This article describes the process for renumbering the lots within a catalog by creating and uploading a .CSV (Comma-separated values) file.
For information on re-sequencing lots, see Edit Lot Sequencing. For information on moving lots to another auction, see Move/Copy Lots to Another Auction. For information on changing lot details in bulk, see Lot Bulk Actions.
This article contains the following sections:
Considerations
Bulk Lot Number Changes should, ideally, be only done once per catalog when exporting out to online bidding platforms. If a bulk lot number change is done more than once and is exported to Proxibid, the auction house may run the risk of losing an pre-bids that are already in Proxibid.
Preparing a Spreadsheet
Before the lot numbers can be changed, create a spreadsheet containing only two columns: Original Lot Number and New Lot Number. The Original Lot Number must come first and the New Lot Number column must be second. There should be as many rows in the spreadsheet as there are lots currently in the catalog. In the example below, lots 1 through 5 are being re-numbered to become lots 101 through 105:
All lots be entered into the .CSV file, otherwise the re-numbering might lead to unexpected results. Before proceeding, create a Universal export of the auction as a backup of the catalog’s current state.
Once the file is prepared, it must be saved as a .CSV (comma-separated values) file type. See below for a sample spreadsheet.
Important: Wavebid will generate an error if the same lot number is on the spreadsheet twice. If any of the New Lot Numbers are the same as any of the Original Lot Numbers, then all of the lot numbers should be changed to a third series of unused lot numbers first, before changing them to the actual New Lot Numbers. See the Troubleshooting section below for more information.
Uploading the Spreadsheet
- Navigate to the appropriate auction on the Dashboard and select Catalogs > Sequence Lots.
- Click on the Bulk Lot Number Change button in the top right corner of the page.
- A pop-up window will open. Click the Choose File button to upload the .CSV file.
- Type CONFIRM in all uppercase letters to have Wavebid proceed with the change.
- Confirm that no one else is working within the auction to prevent any issues, as Wavebid will lock the auction down while the change is taking place.
- Click the Yes, I’m Sure button.
- The contents of the file will then be written into the Wavebid database. The page will refresh and should reflect the new sequencing.
After the lot number is changed, the lot will have an Inventory Number field visible in Lot builder. This field will contain the last lot number assigned to the lot, unless inventory numbers were imported with a catalog. If inventory numbers were imported with a catalog, those inventory numbers will remain in the Inventory Number field regardless of whether the lot is moved.
If the current lot number and inventory number are the same, the Inventory Number field will not be visible.
Troubleshooting
- Cause: A lot number is specified in the Original Lot Number column that does not currently exist within the catalog. As the lot doesn’t exist, Wavebid is unable to re-number it.
- Solution: Only specify lot numbers that exist in the catalog. Confirm that the Original Lot Number and New Lot Number columns are labeled correctly (this error will occur if they are backwards). Also, the Original Lot Number column must come before the New Lot Number column. If neither of these is the case, remove the row from the .CSV file, or create the lot in Lot Builder.
- Cause: The target lot number in the New Lot Number column already exists elsewhere in the catalog.
- Solution: If any of the New Lot Numbers are the same as any of the Original Lot Numbers, then all of the lot numbers should be changed to a third series of unused lot numbers first, before changing them to the actual New Lot Numbers. This means that, to correct this issue, two Bulk Lot Number Changes will need to be completed- one changing the lots to a series of unused lot numbers, and a second changing the lots to the desired new lot numbers. For example, lots 1-50 need to be renumbered, but lots 51-100 need to stay the same. Since the lot numbers cannot be the same in both the Original Lot Number and New Lot Number columns, lots 51-100 cannot appear as 51-100 in both columns. To resolve this issue, the spreadsheet will need to have lots 1-100 in the Original Lot Number column with unused lot numbers such as 5001-5100 in the New Lot Number column. Once those lot numbers have been changed, a second spreadsheet can be created with lots 5001-5100 in the Original Lot Number column and the correct lot numbers in the New Lot Number column.
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