How to handle in-person auction payments

If you’re hosting a live, in-person auction, please note that Zeffy’s auction feature is designed for online silent auctions and is not adapted for live bidding.

With a Zeffy auction campaign, bidders place their bids online and provide a payment method. Once the auction ends, the highest bidder is charged automatically. Bidders can also submit a cash bid, which acts as a payment promise to collect if they win.

Because bids received by paddle or verbally during a live auction cannot be entered into the auction form, this feature likely will not meet your needs for managing live bidding.

That said, you can still use Zeffy to collect payments from your winners once the auction is over. We recommend running the bidding in person, then collecting each winning payment through the Zeffy Tap to Pay app or through a form's QR code.

Here’s how to manage payments for your auction winners with Zeffy:

• First, set up a standard donation form on Zeffy by clicking on “fundraising” on the left-hand side of your Zeffy dashboard and then on “campaigns”. There, click "Create form" in the top right corner > and select "Donation"

  • In your form editor under "Customization," disable the one-time or recurring payment options to ensure only an empty field box is available for entering custom amounts.

• At the end of your auction, you can use the Zeffy Tap to Pay app to collect payments from your auction winners, or direct your winners to your form using the QR code so they can input their payment method information.

• Simply enter the auction winner’s payment amount into the free-entry text box of your donation form and charge the auction winner. 

This setup ensures a smooth and efficient payment process during your live auction so you can focus on making your event a success!