You have the donation, the photograph and the description. Then the auction form asks for a starting bid, and suddenly pricing a donated prize feels less straightforward.
A useful starting point is to ask what you would be happy to receive if only one person bid. Then consider what would persuade someone to place that first bid, and how large each further step should be.
There is no percentage that guarantees a good result. Your audience, the prize conditions and the number of interested bidders all affect what happens.
The three amounts do different jobs
The starting bid is the smallest opening offer you will accept. The bid increment sets the size of the steps in the bidding sequence. A reserve, if you use one, is the minimum price required for the lot to sell.
You can run a lot without a reserve. In that case, the opening amount needs to be a result you can accept if it attracts just one eligible bid. If you would prefer to keep the prize rather than sell below a particular amount, consider whether a reserve is appropriate.
These amounts should be chosen together before bidding begins. In Aucly, they are locked once an item receives its first bid.
Check the prize before using its retail value
A £50 voucher is straightforward only if the winner can use the whole £50 on something they want. Restricted dates, a minimum spend, extra charges or a short expiry can change its appeal.
An experience may not have a clear shop price at all. Do not invent a precise value for a school opportunity or a one-off service simply to calculate a starting bid. Think about who is likely to want it and what they will actually receive.
Record any cost your organisation must cover. A donated prize with no direct cost is different from a prize supplied on terms that require you to pay a fixed amount when it sells. Make sure the organiser understands those terms before choosing an opening bid or reserve.
Three worked examples
These figures are illustrative choices, not tested recommendations or a forecast of what your auction will raise. The examples use a fixed increment and assume bidders meet all other auction conditions.
| Example | Starting bid | Increment | Reserve | Why an organiser might choose it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £50 local restaurant voucher, donated with no cost to the PTA | £10 | £2 | None | An accessible opening, where the PTA is content to accept £10 if that is the only bid. |
| A one-off parent-led workshop with no reliable retail price | £20 | £5 | None | An opening based on the organiser's judgement of local interest, without inventing a retail value. |
| An experience the organiser is only willing to sell for at least £100 | £50 | £10 | £100 | Lower opening bids are allowed, but the prize remains unsold unless the minimum is reached. |
For the voucher, the sequence starts £10, £12, £14 and so on. For the workshop it starts £20, £25, £30. For the reserved experience it starts £50, £60, £70 and continues in £10 steps.
The first two examples accept the possibility of a sale at the starting price. If that outcome would disappoint the donor or leave your organisation out of pocket, resolve that before using those settings.
Think about the next bidder
An increment should make the next offer easy to understand and reasonable for the people you expect to bid.
On the £50 voucher, moving from £10 to £12 is a smaller decision than moving from £10 to £20. On a much more valuable prize, tiny steps may create a long bidding sequence without reflecting how supporters think about the purchase.
This does not mean smaller increments always raise more. Nor does a large number of bids prove a better fundraising result. Choose a sensible step for the prize and audience, and review the outcome afterwards.
Use a reserve for a real minimum
A reserve is useful when there is an amount below which you are not prepared to sell. It also means the auction may end without a winner for that lot.
In Aucly, the reserve must be above the starting amount and sit on the same bidding sequence. For example, a £25 start with £10 increments allows £35, £45 and £55; £40 does not fit that sequence.
A bidder's maximum offer is separate from the reserve. If a maximum reaches the reserve, the current price can move directly to it. Do not assume every intermediate step needs a separate visible bid.
Our reserve-pricing guide explains what bidders see and what happens when the minimum is not met. Use it to check the settings once you have decided the amount you need.
Plan for a quiet lot
Suppose the £50 voucher attracts only one person willing to make its £10 opening bid. With no reserve and no competing offer, £10 may be the result. A low opening price creates an opportunity to join in; it does not create a second bidder.
Before launch, look again at any lot where that outcome would be unacceptable. You may need different pricing, clearer conditions, another audience or a different use for the donation.
Once bidding has started, do not promise to lower the starting bid or change the increments in Aucly: those fields are locked after the first bid. Instead, check whether the description is accurate and whether likely supporters have seen the prize. Keep any correction fair to people who have already bid.
Learn from the result without drawing too much from one auction
Afterwards, record the opening price, final price, whether the lot sold and any restrictions that may have affected interest. Note how and when you promoted it too.
If you repeat a similar prize next year, those records provide a better starting point than a universal percentage. They still cannot tell you that a particular increment caused the final result: your audience and circumstances may have changed.
When you are ready to enter your choices, the item-management guide shows where to add the amounts. If you have not created the auction yet, you can start a draft in Aucly and prepare the prizes before sharing them.