Store-wide rules live under WooCommerce → Auctions → Settings. The defaults work out of the box, so you only need to change what you want different. Settings that apply to a single auction (prices, dates, reserve) are on the product’s Auction tab.
Catalog
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Auctions page | The page that lists your auctions — the one holding the [bafw_auctions] shortcode. |
| Finished auctions | Show closed auctions in the shop and category pages. When off, auctions disappear from the catalog once they close (they stay reachable by their URL, so winners can still pay). |
| Scheduled auctions | Show auctions that haven’t started yet, so shoppers can preview and watch them before bidding opens. |
| Shop page | Keep auctions off the main shop page so they aren’t mixed with regular products. They stay on their own page, on category pages, and in shortcodes. |
Bidding
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Maximum bid amount | The highest amount a single bid may be. Leave empty for no limit. Useful to catch mistyped bids. |
| Buy It Now | Keep Buy It Now available after bidding has started. When off, the option disappears with the first bid. |
| Raising your own bid | Allow the current highest bidder to bid against themselves. When off, a bidder who is already winning is told there’s no need to bid again. |
| Bidder privacy | Mask bidder names in the public bid history — first and last character only, e.g. B*******e. |
| Watchlist | Let customers save auctions to a watchlist under My Account. |
Display
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Countdown in product lists | Show the countdown timer on shop and category pages, not just on the product page. |
| Live bid updates | Refresh the current bid without reloading the page. Pauses automatically in background tabs. |
| Update interval | How often the browser checks for a new bid, in seconds (minimum 5). Longer intervals mean less server load. |
Advanced
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Remove data on uninstall | Delete all auction data — bid history, settings, and auction product data — when the plugin is deleted. Off by default. Can’t be undone. |
Deactivating the plugin never deletes data; only deleting it with this option enabled does.
Pro Settings
With Bidra Auctions Pro active, a Pro Settings tab appears next to Settings with sections for Bidding, Bidder rules, Automation, and Notifications, and a Reports tab is added too. Every Pro option is documented on the Pro Features page.
Auction emails
Auction emails use the native WooCommerce email system, so they inherit your store’s email branding. Manage them with your other store emails under WooCommerce → Settings → Emails, where each one can be enabled or disabled and have its subject, heading, and recipients edited.
| Sent to | When | |
|---|---|---|
| New bid | Admin | A bid is placed. |
| Outbid | Previous highest bidder | Someone outbids them. |
| Auction won | Winner | The auction closes with a winner — includes a payment link. |
| Auction finished | Admin | An auction closes with a winner. |
| Auction failed | Admin | An auction closes unsold — no bids, or reserve not met. |
Each email has HTML and plain-text templates you can override from your theme (yourtheme/woocommerce/emails/bafw-*.php — see Template overrides).
Pro emails
Pro adds four more, managed in the same place: Closing soon, Payment reminder, Reserve not met (to the highest bidder), and Relisted — see Pro Features → Extra emails.
Emails not arriving?
Auction emails go out through WordPress’s mailer like your order emails. If order emails work but auction emails don’t, check the email is enabled in WooCommerce → Settings → Emails. If no store emails arrive at all, install an SMTP plugin — most hosts’ default mail delivery is unreliable.