Auction formats and who may bid
The six auction formats and three bidder eligibility options in MotoDealerHQ, how to switch them on, and what each one means for bidders.
Auctions let you sell a unit to the highest approved bidder on your own website, at /auctions. Each auction has a format (how the price is set) and an eligibility setting (who may bid). You choose which ones your dealership offers under Auctions › Auction settings.
Before you start #
- Auctions are included in the Pro and Enterprise plans. On Starter, Auction settings says "Your plan does not include auctions." See plans and trials.
- Someone with
auctions.managemust switch auctions on (step 2 below). - Live bidding also needs a compliance review recorded by MotoDealerHQ. Until then you can run test auctions only. See the compliance gate.
The six formats #
| Format | How it works |
|---|---|
| Standard timed auction | Highest bid wins when the timer runs out. You may add a hidden reserve. |
| Reserve-price auction | A reserve is required. Below the reserve, the unit does not sell. |
| No-reserve auction | The highest bid wins, whatever the amount. |
| Buy It Now | A fixed price, no bidding. The first approved bidder who confirms buys it. |
| Auction with Buy It Now | Normal bidding, plus a Buy It Now price that ends the auction at once. You can make it disappear after the first bid. |
| Sealed-bid auction | Each bidder places one hidden bid (they may raise it). Nobody sees the price, the reserve status or the bid history until the close. Highest bid wins; on a tie, the earlier bid wins. |
All auctions are timed: they start and end at set times. Live (in-person or streamed) auction events are not built yet.
Who may bid #
| Eligibility | Who can bid |
|---|---|
| Any approved bidder | Anyone you approved under Auctions › Bidders. Always available when auctions are on. |
| Dealer-only / private | Only approved bidders whose business or dealer licence you marked as verified. |
| Invite-only | Only bidders you invite from the auction page, by email. |
Approval is per dealership. A bidder approved at another MotoDealerHQ dealership is not approved at yours. See bidders and approval.
Turn formats on or off #
- Open Auctions › Auction settings.
- Tick Auctions are on for my website (/auctions).
- Under Formats offered, tick each format and eligibility option you want to use.
- Select Save settings.
(open full size)- Auctions on. The main switch for your website's
/auctionspages. - Formats. The six formats and three eligibility options. New dealerships start with Standard, Reserve, No-reserve, Auction with Buy It Now and Any approved bidder.
- Approval mode. Manual or automatic bidder approval. See bidders and approval.
- Jurisdiction. Where you run auctions, for example
US-FL. Needed before live bidding. - Disclosure. The "platform vs. seller" text shown to bidders.
The server enforces your choices. A format you turned off is refused everywhere: when you create, edit or publish an auction, and when someone bids. Hiding it in a form is not the only control.
How bidders see the formats #
On the public listing, each auction card shows badges such as Live, Starts soon, Buy It Now and No reserve. Bidders can filter by reserve or no reserve.
- Filters and sort. Search, live or upcoming, vehicle type, make, model, year, current bid, mileage, condition, location and reserve. Sort by ending soonest, newly listed, current bid or year.
- Live auction. Current bid, number of bids and time left.
- Register to bid. Visitors can browse without an account. They need one to bid.
Tips #
- Start with Standard and No-reserve. They are the easiest for bidders to understand.
- Use Dealer-only for wholesale units you only want to sell to other licensed dealers.
- If you opt in under List my public auctions in the platform-wide auction search, your live public auctions also appear on
motodealerhq.com/auctions. - Units in an auction leave your retail inventory, marketplace feeds, deposits and buy-online while the auction holds them. The retail vehicle page redirects to the auction.
Permissions #
Limitations #
Screenshots show the fictional demo dealership. Something unclear or out of date? Tell your MotoDealerHQ contact or email support@motodealerhq.com.