Create a Listing

Overview

Creating a listing is a two-step process: fill in the listing details on the Setup page, then review everything on the Preview page before going live. The setup form is divided into six sections — Listing Basics, Content & Media, Pricing, Delivery & Returns, Payment, and Publishing — each accessible via the left-hand navigation tabs.

You can create auctions, products (fixed price), or classified listings depending on how the administrator has configured the site.

Getting Started

To create a listing, open the sidebar menu and navigate to Selling → Listings → Create Listing:

PHP Pro Bid — Members Area sidebar showing Selling section with Create Listing link

This opens the Create Listing page with a progress bar showing the two steps — Setup and Preview.

Listing Basics

The first section collects the essential details for your listing:

List In — choose where to list your item: on the main site or in a specific store
Listing Type — select the type of listing: Auction, Product, or Classified
Main Category — select the category where your item will appear. Click through the category tree to find the right subcategory
Additional Category — optionally list your item in a second category for extra visibility
Enter Some Text — a captcha-style verification field to confirm you are not a bot

Content & Media

Add the details that buyers will see on the listing page:

PHP Pro Bid — Content and Media section showing Item Title, Short Description, Description editor, Images upload, Media upload, and Digital Downloads

Item Title — the main title shown in search results and on the listing page
Short Description — a brief summary shown in listing cards and search results
Description — the full listing description with a rich text editor. You can format text, add lists, insert links, and more
Images — upload photos of your item. Click Select Images or drag and drop files. The first image becomes the main listing photo. You can reorder images by dragging
Media — upload videos or embed video URLs (e.g. YouTube). Click Select Media to upload files or enter an embed code
Digital Downloads — if your listing includes downloadable files (e.g. software, documents), upload them here using Select Files

Pricing

Set the price and payment options for your listing:

Currency — the currency for your listing price
Quantity — the number of items available (product listings only)
Buy Out Price — the fixed purchase price (for product listings) or the instant-buy price (for auctions with Buy Out enabled)
Accept Offers — check this to allow buyers to make offers. You can set a Minimum Offer Range and Maximum Offer Range to control acceptable offer amounts
Apply Tax — check this to apply tax to the listing. Select a Tax Type from the configured tax rates (e.g. VAT, state-specific rates)

For auction listings, this section shows Start Price, Reserve Price, and Bid Increment fields instead of Quantity and Buy Out Price. See Create an Auction for auction-specific pricing details.

Delivery & Returns

Configure how the item will be shipped and whether returns are accepted:

PHP Pro Bid — Delivery and Returns section showing Location fields, Shipping options with Pick-ups, Postage, Insurance, Shipping Instructions, and Returns policy

Location — where the item is located: Country, State/County, and Address/Post Code
Pick-ups — select whether you offer local pick-up as a delivery option
Postage — enter the shipping cost and carrier (e.g. UPS, Royal Mail). Click Add to offer multiple shipping options
Insurance — optional shipping insurance amount
Shipping Instructions — any additional shipping notes for the buyer
Accept Returns — check this to accept returns, then enter your Return Policy Details

Payment

Choose which payment methods buyers can use to pay for this listing:

Direct Payment — online payment gateways like Stripe. These process payments automatically. You must have your gateway credentials configured in your account settings
Offline Payment — manual payment methods such as bank transfer, money order, COD, etc. Payment is handled outside the platform between buyer and seller

Publishing

Control when your listing goes live and add optional upgrades:

Start Time — choose Now to list immediately, or Custom to schedule a future start date and time
End Time — select Duration and choose from the available durations (e.g. 3, 5, 7, 12 days), or select Custom to set a specific end date and time
Feature Your Listing — paid upgrades to increase your listing's visibility:
- Feature on home page — your listing appears in the featured section on the homepage
- Feature on category page — your listing is highlighted within its category
- Highlight listing — your listing gets a visual highlight in search results and browse pages
Auto Relist — automatically relist the item when it expires:
- Enable Auto Relist — turn on automatic relisting
- Relist Until Sold — keep relisting until the item sells
- Number of Relists — set a maximum number of times to relist (up to 365)
- Auto Relist if Sold — relist the item even after it has been sold

Preview & Fees

After completing all sections, the preview page shows exactly how your listing will appear to buyers, along with a breakdown of the Listing Setup Fees:

PHP Pro Bid — Listing preview showing the item as buyers will see it, plus a Listing Setup Fees table with individual fees and total

The fees table shows the cost for each feature you selected (listing setup, home page featuring, category page featuring, highlighting, media, make offer). Review your listing and fees, then:

Previous Step — go back to edit your listing
Save as Draft — save without publishing (you can return later)
List Now — publish the listing and proceed to pay the setup fees

Fee Payment

If listing fees apply, you are taken to a payment page to pay the setup fees before the listing goes live:

PHP Pro Bid — Listing Setup Fees payment page showing payment method options (PayPal, Payment Simulator, Stripe) and the fee amount

Select a payment method and complete the payment. The amount shown is the total of all listing setup fees.

Confirmation

Once payment is confirmed, you see a confirmation page with the listing details and management options:

From here you can:

Edit — modify the listing details
List Similar — create a new listing using this one as a template
Close — end the listing early
Delete — remove the listing entirely
Go To Members Area — return to your dashboard

Your listing is now live and visible to buyers:

PHP Pro Bid — Live product listing page showing the item with price, Add to Cart button, Make Offer, shipping details, and countdown timer

Admin Settings

Listing setup settings are found at Admin → Listings → Settings → Listing Setup Process. These settings control what options are available to sellers when creating a listing.

PHP Pro Bid — Full Listing Setup Process settings page in admin with sidebar navigation

Title Character Length

Title Character Length — the maximum number of characters allowed in a listing title. Sellers cannot enter titles longer than this limit.

Short Description

Enable Short Listing Description — when checked, sellers can enter a short description that appears in search results and listing cards
Short Description Character Length — the maximum number of characters allowed in the short description

Additional Category

Enable Feature — when checked, sellers can list items in a second category for additional visibility. When unchecked, the Additional Category field is hidden from the listing form.

Images

Number of Images — the maximum number of images a seller can upload per listing
Mandatory Images — when checked, sellers must upload at least one image to create a listing
Maximum Size Allowed — the maximum file size for each uploaded image (in KB)
Crop to Aspect Ratio — automatically crop uploaded images to a consistent aspect ratio
Allow Remote Images — when checked, sellers can link to images hosted externally instead of uploading them
Watermark Text — text overlaid on listing images to protect against unauthorised use. Leave empty to disable watermarking

Media Uploads

Number of Videos — the maximum number of video files a seller can upload per listing
Maximum Size Allowed — the maximum file size for each uploaded video (in KB)
Allow Embedded Code — when checked, sellers can paste embed codes (e.g. YouTube or Vimeo URLs) instead of uploading video files

Digital Downloads

Number of Digital Downloads — the maximum number of downloadable files a seller can attach per listing
Digital Downloads Folder — the server directory where digital download files are stored
Maximum Size Allowed — the maximum file size for each digital download (in KB)

Listings Featuring

Enable Home Page Featured Listings — allow sellers to pay to feature their listings on the homepage
Enable Category Pages Featured Listings — allow sellers to pay to feature their listings on category browse pages
Enable Highlighted Listings — allow sellers to pay for a visual highlight on their listings in search results and browse pages

Custom Start & End Times

PHP Pro Bid — Custom Start and End Times settings with enable checkboxes

Enable Custom Start Time — when checked, sellers can schedule a listing to start at a future date and time instead of immediately
Enable Custom End Time — when checked, sellers can set a specific end date and time instead of choosing a duration

Display Free Fees

Enable Feature — when checked, the listing fee breakdown on the preview page shows items with a $0.00 fee. When unchecked, only fees with a cost are displayed.

Listing Terms & Conditions

PHP Pro Bid — Listing Terms and Conditions settings showing enable checkbox and content editor

Show Listing Terms & Conditions Box — when checked, sellers must agree to the listing terms and conditions before creating a listing
Content — the terms and conditions text displayed to sellers. Use the rich text editor to format the content

Listings Approval

This setting is managed at Admin → Listings → Settings → Listings Approval:

Enable Listings Approval — when checked, new and edited listings require admin approval before going live