Internal System Release Notes-Sellers (Pre-Auction)

To create a Seller Commission Structure that acts as the default for a particular auction, navigate to the "Accounting" tab in the admin navigation bar. From the dropdown menu, select "Template Commissions."

From there, you can either edit an existing commission structure by clicking the blue "Edit" button on the right-hand side or create a new one by clicking the blue "Add New" button.

Please see the video below for a walkthrough.

Creating a Commission Template

When setting up a new auction commission template, you'll need to:

• Create a label, which will appear in a blue tag within both the auction template settings and the auction's Seller tab.

• Add a description to clarify the purpose or details of the commission structure.

• Enter the applicable fees, either per auction or per lot.

Please see the video below for details on each step.

Applying a Seller Commission Template to an Auction

To apply a specific commission structure to an auction:

1. Go to the Accounting tab within the auction’s settings.

2. Use the dropdown to select the desired default seller commission template.

3. Click the blue "Save" button at the bottom of the screen.

Please refer to the video below for a step-by-step guide.

Please note: You can also update the commission structure for a specific auction by clicking the "Sellers" button and selecting "Edit Auction Commission." This will redirect you to the Accounting tab, where you can reselect the appropriate commission structure.

Please see the video below for a demonstration.

To register a new seller, first navigate to the auction, then search to see if the seller already exists in the system by using their email, phone number, or name.

If they are not already in the system, click the green “Register New Seller” button and fill out the required seller information.

It’s important to either assign the new seller a permanent seller number, or leave this field blank if you do not want to assign permanent seller #'s and want the seller's seller # to change auction to auction (This will be explained further later in the blog.)

Once you've completed the form, click Save. The seller will now appear as a registered seller, but please note: this does not mean they are checked in. Check-in is a separate step that will be covered later in this post.

Please watch the video below for a step-by-step demonstration.

Once a seller is created, you may need to configure a commission rate for them. If you're managing seller rates from the Sellers tab (master seller list) located at the top of the navigation bar, you’ll notice a button on the right-hand side labeled either “Undefined” or “Custom Rate.”

Custom Rate

A Custom Rate indicates that the seller has a unique commission structure based on a specific agreement with the auction company.
There are two main sections within a Custom Rate: Per Auction and Per Lot.

Per Auction Fees:

• Event Base Fee – A flat fee charged regardless of the number of Lots sold or the total dollar amount.

• No Sale Fee – Applied when any one of a seller’s Lots result in a no sale. Example: A seller has 10 John Deere tractors in the auction. If 9 sell and 1 does not, the No Sale Fee will still apply. 

• Sold Formula – Calculated based on the total hammer price of all sold Lots. Four formula types are available:

  • Cumulative Sliding Scale

  • Sliding Scale

  • Percent

  • Flat Rate

Please see the picture below for reference.

Per Lot Fees:

• Lot Base Fee – A flat fee applied per Lot sold.

• Lot No-Sale Fee – A flat fee applied per Lot not sold.

• Sold Formula – Applied to the hammer price of each individual sold Lot. Formula options:

  • Cumulative Sliding Scale

  • Sliding Scale

  • Percent

  • Flat Rate

• Lot Reserve Formula – Unique to the Per Lot section. This fee is based on the reserve price and can apply to:

  • Lots sold under reserve

    AND/OR
    

  • Lots marked as No Sale

  This fee can override the standard Lot No-Sale Fee (if the check box is checked) and supports the same four formula types:

  • Cumulative Sliding Scale

  • Sliding Scale

  • Percent

  • Flat Rate

Please see the picture below for reference.

Undefined

An Undefined rate means the seller does not have a custom commission structure assigned. In this case, their commission will default to the rate set for the specific auction they’re checked into. Once checked in, the “Undefined” label will automatically be replaced with the auction’s commission template label.

Please see the video below for a demonstration.

To edit a seller’s commission rate, you can do so either from the master Sellers tab in the top navigation bar or directly within a specific auction. Simply click the commission rate button next to the seller’s name and make the necessary adjustments.

Please note: As shown in the video below, if you edit a seller’s commission rate within a specific auction, the link icon next to the commission name will appear broken with a strikethrough, indicating that the rate is no longer linked to the default template.

Please refer to the videos below for a demonstration.

Custom Rate: 

Undefind Rate: 

Please note: You can quickly view a seller’s rate by hovering over the Seller Rate button on the right-hand side of the Sellers section.

Please see the video below for a demonstration.

Once sellers have been added to the system and/or assigned to an auction, they are ready to be checked in. You can check in sellers either individually or in bulk.

To check in a seller individually:

1. Navigate to the Active Auctions page and click the Sellers button.

2. Search for the seller by entering their permanent seller number (if applicable), email, phone number, or name.

3. Matching results will appear based on your search criteria.

4. Once you've found the correct seller, click the blue “Check In” button.

5. A modal will open, allowing you to adjust the seller’s rate if needed.

6. Click the green “Check In” button at the bottom of the modal to finalize.

The seller will now appear under the Sellers tab for that auction.

Please see the video below for a demonstration.

To check in sellers via bulk upload, you’ll start by either downloading the Lots you’ve already uploaded to the system or by downloading the Lots Template. From there, fill out all the necessary and applicable information—including the Sellers column.

Within the Sellers column, you will indicate which seller is associated with each Lot. When the spreadsheet is uploaded, the system will automatically check in the sellers listed in that column—as long as valid seller information is provided.

Important Note: Bulk check-in can act as a dual process—by uploading this spreadsheet, you are both checking in sellers and assigning them to specific Lots.

If needed, sellers can also be assigned to Lots individually. That process will be covered in the next section of this blog.

Additional important notes when checking in sellers via bulk upload:

• If the seller is permanent, you may enter either their permanent seller number or email address in the Seller column.

• If the seller is an auction-by-auction seller, you must use their email address—do not enter a seller number.

During bulk check-in:

• If a permanent seller has a custom commission rate, it will automatically apply.

• If they do not have a custom rate, the auction’s default commission rate will be used.

• The auction’s default commission rate will also apply to auction-by-auction sellers.

• If an auction does not have a default commission rate chosen, seller's without a permanent seller commission rate will fail to be checked in and thus not assigned to those particular lots.
  

   

  Please see video below for demonstration

Within the Sellers column, you will indicate which seller is associated with each Lot. When the spreadsheet is uploaded, the system will automatically check in the sellers listed in that column—as long as valid seller information is provided.

To assign a checked-in seller to an individual Lot, go to the Lots Cataloging tab. On the right-hand side of the screen, hover over the Seller column and click the Edit button. From there, you can assign a seller using either the dropdown menu or the "Recently Used" section. Please see the video below for a demonstration.

Important Note: When assigning a seller individually, or editing a seller after a bulk upload, you’ll be able to choose from sellers who are already checked in. The system allows you to select from the full dropdown list or from up to three of your most recently used sellers. This recently used list is unique to each admin, so if multiple team members are assigning sellers, their recent lists may differ. Please refer to the video below for further guidance.

A permanent seller in the system typically refers to a recurring seller—often a representative of a large corporation or consignor, such as a John Deere dealer. These sellers frequently participate in auctions and usually consign high-value items.

An auction-by-auction seller, on the other hand, is someone who participates occasionally and is generally an individual or small business owner looking to sell a few items.

You can easily identify whether a seller is permanent or auction-specific by navigating to the Master Sellers tab in the top navigation bar. In the left-hand column labeled “Perm #”, you’ll see whether a permanent number has been assigned. If this field is blank, the seller is considered an auction-by-auction seller.

While this is how we describe the permanent seller #, an auction company CAN decide to assign EVERY seller a permanent # if they wish. It is really up to them and how they prefer to manage their sellers.

Please see the image below for reference.

It’s important to note that when checking in an auction-by-auction seller to an auction, you must assign them a seller number that is specific to that particular event. This seller number will only be associated with them for that individual auction and will not carry over to others.

To confirm this, navigate to the Master Sellers tab at the top of the navigation bar. In the “Perm #” column, you’ll see that the auction-by-auction seller still does not have a permanent number assigned, indicating that their number is limited to that single auction.