Boost recurring donations this giving season with the upsell prompt!An item can be hidden by four separate settings, and they work independently — each one alone is enough to hide it. Check them in this order, because the first two hide every item and are the most commonly missed.
1. The auction's Status
Open the auction and check Status on its Details tab.
- Hidden — nothing is visible to anyone but administrators. This is the default for a new auction, and it is the usual answer when no items appear.
- Preview — items are visible but nobody can bid or buy.
- Open — items are visible and follow their own status.
- Closed — items are visible but bidding and buying are over.
If nothing at all shows on the front end, this is almost always why.
2. The auction's Paused setting
Still on the Details tab, check Paused. When it is Yes, every item shows a Paused status and all bid and buy buttons disappear.
3. The item's Published setting
Open the item and check Published. Set to No, the item is hidden from the front end completely — from everyone, signed in or not, with no way to reach it.
4. The item's Visibility setting
On the same form, check Visibility.
- Public — everyone sees it.
- Private — only signed-in visitors see it. It is absent from the grid for anyone signed out, and opening its link directly asks them to sign in first.
If an item is missing for you when signed out but present when signed in, this is the setting.
Note: Published and Visibility are independent, and both must allow the item. An unpublished item stays hidden however Visibility is set.
If the item is there but in the wrong place
- Not under its category — check the item's Category, and check that the category is Published and set to Visible in Auction on the auction's Categories tab. A category that is not visible is not offered as a filter — its items still appear in the main grid, just not under that heading.
- Not in the Featured row — the item's Featured setting must be Yes.
- Showing as Canceled or Ended — someone has used the per-item actions. See Pausing, ending, and canceling an item.
Still missing?
Confirm you are looking at the right auction. Each auction has its own menu item and its own home page, and a site running two auctions can easily have you checking one while editing the other.
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