Boost recurring donations this giving season with the upsell prompt!With the Auctions app, a bidder can be connected to a Soapbox user account. The connection matters for more than tidiness: it is what lets a bidder sign in to the auction themselves, and it is required before a payment method can be saved against them.
A bidder created at a registration desk has no account until you give it one. A bidder who registered online already has one.
Why the connection matters
| With a linked account | Without |
|---|---|
| Can sign in and bid online | Bids recorded on their behalf in the administrator only |
| Can have a saved payment method | Cannot — the option is unavailable |
| Manages their own preferences and shipping address | An administrator maintains their details |
Important: A bidder must be connected to a user account before a payment method can be added, and needs a phone number as well. Until both are in place, the bidder's detail panel explains why rather than offering the button.
Creating an account for an existing bidder
- Open the auction's Bidders tab and click the bidder.
- Click Create user from bidder.
- Confirm.
The account is created from the name and email already on the bidder record, and the two are linked. The bidder is told the outcome on screen.
Linking a bidder to an existing account
- Open the bidder.
- Click Link a user.
- Search by name or email, select the account, and click Link selected user.
From then on the bidder's name and email come from that account, and are shown as managed by it rather than being editable on the bidder.
If the account you pick is already a bidder in this auction, you are told so — merge the two records instead. See Merging duplicate bidders.
Unlinking
- Open the bidder.
- Click Unlink user.
- Confirm.
The bidder keeps the name and email it had, and those fields become editable again. The bidder itself is not deleted, and its bids and wins are untouched — but it can no longer sign in, and its saved payment methods are no longer available to it.
Opening the linked account
Click the User badge next to the bidder's name in the list, or Open user account in the bidder's detail panel. Either opens that account in the User Manager. The button is hidden for bidders with no linked account.
Connections versus origin
Two different things are shown on a bidder, and they answer different questions:
- Connections — the Attendee and User badges. What the bidder is linked to right now. These change as you link and unlink.
- Origin — how the record was first created, for example Admin — from event attendee or Self-registered online. Recorded once and never changed, so it still tells you where a bidder came from long after its connections have moved on.
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