# Offers & after-sale

> Collect offers on unsold lots or in offer sales, decide lot by lot with the consignor's figures at hand, and notify bidders by email.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/features/after-sale-offers
- Language: English
- Domain: Sales & bidding
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/fonctionnalites/offres-apres-vente.md

## At a glance

- Offers on unsold lots after a live auction or once an eBay-style lot has closed
- Offer sales with automatic assignment at the close, previewed before it is applied
- Review screen grouped by consignor, with estimates, reserves and sale figures
- Accept, refuse with a suggested amount, or stop offers on a lot
- Confirmation and decision emails sent to bidders automatically

## Offers after the hammer

Not every lot finds a buyer in the room. When a sale allows it, unsold lots stay open to offers after a live auction, and in an eBay-style sale a bidder who arrives after a lot has closed is invited to make an offer. Offers come from your website through the Selloff API, or staff enter them on the bidder's page, for example after a phone call. Each bidder receives a confirmation email.

## Offer sales

An offer sale collects offers until a closing date, with the estimate as the minimum offer. At the close, Selloff can assign the lots automatically: the highest offer at or above both estimate and reserve wins, at a set margin above the next-best offer (or above the estimate when there is a single offer), capped at the winning offer. A preview shows the proposed outcome for every lot before anything is saved.

## Reviewing offers

The Review offers screen groups lots by consignor. For each lot it shows the estimate, the reserve, the pending offers with the bidders' tags, and the offers already refused. The consignor's figures for the sale (estimates, reserves, lots sold and unsold) help you decide or call the consignor. For each offer you can:

- **accept** it: the lot is sold, the other offers are refused and the buyer is ready to invoice
- **refuse** it, optionally suggesting an amount you would accept
- **stop offers** on the lot and refuse all pending offers at once

Bidders receive the decision by email, with any suggested amount. On the dashboard, one widget lists the sales with offers received and another shows the offers waiting for review in the current sale.

## Other after-sale cases

When a buyer asks for an authenticity check, the lot can be placed in extension: payment to the consignor stays blocked until the extension is validated. Certificate requests are followed from request to the expert's decision, and lots sent for certification are tracked in [shipments](https://www.selloff.auction/features/shipments.md).

## Related features

- [Sales & auction types](https://www.selloff.auction/features/auction-types.md): Run auctions, offer sales, eBay-style timed sales and fixed-price sales, each with its own sessions, catalogues, dates, fees and bid increments.
- [Bidder registration & tracking](https://www.selloff.auction/features/bidder-management.md): Register bidders before or during a sale, number them automatically, set purchase limits and request guarantees, with every bidder's activity on one page.
- [Consignor settlements](https://www.selloff.auction/features/consignor-settlements.md): Generate consignor statements for a whole sale, deduct commission, fees and VAT, pay consignors once buyers have paid and export transfers to your bank.
- [Automatic invoicing](https://www.selloff.auction/features/automatic-invoicing.md): Create buyer invoices and consignor statements from recorded sales in a few clicks, with premium, insurance, fees, shipping and VAT calculated automatically.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can bidders make offers on lots that did not sell?

Yes, when the sale allows offers on unsold lots after a live auction, an option available for auctions and eBay-style sales. Offers arrive through your website or are entered by staff, and you accept or refuse them from the Review offers screen.

### How are offer sales decided?

You can decide each lot yourself, or let Selloff assign lots at the close: the highest offer at or above both estimate and reserve wins, at a set margin above the next-best offer and never above the winning offer. A preview shows the result for every lot before it is applied.

### Are bidders told when their offer is refused?

Yes. Selloff emails bidders the decision on their offers. When you refuse an offer, you can suggest an amount you would accept, and it is included in the email.