Live Streaming Auctions
How to Run a Live Auction in Studio
Live Auction Studio is where you prepare your auction items, start your live stream, and control the sale while viewers are watching. This guide walks through the page from a creator's point of view, so you know what each section does and what to click during a live auction.
Before You Start
Have your auction items ready before you go live. For each item, know the item name, the starting bid, the bid increment, whether you want a Buy Now price, and how long bidding should stay open.
If you are selling physical items, make sure your shipping profile is complete before adding items to the queue. Studio needs your ship-from details so buyers can be shown the right shipping options later.
You will also need streaming software such as OBS if you plan to broadcast from your computer.
The Studio Layout
The Live Auction Studio page is split into a few main areas:
- Add Items: where you create auction items and add them to your queue.
- Settings: where you control auto-advance and anti-snipe timing.
- Enable Live Auction: where you turn the live auction on and get your streaming information.
- Your Queue: where you can see the items waiting to be sold.
- Live Monitor: where you can preview your stream and see viewer/tip activity.
- Active Item Controls: where you start, stop, move through, or end auction items.
- Live Chat: where you can talk with viewers during the auction.
Step 1: Add Items to Your Queue
Open Add Items when you are ready to prepare something for sale.
Fill in the item details:
- Title / Description: use a clear name viewers will understand quickly.
- Start Bid: the opening price for the item.
- Increment: the amount each new bid must increase by.
- Buy Now: optional. Leave it at 0 if you do not want to offer Buy Now.
- Duration: how many minutes bidding should stay open for that item.
Then choose the shipping option:
- Buyer Pays Shipping means the buyer pays shipping at checkout.
- Free Shipping means you cover the shipping cost.
For buyer-paid shipping, choose the carrier, package option, and where the item ships. If international shipping is available for your profile, you may be able to choose Domestic + International and exclude countries you do not want to ship to.
Click Add to Queue when the item is ready. The item will appear under Your Queue.
If you want to clear the item form and start over, click the erase button next to Add to Queue.
Step 2: Choose Auction Settings
Open Settings before enabling the auction.
Auto-advance items when bids end:
Turn this on if you want Studio to move through the queue automatically after each item ends. Leave it off if you want to manually start the next item yourself.
Anti-Snipe Rules:
These settings help prevent someone from winning by placing a bid at the very last second.
- Bid in last seconds: how close to the end a bid must happen to trigger extra time.
- Extend by seconds: how much time gets added when a late bid happens.
- Max extensions: how many times Studio can extend the item. Use 0 if you do not want a limit.
For example, if the bid window is 10 seconds and extend by is 10 seconds, a bid placed in the final 10 seconds can add 10 more seconds to the timer.
Step 3: Enable the Live Auction
You need at least one item in your queue before you can enable the auction.
Click Enable Live Auction when your queue and settings are ready. Once enabled, the auction is armed and ready for your stream.
Use Disable Auction if you need to turn the auction off before starting or while setting up.
Use Refresh if the page looks out of date or you want Studio to pull the latest auction state.
Streaming Info
Streaming Info is under the Enable Live Auction area.
Open it to see:
- RTMP URL
- Stream Key
Use the copy buttons to copy each value into your streaming software, such as OBS.
Important: enable the live auction before you start streaming. If you copy the stream details into OBS but the auction is not enabled yet, viewers may not be able to join the auction correctly.
After the auction is enabled and your stream details are in OBS, start streaming from OBS. Your preview should appear in Live Monitor once the stream connects.
Your Queue
Your Queue shows each item you have added.
You may see these statuses:
- Queued: ready and waiting.
- Live: currently being auctioned.
- Sold: the item ended with a winner.
- Unsold: the item ended without a winning bid.
- Removed: the item was removed from the queue.
If an item is still queued, you can remove it before it goes live.
If an item ends unsold, you can requeue it and try again.
Live Monitor
Live Monitor shows your stream preview and basic live activity.
At the top you can see:
- Viewer count
- Tip total
- Auction status
The status badge helps you understand what is happening:
- Offline means your stream is not connected.
- Ready means the stream is connected and the auction is ready.
- Selling means an item is actively being auctioned.
Active Item Controls
Active Item Controls is the main control panel during the auction.
It shows:
- The current item or the next item coming up.
- Current bid.
- Number of bids.
- Time remaining.
- Top bidder.
- Buy Now status.
The buttons below control the auction:
Start Item:
Starts bidding on the next queued item. This is available when your stream is live, the auction is enabled, and there is an item ready in the queue.
Next Item:
Moves to the next queued item when you are using manual control. This is most useful when auto-advance is turned off.
Stop Item:
Stops the current item before bids come in. Once an item has active bidding, this button may be disabled to protect bidders and avoid interrupting a sale in progress.
End Auction:
Ends the live auction. You will be asked to confirm before it stops the auction and ends bidding.
Live Chat
Live Chat is where you can talk to viewers while the auction is running.
Use the message box to send updates, answer questions, or remind viewers what item is currently being sold. Keep an eye on chat while bidding is active, especially if viewers are asking about sizing, condition, shipping, or Buy Now.
A Simple Run of Show
Here is the easiest way to run a live auction:
1. Open Live Auction Studio.
2. Add each item to your queue.
3. Check Settings and decide whether to use auto-advance.
4. Click Enable Live Auction.
5. Open Streaming Info and copy the RTMP URL and Stream Key into OBS.
6. Start streaming in OBS.
7. Wait for Live Monitor to show that you are live.
8. Click Start Item when you are ready to begin selling.
9. Watch the timer, bids, top bidder, Buy Now status, and chat.
10. Move through the queue with auto-advance or the manual controls.
11. Click End Auction when the sale is over.
Tips for a Better Auction
Have fun with your fans and if you are selling used clothing, model during the stream to get higher bids.
Add your items before you start streaming so you are not rushing on camera but there is no time limit while streaming, so enjoy yourself.
Use clear item names. Viewers should know what is being sold without needing a long explanation.
Set realistic starting bids. A lower starting bid can help get people bidding early.
Use Buy Now when you have a price you would be happy to accept immediately.
Mention shipping during the stream, especially if an item is domestic-only or if you are offering free shipping.
Give viewers a verbal countdown near the end of each item.
Keep chat open so you can answer quick questions before bidding ends.
If Something Does Not Look Right
If the queue, buttons, or status looks stale, click Refresh.
If Start Item is disabled, check that:
- The auction is enabled.
- Your stream is connected.
- At least one item is in the queue.
- The auction is not already running another item.
If Enable Live Auction is disabled, add at least one item to the queue first.
If shipping options are missing, check your Shipping Profile and make sure your ship-from details are complete.
If the stream preview does not appear, check that the RTMP URL and Stream Key were copied correctly into OBS, then make sure OBS is actively streaming.