Auto-Relist
Automatically re-list auctions that fail (reserve not met) or where the winner doesn't pay. Reduces manual operations and recovers revenue from no-shows.
Two trigger types
| Trigger | When it fires |
|---|---|
| Failed | Auction ends without meeting reserve |
| Non-payment | Winner doesn't pay within wkafw_payment_deadline (default 48 hrs) |
Both can be enabled per-auction or globally.
Configure
Auctions → Settings → Bidding → Auto-relist or per-auction in Add Auction.
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Auto-relist | no |
| Auto-relist on non-payment | no |
| Max relist attempts | 3 |
| Relist interval (hrs) | 72 |
| Relist start delay (hrs) | 24 |
Relist parameters
When a relist triggers, a new auction is created with:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Linked product | same |
| Auction type | same |
| Start price | same (or current_price × 0.9 if no bids on prior — configurable) |
| Reserve | same (or stepped down per wkafw_relist_reserve_step) |
| Buy Now | same |
| Bid increment | same |
| Item condition | same |
| Anti-snipe window / extension | same |
| Start date | now + wkafw_relist_start_delay (default 24 hrs) |
| End date | start + duration of original |
| Vendor | same |
relist_attempt | incremented (1, 2, 3, …) |
original_auction_id | meta — links back to the failed parent |
Stepping down
For repeatedly-failing auctions, the plugin can step the reserve down on each relist:
| Attempt | Reserve formula |
|---|---|
| Attempt 1 (original) | $1,000 reserve |
| Attempt 2 | $900 (10% step) |
| Attempt 3 | $800 |
| Attempt 4 | (max attempts hit — manual review) |
Configure step % via wkafw_relist_reserve_step (default 0 = no step-down).
Notifications
| Trigger | Recipients | |
|---|---|---|
| Auction relisted | Previous bidders + Watchers | "Auction relisted" |
| Final relist exhausted | Seller + Admin | "Lot needs manual review" |
Lifecycle
Auction A1 ends → reserve not met → status: failed
↓
Wait 24 hrs (relist_start_delay)
↓
Auction A2 created (relist_attempt = 1)
↓
A2 runs full duration
↓
A2 fails → wait 24 hrs → A3 (attempt 2)
↓
A3 fails → wait 24 hrs → A4 (attempt 3 — final by default)
↓
A4 fails → no more attempts → admin notified
A scheduled background job processes the relist queue every few minutes.
Non-payment relist
When a winner doesn't pay within wkafw_payment_deadline:
- Status flips to
unpaid(notfailed) - The plugin offers the auction to the second-highest bidder at their bid amount
- If they accept (within 24 hrs), order is created and auction settles
- If they decline (or no second bidder), auction is relisted
Override per-vendor
Some vendors might want different rules:
Reporting
Reports → Auto-relist shows:
- Relist trigger rate (% of failed auctions auto-relisted)
- Relist success rate (% reaching reserve on relist)
- Average attempts to sell
- Manual-review queue size
Common gotchas
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| Relists not happening | Check WP-Cron / Action Scheduler is running |
| New auction starts immediately | wkafw_relist_start_delay is 0 — set to 24+ hrs |
| Bidder confusion (same auction, different ID) | Email links to the new auction; old URL 301-redirects |
| Endless relist loop | wkafw_max_relist_attempts cap stops at default 3 |
| Wrong reserve on relist | Override via wkafw_relist_params filter |
Disable for one auction
Per-auction: in Add Auction → Lifecycle, uncheck Auto-relist on failure.
Programmatically: