# Live auctions & online bidding

> Run the room from the auctioneer's console and take live online bids through Selloff Live Auction, with every hammer price recorded in Selloff.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/features/live-auctions
- Language: English
- Domain: Sales & bidding
- Last updated: 2026-10-20
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/fonctionnalites/ventes-en-direct.md

## At a glance

- Auctioneer's console with image, estimate, reserve, book bids and remarks for each lot
- Results recorded lot by lot, with running totals per consignor and per session
- Selloff Live Auction: live online bidding started from the sale
- Live sales reviewed and turned into invoiceable sales in one step

## The auctioneer's console

For each session, the console shows the lots in order with their image, description, category, estimate, reserve, opening bid, highest book bid and remarks for the auctioneer. The auctioneer or clerk records the result of each lot as the sale progresses, while running totals per consignor and per session show what has sold against estimates. Bidders' purchase limits are available in the console and can be hidden in the settings.

Absentee and phone bids recorded before the sale are already in the console, so the book and the room work from the same data.

## Live online bidding

**Selloff Live Auction** is an optional service served on your Selloff web address or, on request, your own domain. Once a catalogue is active, staff start, restart or stop the live auction server from the sale. Remote bidders register and bid in a live bidding client styled for your house.

## Live audio and video from the saleroom

Your house can also stream the sale live from the saleroom, as video with sound or as sound only, so remote bidders follow the auctioneer while they bid. The stream plays in real time (WebRTC) in the live bidding client, next to the current lot and the bidding. It appears in every bidder's window as soon as the broadcast starts and closes when it ends.

## From the room to the invoice

Live bids and results arrive in Selloff with their own types: live bid, live sale, reopened lot, unsold and withdrawn. Before invoicing, staff review the live sales and turn them into confirmed sales in one step, so live buyers are invoiced from the same [bidders to invoice](https://www.selloff.auction/features/automatic-invoicing.md) list as everyone else.

After the sale, lots that did not sell can stay open to [offers](https://www.selloff.auction/features/after-sale-offers.md).

## Related features

- [Absentee & phone bids](https://www.selloff.auction/features/bid-recording.md): 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.
- [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.
- [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.
- [Offers & after-sale](https://www.selloff.auction/features/after-sale-offers.md): 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.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can remote bidders bid live during a saleroom auction?

Yes, through Selloff Live Auction. Live bids and hammer prices are recorded in Selloff with the rest of the sale, so buyers are invoiced the same way whichever channel they used.

### What does the auctioneer see in the console?

Each lot with its image, description, estimate, reserve, opening bid, highest book bid and any remarks for the auctioneer, plus running totals per consignor and per session. Bidders' purchase limits can be shown or hidden.

### Is Selloff Live Auction included in the subscription?

Selloff Live Auction is an optional paid service that you activate from Selloff once your auction house's web address is set up. Contact us for the current offer.