# Clerk

> The member of staff who records the sale as it happens: the hammer price and the buyer's paddle number for each lot, as well as unsold and withdrawn lots. The clerk's record is the basis for invoicing.

- URL: https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/clerk
- Language: English
- Also known as: Auction clerk, Sale clerk
- Last updated: 2026-10-07
- Français: https://www.selloff.auction/fr/glossaire/clerc.md

## Definition

The member of staff who records the sale as it happens: the hammer price and the buyer's paddle number for each lot, as well as unsold and withdrawn lots. The clerk's record is the basis for invoicing.

The clerk sits beside the auctioneer, follows the auctioneer's book and flags discrepancies immediately, for example when two bidders claim the same lot. In larger sales, a second person may handle online bids.

In Selloff, results are recorded in the auctioneer's console or on the bidder's record, corrected in the view/change sale screen if a bid was assigned to the wrong bidder, and checked afterwards with the results checklist.

## Related features

- [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.
- [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.

## Related terms

- [Auctioneer](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/auctioneer.md): The person who conducts the sale from the rostrum: announces each lot, takes bids from the room, the telephones, absentee orders and the internet, and knocks the lot down to the highest bidder.
- [Auctioneer's book](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/auctioneers-book.md): The printed or on-screen list the auctioneer uses on the rostrum, showing for each lot the absentee bids and telephone bookings. It lets the auctioneer execute written bids fairly and in the right order.
- [Paddle number](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/paddle-number.md): The number assigned to a registered bidder for a sale, shown on a paddle or card in the room and used to record who won each lot. Phone and online bidders receive a bidder number too.
- [Hammer price](https://www.selloff.auction/glossary/hammer-price.md): The price at which the auctioneer knocks a lot down to the winning bidder, before the buyer's premium, taxes and other charges are added. It is the basis for both the buyer's invoice and the consignor's settlement.