

6.2 Auction Control Panel

The Auction Control Panel is an admin-only interface for managing live auctions in real time.

Access: Admin users navigate to the auction's control URL (e.g., /auction/control?auction=<slug>).

Available Actions:

Action	Description
Goto Lot	Jump to a specific lot by its lot number/label. Sets it as the current live lot and activates the auction.
Finish	End the current lot and advance. If there are more lots, the auction continues; if not, the auction status becomes FINISHED.
Restart	Restart a finished auction. Only works when the auction is in FINISHED status and has no current lot.
Pause	Pause the auction. No incremental or auto-bidding allowed while paused.
Unpause	Resume a paused auction.
Confirm Bid	Activate a pending bid (from a non-admin bidder) on the current lot.
Unconfirm Bid	Deactivate a previously confirmed bid.
Delete Bid	Remove an inactive (pending) bid entirely.
Set Increment	Change the bid increment for the current lot.
Set Asking Price	Set the auctioneer's asking price for the current lot.

Access Control: - Anonymous users → 403 Forbidden - Regular users → 403 Forbidden - Admin users → Full access - Non-live auctions → 404 (control panel only works for live auctions)

6.3 Auction Messages

Auctioneers can configure three messages displayed to online bidders at different stages:

Message	When Displayed
Before Live Auction Message	Before any lot is current
Pause Live Auction Message	When the auction is paused
After Live Auction Message	When the auction has finished

6.4 Live Stream Integration

A URL for a live video stream can be configured on the auction (auctionLiveStream), allowing bidders to watch the auctioneer in real time. [NEEDS REVIEW: exact display mechanism for the stream URL is not visible in source files.]

7. Sealed Bid Auctions

7.1 How Sealed Bidding Works

The lot is configured as Sealed Bidding Only
Bidders submit a single sealed bid (they can update it before the deadline)
No bid amounts are visible to other bidders
After the lot closes, the auctioneer reviews all sealed bids
The auctioneer selects the winning bid (manually via admin interface or in batch)
The selected bid must meet the reserve price for the lot to be sold

7.2 Batch Select Win Sealed Bid Operation

The admin tool for processing multiple sealed-bid lots at once.

How it works: 1. Admin selects multiple sealed-bid lots 2. The system filters to show only lots that: - Are sealed-bidding-only - Have at least one active sealed bid - Have passed their end date (bidding is finished) 3. For each qualifying lot, all active sealed bids are displayed sorted by amount (highest first) 4. The admin checks the box next to the bid they want to select as the winner 5. The form validates that only one bid per lot is selected 6. On submit, the selected bids are marked as winners

Pre-checked behavior: If a sealed bid was already marked as a winner, its checkbox is pre-checked when the form loads.

Tie-breaking: When multiple sealed bids have the same amount, the one with the lower ID (earlier submission) ranks higher.

7.3 Sealed Bid Visibility Rules

Condition	Price Visible?
Sealed bidding only	No
Private treaty (not sealed bidding)	No
Standard bidding	Yes
Buy now only	Yes

8. Buy Now

8.1 How Buy Now Works

A lot can have a Buy Now Price set. Any bidder can purchase the lot immediately at that price.

Rules: - Buy Now is only available after the lot's start date - Buy Now is not available on archived lots - Buy Now is not available on private treaty auctions - Buy Now is not available when bidding is paused - Once a Buy Now bid is placed, the lot is bought and no further bidding is allowed

Interaction with regular bids: - If there are active bids above the Buy Now price, the lot is not considered bought now (the regular bid wins) - Buy Now takes priority over the highest regular bid only if the highest regular bid is below the Buy Now price - When Buy Now is triggered, the buyer receives a "bought lot" email and all other bidders receive a "lost to buy now" email

8.2 Automated Buy Now Detection

The CheckForBoughtNowTask runs periodically to detect new Buy Now bids and trigger notifications:

Scans all lots with a Buy Now price set
Identifies lots with new Buy Now bids that haven't been notified yet
Skips archived lots and already-notified lots
Sends:
"Bought Lot" email to the buyer
"Lost to Buy Now" email to all other bidders on that lot
Marks the lot as winner-notified

9. Private Treaty Auctions

Private treaty auctions are negotiated sales with hidden pricing.

Effects: - Prices hidden from all users (isPriceVisible returns false) - No incremental bidding available - No auto-bidding available - Buy now disabled - Sealed bidding still works if enabled on individual lots

Use case: When you want to negotiate prices privately with interested buyers rather than running a public auction.

10. Auction Control for Auctioneers

10.1 Live Auction Workflow

[Start Live Auction]
       |
       v
[Select First Lot] → [Accept Pre-Bids] → [Open Bidding]
       |                    |                    |
       v                    v                    v
 [Set Asking Price]   [Set Increment]     [Confirm Bids]
       |                    |                    |
       v                    v                    v
 [Move to Next Lot] ← [Finish Current Lot] ← [Close Bidding]
       |
       v
 [Repeat for All Lots]
       |
       v
 [Auction Finished]

10.2 Bid Confirmation During Live Auctions

During a live auction, when bidders place bids on the current live lot:

Bids from non-admin users are created as inactive (pending)
Bids from admin users are created as active (these represent room bids)
The auctioneer reviews pending bids in the control panel
The auctioneer confirms bids to make them active
The auctioneer can unconfirm or delete bids as needed

This gives the auctioneer full discretion over which bids are accepted, matching how a physical auction works where the auctioneer acknowledges bids from the room.

Lots are ordered by lot number (numeric sort order) then lot label (alphabetical)
The auctioneer can jump to any lot by entering its lot number/label
When moving forward, the system finds the next lot after the current one
When the last lot is finished and there are no more lots, the auction auto-finishes

10.4 Finish and Restart Logic

Finish: - Only takes effect if the current lot is the last lot in the auction - If there are more lots, finish is ignored (auctioneer must advance through all lots) - When the last lot finishes: status becomes FINISHED, current lot is cleared

Restart: - Only works when the auction is in FINISHED status with no current lot - Resets status to ACTIVE - Does not restore the previous current lot — auctioneer must select the first lot again

11. Winner Determination and Notifications

11.1 CheckForWinnersTask

This automated task runs periodically to detect auction-end winners and send notifications.

How it works:

Scan all published lots (skips archived lots)
For each lot, check if:
The lot's end date has passed
The lot has not already been notified
The lot is not a buy-now lot (those are handled by CheckForBoughtNowTask)
Determine the winner:
Highest active bid that meets the reserve price
For sealed bids: the selected winning sealed bid (if it meets reserve)
Send notification emails:
"Lot Secured" email to the winner (for regular lots)
"Lot Preview Secured" email to the winner (for preview lots)
"Lot Not Sold" email to the lot owner (if no bids or below reserve) [NEEDS REVIEW: this appears to be charity-specific based on the event name "CHARITY_LOT_NOT_SOLD"]
Mark the lot as winner-notified

What gets skipped: - Lots that haven't ended yet - Already-notified lots - Archived lots - Buy-now lots (handled separately) - Lots with no bids or where the highest bid is below reserve (no winner email sent, but lot is still marked notified)

11.2 Winner Determination Logic

The system determines winners in this priority order:

Buy Now bid → If a Buy Now bid exists and no regular bid exceeds it, the Buy Now bidder wins
Selected Sealed Bid → If the lot is sealed-bidding-only and a sealed bid has been selected as the winner
Highest Active Bid → If the lot has ended, has active bids, and the highest active bid meets the reserve

Below reserve: If the highest bid is below the reserve price, the lot is considered below reserve and no winner is declared.

11.3 Notification Emails

Event	Recipient	Template Variables
LOT_SECURED	Winning bidder	`{{ user.username }}`, `{{ lot.shortName }}`
PREVIEW_LOT_SECURED	Winning bidder (preview lots)	`{{ user.username }}`, `{{ lot.shortName }}`
CHARITY_LOT_NOT_SOLD	Lot owner/seller	`{{ lot.shortName }}`
BUY_NOW_ACCEPTED	Buy Now bidder	`{{ user.username }}`, `{{ lot.shortName }}`
BUY_NOW_LOST	Other bidders on a buy-now lot	`{{ user.username }}`, `{{ lot.shortName }}`

12. Lot Sales and Post-Auction Reporting

12.1 Lot Sale Entity

A Lot Sale represents the completed sale of a lot. It aggregates all the information needed for post-auction reporting and invoicing.

What a Lot Sale provides:

Property	Description
Winning Bidder	The user who won the lot (highest active bidder, buy now bidder, or selected sealed bidder)
Current Amount	The price at which the lot was won
Hammer Price	The final winning bid amount (null if below reserve or no valid bids)
Is Sold	True if the lot has a winning bid meeting the reserve
Is Below Reserve	True if there are bids but the highest is below reserve
Is Not Sold	True if the lot has ended with no valid sale (expired without bids or below reserve)
Invoice Number	The invoice number associated with the winning bid (if reporting is configured)

12.2 Sale Determination Rules

A lot is considered sold when: - It has at least one active bid - The highest active bid meets or exceeds the reserve price (or no reserve is set) - The lot's end date has passed (for timed auctions) or the live auction has finished

A lot is not sold when: - It has ended with no bids - All bids are below the reserve price - The lot was explicitly marked as unsold

12.3 Invoice Number Reporting

When the site setting Reports Include Invoice Numbers is enabled, Lot Sale reports include the invoice number associated with the winning bid. This works for: - Regular bids - Buy Now bids - Sealed bids

The invoice number is looked up via the InvoiceIndex that links bids to invoices.

13. Payment and Price Breakdowns

13.1 Lot Price Breakdown

The platform calculates comprehensive price breakdowns for each lot, incorporating:

Component	Source	Description
Hammer Price	Bid amount	The winning bid amount
Buyer's Premium	Per-lot or per-user rate	Percentage added to the hammer price
VAT on Hammer Price	Per-lot, per-user, or site-wide rate	Tax applied to the hammer price
VAT on Buyer's Premium	Per-lot, per-user, or site-wide rate	Tax applied to the buyer's premium
Postage	Per-lot setting	Fixed shipping cost
Transaction Commission	Site settings	Percentage-based fee
Transaction Fee	Site settings	Fixed fee per transaction

13.2 VAT Rate Priority

VAT rates are resolved in the following priority order:

User's VAT rate — if the user has a specific VAT rate that differs from the site-wide rate, it takes priority
Lot's VAT rate — if the lot has a specific VAT rate and the user has no custom rate
Site-wide VAT rate — the default rate configured at the site level

Example scenarios:

Site Rate	Lot Rate	User Rate	Applied Rate
20%	5%	0%	0% (user rate wins)
20%	5%	Not set	5% (lot rate wins)
20%	20%	0%	0% (user rate wins)
20%	Not set	5%	5% (user rate wins)
20%	5%	25%	25% (user rate wins)
20%	0%	Not set	0% (lot rate wins — zero is explicit)

13.3 Buyer's Premium Priority

Buyer's premium rates follow the same priority logic as VAT:

User's buyer's premium rate — takes priority if different from site-wide
Lot's buyer's premium rate — used if the user has no custom rate
Site-wide buyer's premium rate — the default

13.4 Payment Integration

Lots can sync their payment status with external payment providers:

Stripe — Payment responses update the lot's dispatched status
PayPal — Payment responses update the lot's dispatched status

When a lot is marked as dispatched, this triggers a SyncLotPaymentsTask to reconcile payment status.

13.5 Payment Deadline

Auctions can have a payment deadline configured (in days). The deadline date is calculated as:

Payment Deadline Date = Auction End Date + (Payment Deadline in Days)

A payment deadline of 0 means no deadline is enforced.

14. Lot Deposits

14.1 How Lot Deposits Work

For high-value items, the platform supports lot deposits — refundable amounts that bidders must place before bidding.

Key concepts: - A LotDeposit is associated with a specific lot and user - Deposits can be collected (charged) and refunded - When a lot is sold, the winning bidder's deposit is applied to the purchase - Non-winning bidders' deposits are refunded

14.2 Deposit Refund Process

The system tracks which deposits need to be refunded:

After a lot is sold, identify all collected deposits
Exclude the deposit from the purchasing bidder (winner)
All other collected deposits are marked as needing refund
The platform can display and process these refunds

15. Registration and Approval

15.1 Auction Registration

Auctions can require bidders to register before placing bids.

Registration Modes:

Mode	Description
Manually Approve	Users apply to bid; an admin must approve them before they can bid
Self Approve	Users apply and are automatically approved

15.2 Registration Fees

Auctions can require a registration fee to participate.

The fee amount is set per auction
The fee is displayed to users during the registration process
Registration options can be configured (multiple tiers or categories)

15.3 Registration Information

A custom registration information text field can be set per auction, providing instructions or requirements for bidders.

15.4 Apply to Bid URL

When registration is required, lots display an Apply to Bid link that directs users to the registration page for that auction.

16. Catalog and Display Options

16.1 Catalog Templates

Auctions can be displayed in different catalog formats:

Template	Description
None	No catalog view
List	Traditional list view (one lot per row)
Grid	Grid/tile view (multiple lots per row)

16.2 Catalog Display Options

Auctioneers can control what information appears in the catalog:

Option	Description
Include Auction Location	Show location details in catalog
Include Auction Collection	Show collection/pickup details
Include Auction Viewing	Show viewing/inspection details
Include Lot Images	Display lot images in catalog
Include Lot Current Bids	Show current bid amounts
Include Lot Descriptions	Show lot descriptions
Include Short Description	Show abbreviated descriptions

16.3 Upcoming Lots Display

The Display Upcoming Lots option controls whether lots that haven't started bidding yet are visible to users.

16.4 Bidding Ends Text

A custom Bidding Ends text field can be set per auction to display additional information about how bidding concludes.

17. Watch Lists and Notifications

17.1 Watch Lists

Users can watch lots they're interested in.

Watch list entries are tracked per lot
A lot can show how many users are watching it
Users who watch a lot are included in the set of users on the lot (along with bidders and deposit payers)

17.2 Auction Reminders

Auctions can be configured to send reminders:

Reminder Type	Description
Auction Ending Reminder	Sends a notification when the auction is about to end (configurable per auction)
Collection Reminder	Sends a reminder about item collection/pickup (scheduled via `auctionCollectionReminderDate`)

The Reminder Sent flag prevents duplicate reminders from being sent.

18. VAT, Buyer's Premium, and Commission

18.1 VAT Rates

VAT rates can be configured at three levels:

Site-wide — Default VAT rate for the entire platform (configured in CompanyInfo)
Per-lot — Override VAT rate for specific lots
Per-user — Override VAT rate for specific users (e.g., VAT-exempt organizations)

18.2 Buyer's Premium

The buyer's premium is an additional percentage charged to the winning bidder on top of the hammer price.

Configured at the lot level and/or site level
VAT on buyer's premium is a separate rate, following the same priority rules as lot VAT
Per-user buyer's premium rates override lot and site rates

18.3 Transaction Commission and Fees

Site-wide settings can add:

Fee Type	Calculation	Example
Transaction Commission	Percentage of hammer price	12.5% of £100 = £12.50
Transaction Fee	Fixed amount per transaction	£2.99 flat fee

These are added to the total price the buyer pays.

Example price breakdown:

Hammer Price:          £100.00
Buyer's Premium (15%):  £15.00
VAT on Hammer (20%):    £20.00
VAT on Premium (20%):    £3.00
Postage:                 £4.99
Transaction Fee:         £2.99
Transaction Comm (12.5%):£12.50
────────────────────────────────
Total:                  £158.48

18.4 Vendor Payments and Charges

The platform tracks financial flows to and from vendors:

VendorChargeLineItems — Charges applied to the vendor (e.g., listing fees)
VendorPaymentLineItems — Payments owed to the vendor (e.g., sale proceeds)

These are tracked per auction and can be filtered by vendor for reporting.

19. Edge Cases and Special Scenarios

19.1 Multiple Bidders with Same Amount

When two bidders submit the same bid amount: - For regular bids: the earlier bid (lower ID) takes precedence - For sealed bids: the earlier bid (lower ID) ranks higher in the sorted list

19.2 Buy Now vs. Regular Bids

If a Buy Now bid exists but there's also a regular bid above the Buy Now price: - The regular bid wins (not the Buy Now) - The lot is not marked as "bought now" - This is because someone is willing to pay more than the Buy Now price

19.3 Below Reserve Outcomes

When bidding ends and the highest bid is below the reserve: - The lot is marked as below reserve - No winner is declared - The lot is not sold - The highest bidder is shown (they would be the buyer if the seller accepts the below-reserve price)

19.4 Bidding Suspended vs. Viewing Only

Condition	Bidding Form Visible?	Bids Accepted?
Viewing Only	No	No
Bidding Suspended	Yes (if not ended)	No
Normal (open)	Yes	Yes

19.5 Final Sale Price Effects

When a lot has a non-zero final sale price set: - The bidding form is hidden (bidding is effectively closed) - The final sale price is displayed to users - If the final sale price is zero, the bidding form may still be visible (depends on site settings)

19.6 Preview Lot Behavior

Preview lots have special handling: - They receive a different email template ("Lot Preview Secured" vs. "Lot Secured") - Price visibility rules may differ based on site settings - They can be used for demonstration or charity purposes

19.7 Archived Lots

Archived lots have restricted functionality: - No bidding of any kind (incremental, auto, sealed, buy now) - No price visibility - Exception: Lots marked as Featured Archive remain accessible to logged-in users [NEEDS REVIEW: exact access rules for archived lots]

19.8 Lot with No Start Date

If a lot has no start date set: - Bidding is available immediately (as long as the end date hasn't passed) - All bidding methods are available (subject to other conditions)

20. Troubleshooting / FAQ

Q: Why can't I place a bid on a lot?

Check these conditions: - Is the lot's start date in the future? → Wait for it to open - Has the lot's end date passed? → Bidding is closed - Is the lot in viewing only mode? → No bidding allowed - Is bidding suspended on this lot? → Contact the auctioneer - Is this a sealed bidding only lot? → Use the sealed bid form, not incremental bidding - Is the lot part of a private treaty auction? → No public bidding - Do you need to register for this auction? → Complete registration first - Has the lot been bought now by someone else? → Too late to bid

Q: Why is my bid showing as "pending"?

During live auctions, non-admin bids on the current lot are held as pending until the auctioneer confirms them. This is normal behavior for live auctions.

Q: Can I change my sealed bid after submitting?

[NEEDS REVIEW: The source code shows sealed bids can be created and updated, but the exact user-facing rules for modification before deadline are not visible in the available files.]

Q: What happens if two people submit the same sealed bid amount?

The earlier submission (lower bid ID) takes priority in the ranking.

Q: How do I know if I've won a lot?

You will receive an email notification: - "Lot Secured" for standard auction wins - "Lot Preview Secured" for preview lot wins - "Bought Lot" for buy now purchases

Q: Why is the price not showing on a lot?

Prices are hidden when: - The lot is sealed bidding only - The auction is private treaty - Site settings are configured to hide final prices

Q: Can an auction be restarted after it finishes?

Yes, but only by an admin and only if: - The auction status is FINISHED - There is no current live lot set Use the Restart action in the Auction Control Panel.

Q: How does the lot label "12a" get sorted?

The system extracts digits from the label and multiplies by 10 to create the sort order: "12a" → sort order 120. This means "12a" sorts after "11b" (sort order 110) and before "13a" (sort order 130).

Appendix: Glossary

Term	Definition
Lot	An individual item or group of items being auctioned
Auction	A collection of lots, with its own settings and timeline
Hammer Price	The final winning bid amount (before fees and taxes)
Reserve Price	The minimum price the seller will accept
Buyer's Premium	Additional percentage charged to the buyer on top of the hammer price
Guide Price	Estimated value shown for information (not binding)
Asking Price	The price the auctioneer is currently seeking during a live auction
Final Sale Price	The actual price the lot sold for (set post-auction)
Pre-Bidding	Bidding on lots before the auctioneer reaches them in a live auction
Sealed Bid	A confidential bid that is not visible to other bidders
Private Treaty	A negotiated sale with no public bidding or pricing
Lot Sale	The completed sale record for a lot, used for reporting
Lot Deposit	A refundable deposit required before bidding on a lot
Vendor	The seller/consignor of items in an auction
Watch List	A user's list of lots they are monitoring
Overtime	[NEEDS REVIEW] Extension of the bidding period when bids are placed near closing
Dispatched	Flag indicating the item has been shipped to the buyer
Featured Archive	Archived lots that remain accessible to users

This document was generated from analysis of the platform source code and test files. Items marked [NEEDS REVIEW] require confirmation from the development team or product owners.