Completing Bids

Complete Bids is the screen used during the sale to record the winning bid for each lot. Work through lots in sale order, entering the winning amount and the buyer's bidder number for each. Once all bids are recorded, proceed to Invoicing.

Entering a Winning Bid

Selecting a Lot

Enter the Lot Number and Lot Suffix (if applicable) to load the lot. The screen shows the animal name, any existing bid status, and related composite items if the lot is part of a group.

You can also navigate using Submit and Get Next, which saves the current bid and automatically loads the next unbid lot in sale order. This keeps the pace moving during a live sale.

Entering the Bid Amount

Enter the winning Amount. Valid values are between $0 and $1,000,000. A $0 bid is valid and records the lot as sold for no charge (for example, a donated or gifted animal).

The Per Head Option

The Per Head checkbox changes how the amount is interpreted for lots with multiple animals:

• Per Head checked — the amount you enter is the price per animal. The system multiplies it by the number of chargeable (non-free) animals in the lot to produce the total. For example, entering $500 per head on a 4-animal lot records a $2,000 total.
• Per Head unchecked — the amount you enter is the total for the lot. The system divides it equally across all chargeable animals. If the total does not divide evenly, the remainder (surplus) is allocated to the first animal in the lot.

Free items (see Composite Lots) are always excluded from both the per-head count and the price distribution — they receive $0 regardless.

Assigning the Winning Bidder

Enter the Bidder Number — the paddle number assigned to the buyer during Bidder Registration. The bidder number must already exist in the auction's roster. The system looks up the associated GEM ID and records the buyer.

Editing Animal Names During Bid Entry

If the auction is configured to allow name edits, you can update the animal's display name directly on the Complete Bids screen. This is useful for correcting names before they appear on invoices.

Handling Composite Lots

A composite lot is a group of animals sold together under a single parent lot. When you enter a bid for a parent lot, the system automatically finds and includes all child animals linked to it.

Part-of-Lot Items

Child animals in a composite lot are identified by their Part of Lot Number and Part of Lot Suffix fields (set during catalog building — see Managing the Catalog). The system resolves the full hierarchy recursively, supporting nested composites up to 100 levels deep.

The bid amount is distributed across all chargeable animals in the composite according to the Per Head setting (see above). Each animal receives its individual share and is recorded separately in the buyer's record.

Free Items in a Lot

Animals marked as Free Part in the catalog are included in the composite lot structure but are exempt from price distribution. They are listed on the invoice and load-out sheet at $0. This is commonly used for bonus animals included with the primary purchase.

Reviewing and Correcting Bids

Previously entered bids appear in the bid history on the screen. You can:

• Correct a bid by reloading the lot and re-entering the amount and bidder. The existing record is updated.
• Cancel a bid to remove it entirely. Cancellation is blocked if an invoice has already been issued for that lot — you must delete the invoice first, then cancel the bid.
• Split a composite by removing a child animal's "Part of Lot" link, making it a standalone lot.
• Add to a composite by linking a standalone lot as a child under a parent, with the option to mark it as a free part.

A lot that already has a completed bid cannot receive a second bid — you must cancel the existing bid first.

Animals Without a Bid

Animals in the auction catalog that have no bid recorded are visible in the Animals Without a Bid section. Use this view at the end of the sale to confirm you haven't missed any lots before moving to invoicing.

The Missing Bids report (available under Reports) provides a printable version of this list.