Auctions

This will allow your website visitors to both shop and sell at auction prices with a system very similar to eBay.

Suggestions for improvements to this plugin can be made here:
Suggestions made will be considered for future addition, but are not guaranteed.

What you will learn in this section:
- How to install and apply this plugin to a new page
- How to edit your General Settings
- How to customize the area above and below the auction categories on the page
- How to check user balances, and add credit to a user account for listings
- How to edit/approve/delete categories to your plugin
- How to add attention grabber icons for your users to choose from

For help with listing an auction item as a user, click here.

Installing this Plugin and Applying it to a Page

You will first need to Install the Plug-in, if you have not already done so.
Next, it is important to know that just installing a plug-in does not make it accessible to your website's visitors. Once it has been installed, you will need to go to the Page Editor and 'set it up'. You will need to make it 'active', tell it where you wish the navigation link to display, and assign it the proper 'plug-in'. How to do this is explained below:

 

IF YOUR PLUGIN IS ALREADY SETUP, CLICK HERE TO SKIP THIS STEP.

Setting Up Your Plug-in

NOTE: Do not place HTML in this area!

After clicking your Page Editor icon in your Admin Control Panel, you will need to click the text link for a New Page. In this example, we are going to set up the Auction plug-in.

In the Page title I have inserted the page name. This title is also what will be displayed in your navigation menus. In the Link title I have entered 'Auction'. Remember, this is the file name that will be created and must be one word. If you wish to use two words you can either run them together like this: LocalAuction or use the underscore key on your keyboard to create a separation: Local_Auction.

Next decide where you wish the link to display. And finally, since this is a Plug-in, change the Page type from HTML to Plug-in.

Click the Create Page button to continue.

To complete the activation of your new Plug-in, you will need to change the Status from Hidden to Active. Next you will need to change the Plug-in to display from the default to the 'Auction', or whichever Plug-in you are actually installing.

See left example of changes.

Finally select Update Page.

After you have completed these steps, you can return to the Control Panel. You will now be able to see and select the Auction icon in your Administrators menu to set up your categories. The installer does not do this for you. Categories MUST be configured before your users can begin listing products.

How to Manage Your Auction Settings

After clicking on the Auctions icon you will see the following menu choices and the General Settings:


Home
 
Settings
Balances
Categories
Grabbers
All Auctions

General Settings

Settings
This is where you will set up your Auctions options, prices and add any custom text either above of below the categories listing.

 
Auction duration: day(s)
Maximum images:
Width of image scroller: 
Send watched item reminders: hour(s) before end-of-auction

Pricing
Price to list an item: $
Price for a "category featured" listing: $
Price for an "attention grabber" listing: $
Price to upload an image with a listing: $
Price to set a background color for a listing:  $
Price for a hit counter with a listing: $
  • Auction Duration:
    How many days you wish to allow any item entered into the auction to run. All items must run for the same amount of time. A user cannot set their own duration.
  • Maximum images:
    Limits the number of images each listing may upload.
  • Width of image scroller: 
    Sets whether the image scroller should display three or five images at a time on the listing page.
  • Send watched item reminders:
    Sets how many hours before an auctions end should it remind anyone watching it that it is close to ending if they wish to bid.
  • Price to list an item:
    Basic listing fee without any add-on features. This can be set to $0.00 for free listings.
  • Price for a "category featured" listing:
    Displays the item at the top of its category.
  • Price for an "attention grabber" listing:
    Allows a seller to choose an image from a small library of images offered to be displayed with his listing.
  • Price to upload an image with a listing:
    Allows a seller to upload an image to their item.
  • Price to set a background color for a listing:
    Uses a background color on the item title to help their item stand out.
  • Price for a hit counter with a listing:
    Displays a counter on the item page to display how many times the item has been viewed.

 

 

Below the price settings, you are given the ability to add text to either above or below the categories displayed on your auction page. To do this, select the appropriate 'Edit Text' shown to the right and you will be brought to a page with our WYSIWYG Editor to create the text.

 

For a complete list of the WYSIWYG Icons and what they do,
please click here.

Managing Balances

Balances -

This section allows you to see who has used your auction system to sell items and whether or not any monies are owed. Also you are able to issue any user a credit. This is useful in the event you want to give all new users a $5 credit toward listing their first items (or any amount you wish).

Note: Only accounts which have previously used the auction system are listed above.

Managing Categories

Categories

In the categories you will find where you can add, edit or delete a categories and subcategories for your auction.

NOTE: Do not place HTML in this area!

To add a new category simply type in the name of the Category in the New Category box and click 'Add'. To edit the category name click on the edit image. To delete the category name click on the delete image. To add a subcategory under any of the categories, click the category name and you will see any previously configured subcategories and will have the option to add new ones.

Attention Grabbers

Grabbers

As learned previously, your auction allows sellers to select from a small image library an attention gaining image to be displayed with their item title to help them stand out from among fellow sellers.

Selecting the Attention Grabbers icon will allow you to remove any currently offered icons from your list, or upload new ones for your Advertisers to select from.

To upload an image, you will need to have the image saved on your computer. You will use the Browse button shown to the left to search your computer's hard-drive for the image you wish to upload. Once you have found it, click on the file name to select it. Next click the button shown to the left.

Note: Images larger than 30x30 pixels should not be used. Animated images are allowed. The name of the file image is what the image name will be in the library list, so name your image files accordingly! Upload as many as you wish!

For help with listing an auction item as a user, click here.

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