Frequently Asked Questions
Why can a customer not bid?
Section titled “Why can a customer not bid?”Read the displayed rejection. Check login, auction start/end, stock, minimum or maximum bid, repeat-bid policy, required participation seat, and any stored-card requirement. Refresh stale bid forms before retrying.
Why does a customer become outbid immediately?
Section titled “Why does a customer become outbid immediately?”Another bidder may have a stronger proxy limit. See Proxy Bidding.
Why are auctions absent from the shop?
Section titled “Why are auctions absent from the shop?”The plugin can keep auctions and regular products separate. Check Do not show auctions on shop page, the selected base page, and future/past visibility options. Lot containers have their own settings.
Why can I not edit an item’s dates?
Section titled “Why can I not edit an item’s dates?”An assigned lot controls that auction’s schedule and extensions. Edit the lot or session instead.
Why does the auction still need processing after the countdown ends?
Section titled “Why does the auction still need processing after the countdown ends?”The countdown is a display. Check the check cron endpoint, WordPress scheduling, timezone, and cache exclusions.
Why did the sequential sale stop?
Section titled “Why did the sequential sale stop?”Check whether staff paused it, whether No-Bid Handling is set to pause, and whether it uses Manual Close by Staff. Review the current item and staff controls before resuming.
Why was an auction with bids unsuccessful?
Section titled “Why was an auction with bids unsuccessful?”The reserve may not have been met. For reverse auctions the reserve comparison runs in the opposite direction.
Does a winning auction mean the money was collected?
Section titled “Does a winning auction mean the money was collected?”No. Inspect the WooCommerce order and gateway result. Automatic lot order creation also does not by itself prove payment.
Why are old analytics totals incomplete?
Section titled “Why are old analytics totals incomplete?”Historical cycles may have been overwritten before Analytics was introduced, and bid logs may have been deleted during relisting. See Analytics.
Why did another bidder win at the same amount?
Section titled “Why did another bidder win at the same amount?”An existing proxy limit can retain the lead against a later equal offer. See equal proxy limits.
Why can a customer enter an amount that is not a multiple of the increment?
Section titled “Why can a customer enter an amount that is not a multiple of the increment?”The increment determines the next bid boundary. It does not restrict bids to exact multiples. See bid increment versus input step.
How do I isolate a theme or plugin conflict?
Section titled “How do I isolate a theme or plugin conflict?”Reproduce the issue on staging with the same auction mode and settings. Switch to a standard WooCommerce-compatible theme and deactivate other extensions, leaving WooCommerce and Auctions for WooCommerce active. Re-enable the theme and other extensions one at a time to identify the trigger. If the issue requires Stripe or Elementor Pro, include that dependency when reproducing its workflow.
Check outdated child-theme templates, browser console errors, and WooCommerce logs alongside the exact bid or checkout error. See Template Overrides and Caching & Refresh Problems. Record the smallest reproducible configuration for support.
Why is the Sealed Bid checkbox missing?
Section titled “Why is the Sealed Bid checkbox missing?”Enable Enable sealed / silent auctions in General settings. In the product editor, an enabled Proxy bidding? checkbox hides Sealed Bid?; selecting sealed bidding likewise hides and clears proxy bidding. If proxy bidding is enabled by default, turn it off on this product before selecting sealed bidding. Save and reload to confirm the intended mode. See Sealed Bidding.
Why is placing a bid slow?
Section titled “Why is placing a bid slow?”Bid and outbid events invoke WooCommerce transactional emails. Mail transport can delay the response when messages are sent during the request. On staging, compare the same bid workflow with Bid note, Customer bid notification, and Outbid note disabled individually. Restore the intended settings after diagnosis.
Inspect mail transport timing, server request logs, and other bid-event integrations. Compare ordinary page response times as well; a slow bid response alone does not establish the cause. See email delivery checks.
Can I delete a fake or winning bid?
Section titled “Can I delete a fake or winning bid?”Authorized staff can delete selected rows in the auction editor’s history. This changes bid state and clears stored proxy limits. It does not automatically reconcile orders, payments, or replacement-winner notifications. Follow Delete an incorrect bid before changing a finished sale.
How should I update the plugin?
Section titled “How should I update the plugin?”Back up the database, plugin files, and child-theme customizations, then test the replacement version on staging before updating the live store. Keep template overrides and custom code outside the plugin directory. Check outdated overrides, bidding, cron processing, winner links, and enabled integrations after the update.
Do not use plugin deletion as a routine update step. The current uninstall routine can remove plugin tables and matching settings when AFW_REMOVE_ALL_DATA is explicitly true. Confirm that configuration before any intentional uninstall. See Template Overrides.
Where are the builder, translation, and customization instructions?
Section titled “Where are the builder, translation, and customization instructions?”What should I include in a support request?
Section titled “What should I include in a support request?”Include plugin/WooCommerce versions, auction and lot IDs, the selected mode, relevant times and timezone, reproduction steps, the exact error, and scheduler or order notes where relevant. Remove passwords, payment details, and private sealed-bid information.
Can I suggest a feature or request a customization?
Section titled “Can I suggest a feature or request a customization?”Yes. Contact WPInstitut with your ideas, feature requests, or specific requirements. We welcome feedback and are available for custom auction workflows, integrations, and design changes. Describe what you want to achieve and share examples so we can discuss a suitable solution.