Winners & Payments
From bid to payment
Section titled “From bid to payment”- Customers submit valid bids during the auction.
- The closing process evaluates the result and reserve.
- A successful result identifies the winning customer.
- The winner uses the available payment link to pay through WooCommerce.
- Staff checks the order and payment result.
The highest normal bid or lowest reverse bid does not guarantee a successful result if the reserve has not been met. A successful result does not guarantee that the winner has paid.
Find the winner
Section titled “Find the winner”Open Auctions → Auctions winners and inspect the relevant auction. Customer-facing payment links are provided by the auction payment templates and winner messages.
When is the order created?
Section titled “When is the order created?”| Workflow | Order creation |
|---|---|
| Standalone auction, ordinary Pay Now flow | Pay Now adds the won item to the winner’s cart and redirects to checkout. WooCommerce handles order creation through checkout; clicking the link alone does not prove an order or payment exists. |
| Staff-generated standalone order | Generate Winner Order in the auction editor creates a pending-payment order. Email Winner controls whether an invoice is sent. |
| Automatic lot orders | The lot completion workflow creates winner orders when automatic order creation is selected and the lot’s products have closed. |
| Manual lot orders | Staff uses Generate Winner Orders and selects grouping and invoice options. |
| Stripe automatic payment | The enabled Stripe integration can create an order and attempt payment without the winner opening checkout. |
For a standalone auction with an eligible unpaid winner and no linked order, open the auction editor, review Generate Winner Order, choose Email Winner, and use Create & Send Winner Order. Inspect the resulting order before taking further action.
Check existing linked orders before generating another one. For grouped sales, review lot order creation. For automatic charging, follow Stripe Payment.
The amount payable can also include buyer fees, tax, and shipping. Review the final order total rather than treating the winning bid as the complete payment amount.
Unpaid wins
Section titled “Unpaid wins”Check the order and payment gateway before retrying or relisting. The plugin includes Reminder to Pay emails and a remind-to-pay cron endpoint.
If you use reverse auctions without a checkout payment flow, review Remove pay button from reverse auctions. in General settings.
Refunds
Section titled “Refunds”Manage payment refunds through the WooCommerce order and gateway workflow. A refund does not itself define the next auction cycle; review the item’s result and relisting controls separately.