Many auction and raffle sites run the same kind of listing again and again: a daily coin auction, a weekly cash draw, a penny auction that should always have something live. Creating each one by hand takes time, and a gap between listings is a day of no sales. The Autopilot add-on for BidKing, RaffKing and PrizeX creates new auctions and lotteries for you from templates, on a schedule you choose. This guide covers how templates work, the three schedules, draft approval, and what Autopilot doesn't do.
What Autopilot is
- An add-on: Autopilot isn't part of any edition. It adds an Autopilot section to the admin, with Templates, Created Listings and a Run log.
- It makes new listings. Each listing it creates is new, built from a template. It doesn't relist unsold items or copy an existing listing.
- It uses the normal create process. Listings are created the same way as from the admin's own Create forms, with the same checks.
- Who can use it: staff need Autopilot access plus permission for auctions or lotteries, whichever the template makes.
How a template works
A template describes the listings you want, with ranges where you'd like some variety. Each new listing picks a value inside each range.
Titles and pictures
- A title pattern with tokens:
{n}counts up for the template,{date}is the start date,{word}picks from a word list you write, and{rand}is a random 4-digit number. So "Daily Gold Coin #{n}" gives #1, #2, #3. - A description, where the same tokens work.
- Pictures: tick pictures in the template's library. Auctions use them in a random order, and each new draw uses one at random.
Auctions
- The auction type: English, penny, sealed, reverse, lowest unique or highest unique bid.
- An item value range, with the starting bid, maximum bid and reserve set as percentages of it.
- A bid fee range, a bid increment, and the time added per bid for penny auctions.
Lotteries
- The type (lottery or raffle), the number of tickets and the ticket length.
- A ticket price range. Set "from" and "to" to the same amount for a fixed price.
- Prize tiers, each paid in wallet coins or as an item.
- Winners are always drawn automatically. If you use Verified draws, every lottery Autopilot creates is a verified draw, committed when it's created.
Timing
- How long each listing runs: a range from 5 minutes to 60 days. Each listing gets a length in that range.
- When it starts: straight away, or up to 7 days later.
The template form shows sample titles and a plain summary of what Autopilot will do before you save.
The three schedules
- Keep N live. Autopilot tops up whenever fewer than N listings from the template are still running. Good for "always have three penny auctions open".
- Daily at a set time. Creates a set number once a day, after the time you choose, in your site's time zone. A day that's missed, for example because the server was down, isn't made up later.
- One after another. Starts the next listing as soon as the previous one ends. Good for a weekly draw that should always have a next one.
Autopilot runs on your site's scheduled jobs, so cron must be set up on your server. There's also a Run now button.
Drafts for approval
If you'd rather check each listing first, tick Create as drafts for me to approve. Drafts wait under Created Listings, hidden from customers, until you publish them. A draft whose end time passes before you approve it can't be published, so check drafts often or give listings a later start.
When something goes wrong
- One run at a time. If a run is still going when the next one starts, the new one does nothing.
- No duplicates. Each listing slot is claimed before it's created, so a retry never makes the same listing twice.
- Failures stop the template for that run. It tries again on the next run. The reason shows on the template and in the Run log.
- No email alerts. Problems appear in the admin, so check the Run log from time to time.
What Autopilot doesn't do
- It doesn't relist. To put an unsold auction back up, use the auction's own relist button.
- It doesn't carry prizes over. "One after another" just starts the next listing; nothing unwon moves to the next draw.
- It never moves a draw's end. Autopilot doesn't switch on auto-extend for the lotteries it creates, and once a listing exists Autopilot only publishes approved drafts. That fits the UK's code of practice for prize draw operators, which asks operators not to move a draw because of low sales.
Running automated draws responsibly
- A new draw every day is still a draw. Paid raffles and lotteries are regulated in many countries, and automation doesn't change that. The operator is responsible for licensing, so check with a local lawyer before you launch.
- Check the prize tiers before you switch a template on. Autopilot creates listings with the prizes you set, and every winning ticket is paid in full.
- Over-18s only. Raffle and lottery sites limit sign-up to 18 and over.
Common questions
Can Autopilot relist unsold auctions?
No. It creates new listings from templates. Use the auction's relist button to put an unsold lot back up.
How do I keep a draw running every week?
Make a lottery template with a run length of a week and the "One after another" schedule. Autopilot starts the next draw as soon as the previous one ends.
Can I check listings before they go live?
Yes. Turn on drafts, and each listing waits under Created Listings, hidden from customers, until you publish it.
Does Autopilot ever extend a draw?
No. It doesn't switch on auto-extend for the draws it creates and doesn't change a draw's end time.