The Auction Window is the main interface to Auction Aux. From this window, you can easily add, edit, track, or set bids for your auctions.

Sleep Mode

When the Auction Window is closed, an icon will be visible in the system tray. When in this state, Auction Aux is said to be in "sleep mode". While "sleeping", Auction Aux continues to quietly watch & submit bids. If you close Auction Aux completely, the system try icon will disappear and any pending bids cannot be submitted until the program is opened again.

Adding an Auction

Users usually prefer to add auctions through the Internet Explorer plugin, but it is possible to add auctions through the Auction Window as well. Simply click the "Add New Auction" button and an empty Auction Editor appears.

The best way to proceed is to enter the auction item number and press the download button next to the item field. Auction Aux will then download the information and fill out the rest of the form for you. You may edit the details before accepting the auction.

Remember, only the Item number is required to add a new auction, so you don't have to fill out every possible detail manually. Added auctions can always be automatically updated later.

Another helpful way to add a new auction is to drag a link from internet explorer into the Auction Window. Auction Aux will open the auction editor, prefill the Auction number, and even download the details for you.

Updating an Auction

Auction Aux can download your auction details and update the values in the Auction Window for you. To update specific auctions, select the auctions in your window and press the "Update Auction(s)" button.

To update all of the auctions, you only need to press the "Update All Auctions" button. Despite its name, this process does not update every auction in your list... it selectively skips any auctions that have already been updated after the auction has closed. It makes little sense to anticipate changes after an auction has ended, so Auction Aux does not bother with these items.

Editing an Auction

Once you have added an auction, you may change details or create a bid for the auction. To do this, select the auction and open the Auction Editor by pressing the "Edit Auction" button.

Creating a Bid

From the Auction Editor, you may view, add, or edit your bid for this item by pressing the Bid Details button near the bottom of the window. This will open the Bid Editor.

The Bid Editor shows the details of any previous or existing bids for this auction, as setup in Auction Aux. There are several bidding "states" any auction may be in, each of which determine how the auction is managed. To create an automated bid, you should select the "Bidding" state and set your maximum bid and the seconds prior to auction end you want your bid to be sent.

Once a bid is created, you can easily change or cancel your bid by changing the auction bid state. You may even send your bid right away from the "Send Bid" button in the auction window.

Category Settings

You can Add, edit, or remove categories by right-clicking a category and selecting the appropriate menu item.

If you enable the option to "limit items won", Auction Aux will cancel the auctions in this category once it wins the selcted number of auctions. For instance, if you have a particular category filled with the same type of item, you may configure the category to set a "maximum items won" value of 1. As soon as Auction Aux wins an item in this category, it will cancel all of the other bids.

Please note, this "maximum item" value is only checked when Auction Aux submits your bids for you. If you manually set its bid-status to "Successful", no bids will be canceled.

Clock Synchronizing

Auction Aux keeps track of eBay's time internally by recording the variance between your system's clock and eBay's official time. Any time you change your own clock's settings, it is highly recommended you resync Auction Aux.

Synchornizing the clock is simple. Just open the Clock Window (View Time Details button) and press the "Synchronize Clock" button.

Unless you have a wandering system clock, you should not need to synchronize your clock often. Once a day should be fine for most people, and for many even that is excessive. A configuration option also allows you to synchronize the clock when a bid is almost ready to be sent.

Color Modes

Auction Aux may be in several bidding modes, depending on the status of the auctions it contains. This status is reflected in the Auction Window and in the System tray Icon.

Green Mode - No bids are being watched, but Auction Aux is ready to accept new bids,

Yellow Mode - At least one auction has a bid set and Auction Aux is monitoring these auctions.

Red Mode - At least one auction has a bid set and is within a pre-configured completion time. By default, this means a bid is scheduled to be sent within the next 5 minutes.

Paused - The grey light means Auction Aux is ignoring all auctions and all bids. You may enable / disable this state by selecting the menu item from the Auction Window.

Settings

General Settings

eBay Username & Password - The username and password assigned to you on eBay. You may verify your account information by pressing the button below these fields.

Clock Update Alerts - This setting does not automatically update the eBay Clock. It simply opens the clock window, to remind you when updates are needed.

Program Updating - This setting automatically checks for new updates.

Display Settings

Refresh Timeleft Column - The auction window periodically refreshes the time left column, based on this setting. This is only a display property and in no way affects the bidding process, which uses a far more precise updating method.

Hot Auctions - When an auction has enough bids to be considered "hot", an icon is added in the Auction Window.

Local Time Zone - Auction times are stored according to eBay's headquarters in California. If you live in a different timezone, you may use this setting to adjust the display column for local End Time.

Options

Max Simultaneous Updates - Sets the limit of auctions that can be updated at the same time. This is only referenced when updating auctions, and in no way blocks bid submissions.

Red Mode

"Red Mode" is a bidding state Auction Aux enters when a bid is about to be sent.

Synchronize Clock on Red Mode - When Auction Aux enters Red Mode, it may automatically synchronize the eBay clock. An accurate clock is essential in the bidding process.

Connect During Red Mode - Only enable this option if you are using a dialup connection. While Auction Aux is in Red mode, it will periodically check the internet (based on a setting below) and attempt to connect if no net connection is detected. You must select a Dialup Account to use this option.

Internet Explorer Plugin

The IE Plugin provides a convenient view to your Auction Aux auctions from Internet Explorer.

To open the IE plugin, open Internet Explorer. You will see a new Auction Aux button along the top of your browser, in the Explorer Bar. You can also view the plugin by selecting the menu item (from within Internet Explorer), View -> Explorer Bar -> Auction Aux.

If Auction Aux is not running, it will be loaded anytime you try to open the Auction Aux IE Plugin. Because of this dependency, you will probably notice Auction Aux cannot be closed when the plugin window is open.

Adding an Auction

Adding auctions may be a little easier from the IE plugin. While you are viewing an eBay auction from within Internet Explorer, you will be able to press the "Add Auction" button to quickly add the auction to the currently seelcted category.

Like the Auction Window, you can also drag links from Internet Explorer into the plugin window. This makes it easy to add an auction while searching eBay, without actually first viewing the auction.

The Bidding Process

Sometimes, it can be helpful to know the exact process Auction Aux follows when submitting bids. A successful user will want to be familiar with every detail of the program they are using, so they can maximize their wins.

When you first create a bid, Auction Aux initiates Yellow Mode. During Yellow mode, the program periodically looks at the auctions in your categories, noting if any are ending any time soon.

When an auction with a bid setup nears completion and enters the time configured, Red Mode is initiated. You may change when Red Mode specifically occurs, but by default this begins 5 minutes before a bid is scheduled to be sent (an auction with a 10-second bid will engage Red Mode 5 minutes and 10 seconds before the auction ends). During Red Mode, the internet is monitored and the clock is synchronized. If you have a dialup connection and are not connected, Auction Aux will attempt to connect you.

As Red Mode continues, the next important point of notice is 30 seconds before the bid is scheduled to be executed. This is when Auction Aux begins to send your bid. Although your bid will not be confirmed until the time you specify, there are several steps to the bidding process and Auction Aux works to complete each of these steps first. If your bid is too low or otherwise rejected by eBay, you may notice it fails before your scheduled bid time... this is normal. Only successful bids will be executed at the scheduled time.

If the bid makes it to this point, Auction Aux will hold the confirmation as it carefully watches the auction reach the official bid time. At the very second specified, the confirmation is sent and the bid is recorded by eBay. The success of the bid is checked, and the response from eBay is saved for your records.

If you are bidding on an international auction, please note all bids can only be sent in the currency of the auction. If the auction is Canadian, for example, the bid will be sent in Canadian dollars.

Creating & Sending a Test Bid

If you'd like to get started with Auction Aux, you may want to create a test auction to see how to setup a bid and to watch the program submit your bid.

First, synchronize your clock. If you've just opened the program for the first time, there's a good chance Auction Aux is not yet synchronized, which is essential for proper operation. Open the Clock Window and click the Synchronize button. You should receive a confirmation message indicating the clock was synchronized.

The next thing you should do is find an auction to test with. I recommend searching eBay for an item you know reasonably well, with a temporarily low price, that will almost certainly go higher. A good way to do this is to use eBay's advanced search feature to look for auctions just listed, that do not have a reserve price or any bids yet.

When you have found the auction you would like to test with, it's time to prepare a bid. We are going to bid on this auction right away, so we have a fair chance of executing a successful bid before anyone else bids on the item. We expect to be outbid later as the auction progresses, but since this is just a test auction, it will not matter.

To create the bid, right-click the auction in the Auction Window or the IE plugin and select the menu item "Create Bid for Auction". From the Bid Editor, enter a low maximum bid (probably $1) , set the Snipe Seconds to 10, and make sure the Bid State is set to Bidding. If we just leave Auction Aux alone at this point, it will wait until the auction is almost complete and will attempt to send our low bid at the auction's end, adjusting itself so the bid is confirmed and executed 10 seconds before the auction ends.

Within a few seconds, you will notice Auction Aux enter Yellow Mode.

Since this is a test, we would like to "trick" Auction Aux into thinking the auction is almost complete now, and the bid should be sent within the next 5 minutes. To do this, we just need to tell Auction Aux the auction is ending in 5 minutes. Right-click the auction and select the menu item "Edit Selected Auction". In the Auction Editor, click the calendar icon next to the End Time field. From the calendar, change the Auction's End Time to 5 minutes in the future (remember, this must be in eBay's Headquarters time zone -PDT or PST, depending on the time of year). If you need help knowing eBay's exact time, open the Auction Aux Clock window as a reference. Save the auction.

Within a few seconds, you will notice Auction Aux enter Red Mode.

At this point, you may as well sit back and watch Auction Aux work. It will continue to watch the auction and your system (possibly even resynching the clock) as the time left ticks down. When the snipe time is within half a minute of the current time, Auction Aux will begin to send your bid. It will then hold the confirmation until 10 seconds before the auction ends, finally confirming the bid at the last possible moment (10 seconds was the time we configured for this auction).

Analyzing a Completed Bid

Although less important for the auctions you win, you will certainly want to know how to view the details of bids that fail. This section will explain how do this.

When a bid is submitted, the state of the auction will be changed to either "Success" or "Failed". To view the details of the submitted bid, right click the auction and select the menu item "Edit / View Bid Details". From the Bid Editor, you can review the system response generated by Auction Aux, as it guesses what caused the failure or success.

To view the bid response from eBay, click the button "View Web Output". If Auction Aux isn't able to tell you why the bid failed, this response can usually give you a better idea.

Dialup Connections

If you connect to the internet through a modem, you may want to configure Auction Aux so i can connect to the internet while you are away, before sending bids.

To use this feature, you need to first open the configurations and enable the option "Connect to Internet in Red Mode".

You next need to create and select a DUN (Dialup Network) connection if you do not already have one. Most ISPs require you to have a DUN already setup, which you can select from the list given in the configurations menu. If you are using AOL or MSN, you may not have a DUN setting, but you can still configure your ISP to connect to the internet automatically when programs attempt to use the internet.

If you have a DUN connection, you must also set your internet connection to "Connect Automatically" (refer to the image above).

After configuring up your dialup settings, you should create a couple test bids and disconnect your internet to make sure Auction Aux is properly configured to connect during Red Mode.

Recommended Options and Settings

These are the settings I recommed while using the program.

Dedicated Connection - Auction Aux works with dialup connections, but there are so many more things that can go wrong when you use them. If you are using a dialup connection, be sure to create a test bid and disconnect your internet, to confirm Auction Aux has no problem connecting to your ISP.

A cable or DSL connection is not only far faster and more precise, but it can be left on continuously.

Snipe Times - While you may be tempted to set bids to be placed 1 or 2 seconds before the end of an auction, this is needlessly risky and offers little benefit. Sniping (holding a bid until the last moment) is only useful when used against casual bidders who are not sniping, but simply readjust previous bids based upon your own bid. Such a person is no more likely to be able to respond to a 10-second bid than a 2 second bid.

There is certainly a huge risk in missing a bid set for 1-2 seconds. Inconsistencies could be caused if your clock wanders just a little since the last synchronization, eBay's clock can be slightly off from the international standard, the internet connection could be momentarily slow, or even your computer could be running slow. Any of these delays could cause the bid to reach eBay a second too late, causing your bid to fail.

Synchronizing the Clock - You should synchronize the Auction Aux clock at least once a week. Most users - particularly those with dedicated connections - should enable the feature of synchronizing the clock during Red Mode.

Red Mode - Red Mode should be set so it leaves enough time to connect to the internet, synchronize the clock, and prepare your bid. By default, Red Mode starts 5 minutes before a bid is to be placed. If you use a dialup connection, you may want this to be a little longer, if it takes several minutes to connect. If you have a dedicated connection, you probably do not need Red Mode to be this long.