If you run storage auctions online, you already know the three ways a sale can fall apart after the auction ends:
- Unsold units. The auction closes with no bids at all.
- Unpaid units. The winning bidder never pays their buyer's fee.
- No-shows. The winner pays, but never comes to collect the unit.
Every one of these leaves a facility stuck. The unit stays tied up, the clock keeps running, and your only options are to start all over again and relist the unit, or pay to have the contents disposed. Both cost time and money, and it is one of the biggest pain points of selling at auction online.
Silent auctions are our solution. They give you a quick way to turn that dead end into a sale. Each eligible bidder gets one chance to submit a sealed offer, you review what comes in, and the unit gets a second chance to sell without running a whole new auction.
How it works
A silent auction can start automatically or with a click, depending on how the unit ended.
Unsold units are offered out automatically. When an auction closes with no bids, Bid13 turns it into a silent auction for you, with nothing to do on your end. Everyone who has bid at your facility before, along with nearby verified bidders, is emailed an invitation to make an offer. Prefer to decide unit by unit? You can turn this off and offer unsold units out yourself — see Offering unsold units out yourself below.
Unpaid units and no-shows are started with one click. When a winning bidder does not pay or does not collect, you start the silent auction yourself:
1. Mark the unit as a no-show
Find the auction in your facility's past auctions and click the No Show button next to it.
2. Choose what happens next
A short confirmation appears with two options, both turned on by default:
- Start a silent auction. This re-opens the unit so other bidders can submit sealed offers to take it.
- Ban the high bidder from future auctions. This blocks the bidder who did not collect from bidding at your facility again.
Uncheck either option if it does not apply. If you uncheck both, the unit is simply marked as not collected. Click Confirm to finish. As soon as you confirm, the other bidders from that auction, anyone who has bid at your facility before, and nearby verified bidders are sent an email inviting them to make an offer.
3. Review the offers
As bidders submit offers, you are notified by email. You can review every offer right on the auction page for that unit, under Offers received.
For each offer you can:
- Accept. This awards the unit to that bidder. They become the winner and their buyer's fee is charged automatically, just like a normal sale, and they get an email letting them know they won.
- Reject. This declines that offer. The bidder gets an email letting them know, and the silent auction stays open for the others.
You can also Cancel Silent Auction at any time to stop accepting new offers.
Offering unsold units out yourself
By default, Bid13 offers every unsold unit out for you automatically. If you would rather choose which unsold units go to a silent auction — or not use them at all — you can turn the automatic behavior off and start them by hand.
Turn automatic offers off
In your company profile settings, uncheck Automatically Offer Out Unsold Units. With it off, unsold auctions stay put in your past auctions until you decide what to do with each one.
Offer an unsold unit out
Find the unsold unit in your facility's past auctions and click the Offer Out button next to it.
Confirm that you want to start the silent auction, and the same bidders are invited: everyone who has bid at your facility, plus nearby verified bidders. From there it works exactly like any other silent auction — review the offers as they come in and accept the one you want.
What bidders can expect
If you are a buyer, a silent auction is a second chance to win a unit you might have missed. When one opens on a unit near you, or at a facility you have bid with before, you will get an email letting you know. Head to the auction page and you will find a simple offer form:
Enter the amount you are willing to pay and submit it. A few things to keep in mind:
- You get one offer, so make it count. It is sealed, so other bidders cannot see what you offered.
- You will need a verified account with a payment method on file, the same as bidding on any auction.
- If the facility accepts your offer, you win the unit and your buyer's fee is charged right away. You will get an email to confirm it.
- If your offer is not chosen, you will be notified, and you are free to keep bidding on other auctions.
Not interested in unsold or defaulted units?
You can turn these alerts off at any time. In your account settings, under I want to receive email when:, just uncheck An unsold auction near me is up for grabs and A winning bidder defaults and a unit is up for grabs.
That is it. The next time a unit near you ends up in a silent auction, you will know exactly what to do. Make your one offer count, and it could be yours.