Browsing items and viewing item details

With the Auctions app, bidders can browse all published items in an auction and view detailed information about each item before placing a bid. Item cards in the grid and the full item detail page give participants the information they need to decide whether and how much to bid.

Item cards in the grid

Each item in the grid is displayed as a card showing:

• A photo of the item
• The item title
• The current bid amount
• A status badge indicating the item's current state
• A heart icon for favoriting the item (see Favoriting items below)

Status badges are color-coded and reflect the following states:

Viewing an item's detail page

Clicking an item card opens the item's full detail page. This page includes:

• One or more photos of the item. If the item has more than one photo, a thumbnail strip appears below the main image for navigating between photos. If there is only one photo, no thumbnail strip is shown.
• The item title and description
• The current bid amount and, for silent auction items, the minimum bid increment
• An Ends: label showing the item's close date, time, and time zone (for example, "Dec 9, 2025 at 9:03 PM ET")
• The item's current status badge
• Reserve Price — displays Met or Not Met to indicate whether the current highest bid has reached the seller's minimum acceptable price
• Fair Market Value — the item's estimated retail or commercial value, shown as a reference point for bidders
• A button to place a bid or purchase the item, depending on the item type and the bidder's registration status

For signed-in, registered bidders: A Bid Now or Buy Now button appears on the item detail page. For bidders who are not yet signed in, Register and Sign In buttons are shown instead. After signing in via the login modal, the Bid Now button replaces those prompts without requiring a page reload.

Bid History

Each item detail page includes a Bid History section listing bids placed on the item in reverse chronological order. Each entry shows:

• The bidder's first name and last initial (for example, "John D.")
• The bid amount
• A relative timestamp (for example, "2 hours ago")

The most recent bid appears at the top. When a bidder places a new bid, the Bid History updates immediately to show it. If the item has more bids than are shown initially, a View More button loads additional entries.

Favoriting items

Bidders can save items to their favorites using the heart icon, which appears on both item cards in the grid and on the item detail page. The icon is unfilled when an item has not been favorited and filled when it has. Clicking the icon toggles the item's favorited state.

Bidders who are not signed in are prompted to create an account or sign in before a favorite can be saved. After signing in, the heart icon fills automatically for the item they attempted to favorite.

Saved favorites are accessible from the Favorites link in the auction header after signing in.

Private items

Some items may be configured as private by the auction administrator. Private items are not displayed in the item grid to visitors who are not signed in. If a visitor accesses a private item's URL directly without being signed in, the item detail page displays the message: "This item is private. Please sign in to view this item." Clicking sign in opens the login modal. After signing in, the item's full details are shown.

You Might Also Like

At the bottom of each item detail page, a You Might Also Like section may display up to three additional items from the same auction that are similar to the one being viewed. These suggestions are based on item similarity and include each item's photo, title, and current bid. This section is hidden when no similar items are available.

Related articles:

• What bidders see on the auction home page
• Registering and signing in as a bidder
• Placing a bid
• Viewing and managing Auctions in the administrator