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🧾 How to Prevent Duplicate Bidders in ClickBid 

Duplicate bidder profiles can happen when a guest self-registers to bid and also purchases a ticket, creating two separate records for the same person. This article covers how to prevent duplicates before they happen and how to clean them up if they already exist.

❓ Why Do Duplicates Happen?

When a guest both purchases a ticket and self-registers as a bidder, ClickBid creates two separate profiles. You may notice the same name appearing twice in your bidder list, with one record missing contact information. ClickBid removes the email or phone from the second profile automatically to prevent messaging conflicts.

🛡️  Three Ways to Prevent Duplicates 

Here are your best options to prevent duplicates before they happen:

✅ 1. Option 1: Create a Ticket Type for Non-Attendees

If you need guests to participate remotely without attending in person, create a separate ticket type for them.

  1. Go to Event Tickets and create a new ticket type labeled for non-attendees or virtual guests.
  2. Use a discount code to set the price to $0 if needed.

💡This keeps in-person attendees and remote bidders clearly separated and reduces confusion about which registration path to take. 

Screenshot 2025-07-23 104923

📝  Option 2: Add Clear Instructions on Your Landing Page 

Help guests understand they only need to register once by adding messaging directly to your landing page.

  1. Go to Software Settings > Landing Page Builder.
  2. Add an Action Bar button or a Free-form content block with instructions.
  3. Let guests know that if they purchased a ticket, they do not need to register again separately.

ℹ️ If you are using an Action Bar button for ticket purchases, update the button title to something like "Buy Tickets / Register" so guests understand that step covers their registration. 

 

💬  Option 3: Send a Mass Message After Converting Guests to Bidders 

After you convert guests to bidders, send them their login link so they never feel the need to self-register.

  1. Go to Bidders > Text Bidders or Bidders > Email Bidders.
  2. Compose a message that includes their personal bidding link using the [u] shortcode.
  3. Send to all bidders or filter by Ticketed Guests.

💡Sending a personalized link with [u] logs guests directly into the bidding site without needing to create an account. This one step eliminates most duplicate registration attempts. 

🧹 How to Fix Duplicate Bidders (If It's Already Happened)

If duplicates already exist, follow these steps to clean up your bidder list.

🔄  How to Convert Ticket Holders to Bidders 

  1. Go to Event Tickets > Manage Guests.
  2. Set the Show to 100 
  3. Check the box next to "Purch. First", this will select all 100 guests at one time. 
  4. Scroll down to the Batch Update section.
  5. Check the box next to Make Bidder.
  6. Type Make Bidder in the confirmation field and click Update.
  7. Repeat for remaining guests as needed.

    ⚠️ This process handles up to 100 guests at a time. If you have more than 100 guests, repeat these steps for each page until all guests have been converted. 

    🧹 How to Fix Duplicate Bidders 

    If duplicates already exist in your bidder list, here is how to resolve them.

    🔍 Step 1: Identify the Duplicates
    1. Go to Bidders > Manage Bidders.
    2. Look for the same name appearing more than once.
    3. Check which record is incomplete, duplicates often have a missing email or phone number.
    🧩 Step 2: Merge Duplicate Profiles
    1. Go to Bidders > Manage Bidders.
    2. Check the boxes next to both duplicate profiles.
    3. Click the Merge button that appears.
    4. A dialog will open showing fields from both records, first name, last name, bidder number, table name, emails, phone numbers, credit cards, and address.
    5. Review each field and select or confirm the information you want to keep.
    6. Click Confirm Merge.

    ⚠️ Merging bidders cannot be undone. Review all fields carefully before confirming. If a bidder has guests assigned to multiple tables, their table assignments will not update automatically, you will need to update those manually in Manage Guests after the merge. 

     

    💡 Merging preserves key details from both records including contact information, credit card on file, table assignment, and bidder history. When in doubt, merge rather than delete. 

    🗑️ Step 3: Or Delete the duplicate all together

    If one record is clearly incomplete and has no useful information attached to it (no credit card, no bids, no meal choice), you can simply delete the record.

    1. Check the box next to the incomplete record.
    2. Scroll to Batch Update.
    3. Check the Delete box, type Delete to confirm, and click Update.

    🚨If both records have important information, such as a credit card on file, a meal choice, table assignment, or bids, merge them instead.

    ⚠️ Warning: Once you delete a bidder, it cannot be undone. Double-check before proceeding!

    ✅ Best Practices

    • Convert ticket holders to bidders as early as possible, ideally a few days before the event, so guests receive their login link before they try to self-register.
    • Send the personalized [u] link in a pre-event text or email so guests never need to create a new account.
    • Check your bidder list for duplicates before the event opens to avoid confusion at check-in.
    • If you see a "This information is already being used for a bidder" message when editing a record, that is a signal a duplicate may exist.