# Absentee & phone bids

> Record absentee, phone and OR bids in the book, check them against your bid increments, confirm them to clients by email and print the bid book for the room.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/features/bid-recording
- Language: English
- Domain: Sales & bidding
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/fonctionnalites/ordres-achat.md

## At a glance

- Absentee, phone and OR bids recorded per bidder and lot
- Bids checked against the sale's bid increments and starting prices
- Confirmation emails sent to bidders automatically
- Phone bids shared among staff, with a summary per session
- Optional confirmation of each bid by a second user

## The book, without the paper

Absentee bids are entered on the bidder's page, lot by lot. Selloff refuses amounts that are not on the sale's bid increments and proposes the closest valid amount, rejects bids below the starting price, and stops a bidder from entering a second bid that is lower than or equal to one they already placed. OR bids let a client bid on one lot or another.

Bids placed on your own website through the Selloff API, for example with the [WordPress](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/wordpress.md) plugin, arrive in the same book with no re-keying. Bids from other platforms are brought in with [bid import](https://www.selloff.auction/features/bid-import.md).

## Phone bids and staff

Phone bids are entered by lot number, one per bidder and lot. Before the sale, Selloff groups them by bidder or by lot and distributes them among the staff members who will make the calls, warning about overlapping lot ranges. Each caller can be notified of their list, and the phone bid summary per session and the bidder sheets give them what they need in the room.

## Confirmations and control

Clients receive a confirmation email for their absentee, phone and OR bids automatically. For extra control, a sale can require every bid entered manually, or imported, to be confirmed by another user; the dashboard lists the bidders whose bids are waiting for confirmation.

## Ready for the auctioneer

The bid book lists all bids by lot, for the whole sale, one session or a range of lots. The bids overview shows for each lot the estimate, reserve, number of bids, current bid and maximum bid, and exports to Excel. On the day, the same bids are available in the [auctioneer's console](https://www.selloff.auction/features/live-auctions.md).

## Works with

- [WordPress](https://www.selloff.auction/integrations/wordpress.md): Run your auction website on WordPress with the Selloff plugin: catalogues, lot pages, client accounts and online bidding read live from Selloff.

## Related features

- [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.
- [Bid import from platforms](https://www.selloff.auction/features/bid-import.md): Bring bids, results and registrations from Drouot, Sixbid, Numisbids, Philasearch, Biddr and Excel files into your sale, with contact matching and a review step.
- [Live auctions & online bidding](https://www.selloff.auction/features/live-auctions.md): Run the room from the auctioneer's console and take live online bids through Selloff Live Auction, with every hammer price recorded in Selloff.
- [Estimates & reserves](https://www.selloff.auction/features/estimates-reserves.md): Record starting price, low and high estimates, reserve and printed estimate for every lot, adjust them in bulk, and keep the values used in each sale.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is an OR bid?

An OR bid lets a client bid on one lot or another, for example when they want only one of two similar items. Selloff records OR bids on the bidder's page and confirms them to the client with a dedicated email.

### Can Selloff share phone bids among my staff?

Yes. Select the staff members taking calls and Selloff distributes the phone bids between them by bidder and lot range. You can adjust the assignments, spot overlapping ranges and notify each caller of their list; the phone bid summary per session is ready to print.

### How does Selloff prevent errors when bids are entered?

Each bid is checked against the sale's bid increments and the lot's starting price as it is entered, and Selloff proposes the closest valid amount. A sale can also require a second user to confirm every bid entered manually or imported, and the dashboard lists bids still waiting for confirmation.