Baskets And Packages
Learn how to bundle multiple items together to sell as a single basket or package in your auction.
Many auctions bundle multiple items together to sell as a single lot, or offer packages of For Sale Items at a bundled price.
Baskets vs. Packages
The terms Basket and Package both refer to a group of items being sold together — whether or not it's literally packaged as a basket. Here's the distinction:
- A Basket is a collection sold as a Live, Paper, or Online bidding item, subject to the normal bidding process for that item type.
- A Package is typically a collection of For Sale Items sold together, often at a discount. It can also include Donation Items bundled with For Sale Items — for example, a corporate donation that includes a number of event tickets.
Item Types Used in Baskets and Packages
Three item types are used when working with Baskets and Packages:
| Item Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Partial Lot Item | Individual items included in a basket. Partial items are not sold separately, but can have their own donor information and value tracked individually. See Partial Items. |
| Basket Lot Item | The item that represents the basket being sold. This is a biddable or For Sale type item with the Is basket lot/package? option enabled. See Biddable Items and For Sale Items. |
| For Sale Item | Standard For Sale items can also be included in any basket or package alongside a specified quantity. See For Sale Items. |
The value of a basket item can be calculated automatically from the Partial Lot and For Sale items it contains, or you can set it manually. See Basket Value for more information.
Examples
Basket of Donated Items
If you have three specialty coffee products donated separately but being sold together in a paper auction, you would create four items:
- Three Partial Lot items — one for each coffee product, each with its own donor and value information.
- One Paper Bidding item with Is basket lot/package? enabled to represent the item being sold. Donor and value information can be left blank on the basket item. A bid sheet will only be generated for this item.
Bundled For Sale Items
If you're selling multiple quantities of the same For Sale item at a bundled price — for example, a pack of four event programs for $15 when individual programs sell for $5 each — you would create two items:
- A For Sale item for the individual item with its single-item value.
- A For Sale item for the bundle, marked as a basket, with the individual item added to its contents at the appropriate quantity and the bundle price set as its value.
When reviewing the Activity tab for the individual item, you'll see both direct sales and indirect sales through the bundle, giving you a complete picture of total sales across both options.
Working With Baskets and Packages
| Page | Description |
|---|---|
| Build Baskets | Automatically assign Partial items to Basket items based on matching item number patterns. |
| Set Basket Descriptions | Generate descriptions for your Basket items automatically using a customizable template. |
| Basket Value | Learn how basket values are calculated and how to override the calculated total. |
| Baskets and Forms | Use Liquid template placeholders to customize how basket information appears on forms. |
| Combine For Sale Items | Add For Sale items to a basket to sell them together as a package. |
| Combine Partial Lot Items | Create a Basket item and combine Partial items into it as a lot or package. |
Last reviewed: April 2026