How mobile bidding works for a bidder
A bidder scans a QR code on a table card, sign, or program, or opens the auction link from an email. The lot page shows the description, the current bid, the closing time, and whether a reserve has been met. The bidder enters a name, an email address, and an amount, and the bid posts if it beats the current high bid.
On ScanRaise, bidders do not download an app or create an account. Each bid sends the bidder a confirmation email, and the previous high bidder receives an outbid email.
What to look for in mobile bidding software
Ask every provider, including ScanRaise, these questions, and test the answers on your own phone.
- Sign-up: does a guest need an app, an account, or a card on file to bid?
- Outbid alerts: are they sent by email, text, or app notification, and how fast do they arrive?
- Closing rules: does each lot close at a fixed time, or does a late bid extend the clock?
- Bid rules: is there a minimum increment, a proxy bid, or a buy-now price?
- Reserves: can you set a private floor, and what happens to a lot that closes below it?
- Winner payment: is the winner charged, sent a payment link, or checked out at a table, and what happens if they do not pay?
- Fees: what does each sale cost, including payment processing, and where does the money go?
How ScanRaise handles those questions
- No app or account. Bidders enter a name and email on the lot page and bid from the phone browser.
- Email alerts. Each bid triggers a confirmation email to the bidder and an outbid email to the previous high bidder. ScanRaise does not send outbid text messages.
- Fixed closing times. Each lot closes at the time you set. A late bid does not extend the clock, so announce closing times and stagger them.
- Bid rules. A bid must meet the opening bid, beat the current high bid, and stay below the buy-now price. ScanRaise does not enforce a minimum increment or offer proxy bidding, so state a suggested increment in the lot description if you want one.
- Reserves. Bidders see whether the reserve is met, never the amount. A lot that closes below its reserve has no winner and can be relisted with a new closing time.
- Buy-now. A bidder who completes the buy-now payment ends the lot, and no further bids are accepted.
- Winner payment. With Stripe Connect configured, closing a winning lot creates a payment link and emails it to the winner. Winners get a short payment window, under a day by default. An unpaid lot is not reassigned to the runner-up automatically, and the organizer can extend the window.
- Pickup. The organizer can mark a paid lot fulfilled once the winner has the item.
- Images. Each lot has a description and one photo.
Online silent auction, in-room bidding, or both
An online silent auction runs for several days with no event attached. It reaches supporters who cannot attend, but it needs clear pickup or delivery terms and more reminders.
In-room mobile bidding runs during a gala, banquet, or festival. It needs reliable cell or Wi-Fi coverage where guests stand, QR codes at every display, and volunteers who can help guests who would rather not bid alone.
A hybrid auction opens online a few days before the event and closes during it. Early bids give the room something to beat, and supporters who cannot attend can still take part.
Build a catalog people want to bid on
- Collect each item on a donation form that records the donor, a description, restrictions, expiration or blackout dates, and the donor's estimate of fair market value.
- Bundle small items into packages with a theme, such as a family movie night or a weekend getaway, so each lot is worth walking over to see.
- Write lot titles that say exactly what the winner gets, then use the description for dates, restrictions, who provides the item or service, and how pickup works.
- List several identical items, such as four sets of concert tickets, as separate lots so each one has its own winner.
- Use one clear photo per lot, and keep the important details in the text so the lot makes sense without it.
Set opening bids, reserves, and buy-now prices
Opening bid: start low enough that the first bid feels easy and high enough that the item is not given away if only one person bids. Pick one rule your committee can apply to every lot, such as a set fraction of the stated value, and review it after the auction.
Reserve: use one only when the item donor or your organization needs a floor, such as an item you paid for. Without a reserve, the highest bid wins.
Buy-now: set it above the range you expect bidding to reach, so it ends only lots that someone values more than the room does. Leave it off items where you want bidding to run to the close.
Run the bidding window
- Stagger closing times by category, a few minutes apart, so volunteers and the payment flow are not hit by every lot at once.
- Announce closing times in local time from the stage and on table cards, because the bid confirmation email shows the time in UTC.
- Give the room warnings before each group of lots closes, because a late bid does not extend the clock.
- Staff a help table where guests can bid on a volunteer's tablet or get help on their own phone.
- Print the typed auction link under every QR code so guests whose cameras do not read the code can still find the lot.
Close lots, collect payment, and hand off items
- Before the catalog goes public, run a low-value test lot that closes early. Bid from two of your own email addresses and confirm the bid, outbid, and winner payment emails arrive. A lot with bids cannot be deleted, so close the test before the real catalog opens.
- After closing, watch the winner list for unpaid lots and send a friendly reminder before the payment window ends.
- Decide in advance, and print in your auction terms, what happens when a winner does not pay: extend the window, contact the runner-up yourself, or relist the item.
- Relist lots that closed without a winner with a new closing time, or offer them in a later auction.
- Mark each paid lot fulfilled at pickup so the team knows which items are still waiting.
- Thank item donors with the final result for their lot, and thank winners in the same week.
Receipts and tax disclosures for auction purchases
A winning bidder receives goods or services, so the payment is not treated like a plain gift. IRS Publication 1771 explains that when a donor pays more than $75 partly as a contribution and partly for goods or services, a charitable organization must provide a written disclosure with a good faith estimate of the fair market value of what the donor received. It also covers the written acknowledgment a donor needs for a single contribution of $250 or more.
Keep the fair market value estimate for every lot with your records, and ask your tax adviser how to word acknowledgments for winning bids. Also check state and local rules for sales tax on auction items, alcohol service, and event permits.
Frequently asked questions
Do bidders need an app to bid on a ScanRaise auction?
No. Bidders open the auction page in a phone browser by scanning a QR code or following a link, then enter a name and email address to bid.
Can we run an online silent auction without an event?
Yes. Set closing times days out, share the auction link by email and social posts, and publish clear pickup or delivery terms in each lot description.
What does a ScanRaise silent auction cost?
Standard fundraising has a 2.5% platform fee, and Stripe processing is separate. There is no setup fee or monthly fee for standard fundraising.
Sources and review notes
Sources checked . External rules and product policies can change, so confirm them before launch.
- IRS Publication 1771: substantiation and disclosure requirements. Federal guidance on written acknowledgments for contributions of $250 or more and disclosure statements for payments over $75 that include goods or services.
- ScanRaise mobile bidding and silent auction software. Current lot fields, reserve behavior, buy-now, outbid email, and winner payment email.
- ScanRaise pricing.