First-Time Setup

A 10-minute checklist that takes a fresh install to a production-ready auction site.

① General settings (3 minutes)

Auctions → Settings → General

Settings reference →

② Currency & locale (1 minute)

These come from WooCommerce. Confirm:

• WooCommerce → Settings → General → Currency is correct
• WooCommerce → Settings → General → Currency position / thousand / decimal match your locale

The auction plugin reads these for every price display, email, CSV export, and PDF receipt.

③ Email notifications (2 minutes)

WooCommerce → Settings → Emails

Scroll past the WooCommerce defaults — the 21 auction-specific emails are listed below them. At minimum, enable:

• Bid placed — confirms the bid to the bidder
• Outbid — drives re-engagement
• Auction won — triggers payment
• Auction ending soon — drives final bids
• Payment reminder — reduces non-paying winners

Notifications reference →

④ Auction types (1 minute)

Auctions → Settings → Auction Types

Enable only the formats you'll offer. Each enabled type adds a choice in the Add Auction → Auction Type dropdown.

For most stores, start with: Standard, Proxy, Reverse, Sealed. Enable Penny, Dutch, or Charity when you have a specific use-case.

⑤ Wallet (optional, 2 minutes)

If you want customers to pre-fund a wallet:

1. Auctions → Wallet → Settings
2. Enable wallet
3. Pick a Top-up product (or click Auto-create to spin up a hidden WooCommerce product)
4. Set min / max top-up amounts
5. Enable Withdrawal if you'll allow payouts

Wallet system →

⑥ Multi-vendor (if applicable)

If you run a marketplace and have WCFM, Dokan, WC Vendors, or YITH Multi-Vendor active, the auction plugin auto-detects it and surfaces a one-time admin notice.

Multi-vendor compatibility →

No further setup is required — vendors will see auction creation inside their existing vendor dashboard.

⑦ Design Studio (1 minute)

Auctions → Design Studio

The Design Studio gives you a live iframe preview while you tweak:

• Bid form layout & colors
• Countdown timer color stops (yellow → orange → red)
• Auction badge style (Live / Ending Soon / New)
• Confetti on win

Tweak until it matches your storefront, then Save.

Design Studio →

⑧ Compliance & legal (recommended)

Auctions → Settings → Compliance

If you're auctioning anything restricted:

• Age verification — set min age (default 18), pick categories
• Terms of service — require bidders to accept on first bid
• KYC threshold — require ID verification above bid amount
• Cookie consent — pick provider (or use built-in)

Compliance →

⑨ Test the full lifecycle (1 minute)

The fastest way to verify everything works:

1. Auctions → Add Auction — create a test auction with a 5-minute end window
2. Open an incognito window, log in as a customer, place a bid
3. Watch the bid appear in Auctions → Bids
4. Watch the email arrive in your test inbox
5. After end time, confirm:
   • Auction status flips to ended or paid
   • Winner email goes out
   • Order is created and linked

If anything fails, see Troubleshooting.

⑩ Production hardening

Before opening to real customers:

You're done

• New here? Read Admin Overview →
• Want a guided tour? Try the Onboarding tour →