What Are Ghost State Items?
Ghost state items act as a pre-Draft step in the item creation process. They’re particularly useful when uploading in bulk using CSV files, especially if you don’t yet have all the details for every item.
Instead of rejecting the entire upload due to errors or missing information, the system will accept the items as Ghosts, allowing you to review and correct any issues later on.
Why Use Ghost Items?
Error-tolerant uploads – Items won’t be rejected if incomplete or incorrectly formatted.
Flexibility – You can fill in missing information later.
Easy cleanup – Ghost items can be deleted before converting.
Editable item type – You can only change the item type (Lot, Listing or Webcast) while it is still in Ghost status.
Example: Upload items before deciding on categories, then assign the categories later and convert the items.
Creating Ghost State Items
Ghost items are created when uploading items individually or via CSV, but choosing not to convert them straight away.
They will remain in Ghost state until you're ready to convert.
Retrieving Ghost State Items
There are two ways to retrieve Ghost items:
Option 1: Via Create New Items
Log into the admin area.
Go to Auctions & Items > Create New Items.
Click the Edit Items tab next to New Items.
You’ll see a list of auctions containing Ghost items. Click the auction title to view them.
Option 2: Via View Auctions
Go to Auctions & Items > View Auctions.
Select the auction from the list.
Click + New Items at the top menu.
Any Ghost items for that auction will be displayed.
Converting Ghost Items
Tick the checkbox next to the item(s) you want to convert.
Or use the top checkbox to select all.
Click the Convert button.
Once converted, items will change to Preview status, and their type can no longer be edited.
⚠️ Please note:
A red marker on the left of an item indicates an invalid or incomplete field.
If that's the case, scroll to the right of the row to find a red attention symbol, which highlights the field that needs fixing (e.g. invalid category, missing purchase option, past end date, etc).
Deleting Ghost Items
Tick the checkbox next to the item(s) to delete.
Click Delete in the top right.
Confirm by clicking Delete Items in the pop-up window.
Important Notes
Item type (Lot, Listing or Webcast) is only editable in Ghost state.
Staggered end times in timed auctions will apply to Ghost items automatically.
Once converted, Ghost items change to Preview status.
Orphaned Ghost Items (for System Admins Only)
If an auction is reconciled while it still has Ghost items, these items become orphaned. They can no longer be edited or converted, but can still be deleted.