The short answer. The close is where most silent auctions go wrong: volunteers tally bid sheets by hand while winners wait in line. A smooth close comes from four decisions made before the event:
- When bidding ends, set in advance, while the room is still full.
- How guests are warned, with messages and an MC countdown.
- How winners pay, agreed and announced before the close.
- How items are handed over, at a pickup table sorted by winner.
With mobile bidding, the tally disappears: bidding stops on time, and the winners and their totals are known the moment it closes.
Ask anyone who has run a paper silent auction what they dread, and the answer is the last hour. This guide is for organizers who want the end of the night to be as good as the start. It covers how to plan the close, what to do in the final minutes, and how to handle winners, payment and pickup. We make MobilBid, so we explain how it handles each step, and we've kept the advice useful whatever tool you use.
Why the close is the hardest part of a silent auction
At a paper auction, the moment bidding ends, a chain of manual work begins:
- Volunteers collect every bid sheet from every table.
- They read the last bid on each sheet, often in hurried handwriting.
- They add up each winner's items to work out what they owe.
- They write or print an invoice for each winner and try to find them in the room.
- Winners line up to pay and collect, often behind someone with a question.
- Guests who left early have to be chased for payment and pickup in the days after.
Every step is a chance for a mistake, and a large event can take hours to clear. Guests remember the line, not the evening.
What changes with mobile bidding
| Step | Paper bid sheets | MobilBid |
|---|---|---|
| Ending bidding | A volunteer announces it and pulls the sheets | Bidding stops at the end time you set, on every item at once |
| Finding winners | Reading the last line of each sheet | Worked out automatically from the bids |
| Totals by winner | Added up by hand | Kept as bidding happens |
| Invoices | Written or printed, then handed out | Sent to winners when bidding closes |
| Live items and donations | Recorded on separate lists | Recorded in the same auction, with one set of totals |
| Results | Typed up later | Reports by item and by bidder |
“The closeout of the silent auction was the best we ever had – because we used MobilBid.”
Before the event: plan the close
Choose the closing time
Close while the room is still full and before the event winds down. A common choice at a gala is shortly after dinner, before the speeches or the dancing. At a golf tournament, close during the dinner after play. Avoid closing at the very end of the night, when guests are already looking for their coats. In MobilBid, you set the end time in advance and the auction closes on its own.
Write your messages now
Schedule your reminders before the event, so nobody has to remember on the night. A good set is: bidding is open, one hour left, fifteen minutes left, and a thank-you after the close. MobilBid sends scheduled messages by text and email, with all text message fees included.
Decide how winners will pay
Agree on payment before the event and put it in your welcome message, your table cards and the MC's script. Winners who know how they'll pay don't hold up the line. Common options are a card terminal at the pickup table, cheques, cash and Interac e-Transfer.
With MobilBid, you choose how to collect payment: cash, cheque or the payment service your organization already uses. Paying by card inside MobilBid is not yet available to every organizer, so ask us whether it can be turned on for your event.
Set up the pickup table
Plan one table, staffed by two or three volunteers, where winners collect their items. Group items by winner, not by item number, so a winner with four items gets them in one trip. Printable item display cards make it easy to match each item to its lot.
The last fifteen minutes
Bidding is busiest in the final minutes, so make them count:
- Put the leaderboard on the big screen so the room can see the bidding and your sponsors.
- Have the MC count down, name items that still need bids and mention the ones with a bidding war.
- Let the outbid alerts work. Every guest who is outbid gets a text and email with a link to bid again.
- Keep a volunteer free to help any guest who has trouble bidding.
Guests who set a maximum bid keep bidding automatically up to their limit, even if they've stepped away.
At the close: winners, invoices and pickup
When the end time arrives, bidding stops on every item at once. MobilBid works out the winners and sends them their invoices, with every item each winner won, including live auction purchases, on one invoice. There is no bid sheet tabulation.
From there, the job is the handover. Winners come to the pickup table, pay the way you announced, and collect their items. Volunteers check each item off as it leaves. Results are available in your account right away, so you can announce the auction's total before guests go home.
“We received many comments about how user-friendly the whole bidding and close-out experience was, and we can't imagine going back to a traditional auction, even when we can safely return to in-person events!”
Winners who left early, and online winners
Some winners will have left, and in an online or hybrid auction many were never in the room. Their invoice tells them what they won and owe. Give them clear pickup or delivery details: dates, times and an address. Our guide to online and hybrid charity auctions covers delivery options.
After the auction
- Thank everyone, winners and non-winners alike, and tell them what the auction raised and what it pays for.
- Give non-winners a way to help. A guest who was outbid on everything may still want to give. MobilBid lets guests donate in the same place they bid.
- Reconcile with your treasurer. Post-event reports show bidding by item and by bidder, and winners and invoices.
- Follow up unpaid invoices within a few days, while the event is fresh.
- Look at what sold. Item results help you decide what to ask donors for next year, and you can start next year's auction from this one.
Bidder data deserves care too: keep exports of names and contact details with the people who need them. Read our security and privacy statement.
Common questions
When should a silent auction close?
Close while the room is still full, usually shortly after dinner and before speeches or dancing. Avoid the very end of the night, when guests are leaving. Set the time in advance and tell guests in the welcome message and on table cards.
How do silent auction winners find out they won?
At a paper auction, volunteers announce or post the winners after tallying the bid sheets. With MobilBid, bidding stops at the set time and winners are sent their invoices, so they know what they won without waiting for a tally.
How do winners pay with MobilBid?
You choose how to collect payment: cash, cheque or the payment service your organization already uses. Paying by card inside MobilBid is not yet available to every organizer, so ask us whether it can be turned on for your event.
Can two bidders tie on a silent auction item?
Not with hand-entered bids in MobilBid, because each new bid must beat the current bid by at least the item's increment. If two bidders set the same maximum bid, the one who set it first wins.
How many volunteers do we need at checkout?
With mobile bidding, two or three volunteers at one pickup table are enough for most events, because winners and totals are already worked out. Paper auctions need more, because the tally has to be done by hand before anyone can pay.
Can live auction items go on the same invoice as silent auction items?
Yes. In MobilBid, you record each live auction winner in the same auction, so every purchase from the night ends up on one invoice. Donations are recorded with the auction results too, so you have one set of totals for the event.
Run your next auction on MobilBid
Open a free account and build a test auction, or talk it through with us. You only pay when you run a real event: 5.5% of silent auction sales, $220 minimum, $2,500 maximum.