You finish counting the bid sheets and two winning bids don’t add up. One table jumped by $5, another by $7, and a volunteer says someone “just rounded it.” Nobody can point to a rule that explains the number. The problem usually isn’t dishonesty — it’s that no one approved a single bid-increment table before the doors opened, so each table improvised.
This article shows how to set one approved increment table, print it where bidders and volunteers can see it, and treat anything off the table as a logged exception.
Why Increments Drift Table to Table
Paper auctions run on volunteers who want to be helpful. When a bidder asks “can I just add $3?” a volunteer who has no printed rule will often say yes to keep things friendly. Multiply that across a dozen tables and you get winning bids that can’t be reconstructed afterward. The fix is to decide the increments in advance and make the decision visible, not to rely on memory.
Step 1: Approve One Increment Table by Price Range
Before the event, the organizer and finance lead agree on a short table that ties the increment to the current bid. Keep it simple enough to memorize and print. A fictional example:
| Current bid | Increment |
|---|---|
| $25–$49 | $5 |
| $50–$99 | $10 |
| $100 and up | $25 |
Record the approval — date, who agreed, and the exact table — so the finance handoff can point to it later. This is the same discipline you’d apply to any field on the sheet; the bid sheet fields guide covers what else belongs on each sheet.
Step 2: Print It on Every Bid Sheet and Table Sign
Put the increment table on each bid sheet and on a table card. Bidders then see the rule themselves, which removes most of the pressure on volunteers. Use identical wording everywhere so no table looks like it has a special deal.
Step 3: Treat Off-Table Increments as Exceptions
If a bid lands at an increment that isn’t on the table — say a $7 jump in the $25–$49 band — don’t silently accept it. Mark the sheet “off-table,” note the amount and the volunteer’s name, and route it to the auction lead. The lead decides whether to correct the bid or record it as an approved exception. Either way, the decision is written down.
No exception should be invisible. A short exception log next to the finance folder keeps the story straight when you reconcile totals.
Verify Before You Close the Auction
Walk the tables and confirm every sheet shows the same approved increment table. Check that any off-table bid has a matching log entry. If a sheet is missing the table or an exception has no note, fix it before the finance handoff, not after.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Letting each table captain choose increments “to keep it moving.”
- Changing the table mid-event without recording who approved it and why.
- Accepting a verbal “round it up” with no written note.
- Printing the table on signs but not on the bid sheets themselves.
One approved table, printed everywhere and enforced with a simple exception log, turns a confusing winning bid into a number you can explain line by line.
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