Frequently Asked Questions > Silent Auction FAQ > How many items should we have in the silent auction?
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Obviously each event is different, but here are a few things to consider.
Silent Auction Keys:
- Avoid getting caught up in the circular auction reasoning that tells you "We need to raise $25,000 in the silent, so we need to have 500 items at ~$50 each to hit our goal." That's just not how it works.
- Too many items assures you will create a "buyer's market" that keeps your yields low.
- It's about traffic control. Get bidders in, place bids & get out of the way for the next guy.
- The average guest at your auction will maybe bid on about 5 different items in your silent. That means they are NOT interested in an overwhelming number of items on the tables that night.
- How many things are asking them to sort through to find those 5 things they love?
- Silent auctions take time to develop. It's a slow process, don't panic if bidding activity is slow during the first 1/2 of the auction.
- Bidders traditionally wait until the last few minutes to get serious about their bids. Regardless of when you close your tables.
- If you are adding a silent auction to Golf Outing or Food Tasting Event, where many folks will be foucsed on other "things"...You need to really cut back your silent numbers.
- Assuming you are having a plated dinner, close your silent before you sit down. Period.
- There is no magic number of "sections" for an auction. But I seldom see a good reason to have more than 4.
- A good rule of thumb is 4:1 ratio of Guests to Silent Items.
Last updated on February 29, 2012 by Jim Miller
