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Bidsquare Platform · Inventory Configuration
Custom Fields & Inventory Statuses
Two of the most powerful — and most underused — tools in your Bidsquare admin. Used well, they turn a generic inventory list into a precision workflow engine tailored to your auction house.
Custom Fields
Extend Items, Users, Invoices, and Consignors with your own data — searchable, exportable, and optionally visible to bidders.
What are Custom Fields?
Custom Fields let you attach any additional data you need to records that Bidsquare doesn't capture by default. They work across four distinct record types — Items, Users, Invoices, and Consignors — each with their own field set, their own use cases, and their own display options. A field you create for Items has no relation to one you create for Users; each record type has its own independent configuration. Fields are created once and immediately available on every record of that type throughout your admin.
Where to find this
All Custom Field configuration lives in Settings. Select the record type you want to extend from the Custom Fields screen.
Settings › Custom Fields › Add Field
The Four Record Types
Choose the record type carefully when creating a field — a Custom Field belongs to exactly one record type and cannot be moved after creation.
Items
The most commonly used record type. Adds fields to individual lot records — anything from physical attributes and internal flags to public-facing content displayed as tabs on the lot page.
Most common
Users
Adds fields to bidder and buyer profiles. Used for internal segmentation, relationship management, compliance flags, and anything else you need to know about a bidder that the standard profile doesn't capture.
Bidder profiles
Invoices
Adds fields to buyer invoices. Used for post-sale logistics — shipping method, collection status, special handling instructions, and internal workflow notes that live on the invoice itself.
Invoice records
Consignors
Adds fields to consignor profiles. Used for relationship tracking, account classification, compliance data, and any consignor-specific attributes your business needs to record and filter by.
Consignor profiles
Field Types
All four record types support the same four field types. Choose the type that best matches the data you're capturing — the right choice makes filtering faster and keeps your data consistent across the team.
Text Text
A single-line free-form input. Best for short, open-ended values that don't need to be standardised and won't be used as filter criteria.
Free-form, single line
- Artist nationality (Items)
- Tax ID / EIN number (Consignors)
- Tracking number (Items / Invoices)
- Referred by (Users)
Dropdown Dropdown
A fixed list of options — staff select from the list rather than typing freely. The correct choice for any field you'll filter or report by. Prevents the inconsistent free-text variations that silently break filters.
Fixed options, consistent data
- Condition Grade:
Excellent,Good,Fair(Items) - Buyer Category:
Dealer,Collector,Institution(Users) - Shipping Method:
Local Pickup,UPS,White Glove(Invoices) - Account Tier:
Standard,VIP,Trade(Consignors)
Checkbox Checkbox
A true/false toggle. One click sets a flag you can filter by instantly. The most efficient field type for any yes/no question — faster to update than a Dropdown, always consistent, never blank.
Yes / No flags
- Do Not Sell / Insurance Required (Items)
- VIP Buyer / Tax Exempt (Users)
- Shipping Quote Sent / Customs Required (Invoices)
- Marketing Opt-In / 1099 Required (Consignors)
Text Area TextArea
A multi-line text block. For longer free-form content — internal notes, extended descriptions, or (for Items) any content you want to display as a dedicated tab on the public lot page.
Long-form, multi-line
- Artist biography / Lot-specific T&Cs (Items)
- Account relationship notes (Users)
- Special packing / delivery instructions (Invoices)
- Consignor background & history notes (Consignors)
Display Options — Where Your Field Appears
Each custom field has display toggles that control its visibility. Available options vary slightly by record type — Items have the most options because they have a public-facing presence.
On Filter
Makes the field available as a filter in the relevant admin list view. Essential for any field you plan to search or segment by. Available for all four record types.
Example: filter your full item list to "Condition Grade = Excellent" or all users with "Buyer Category = Dealer" in a single click.
Available: Items · Users · Invoices · Consignors
Example: filter your full item list to "Condition Grade = Excellent" or all users with "Buyer Category = Dealer" in a single click.
On List
Adds the field as a visible column in the admin list view (configurable per staff member via the ⚙ gear icon) and in CSV exports. Enable for any field you want visible at a glance without opening individual records.
Example: see Shipping Method alongside every invoice in the Invoices list, without clicking into each one.
Available: Items · Users · Invoices · Consignors
Example: see Shipping Method alongside every invoice in the Invoices list, without clicking into each one.
On Front End
Publishes the field as a dedicated tab on the public lot page, alongside Description, Condition, and Provenance. Exclusively for Item fields — no other record type has a public-facing page.
Example: "Artist Biography" and "Terms & Conditions" each appear as their own tab on the lot page for bidders to read.
Items only
Example: "Artist Biography" and "Terms & Conditions" each appear as their own tab on the lot page for bidders to read.
🏺 Custom Fields for Items
Item Custom Fields are the most versatile — they can be internal-only, surfaced in admin lists, exported to CSV, or published directly on the public lot page. They're set on individual lot records and apply across all auctions.
| Field Name | Type | Display Options | Why it's useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do Not Sell | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Flag items that must not be published — disputed ownership, items under legal hold, consignor withdrawal requests. Filter to this before every publish to confirm nothing has slipped through. |
| Condition Grade | Dropdown | On Filter, On List, On Front End | Standardised condition rating (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor) visible to bidders as a tab. Prevents staff typing variations like "exc" or "Exc." that break the filter. |
| Estate / Collection | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Groups all items from a specific estate or collection. Filter to "Smith Estate" in one click for preparing estate-specific consignor communications and settlements. |
| Artist Nationality | Text | On Front End | Provenance context for fine art lots that specialist bidders expect. Surfaces on the public lot page without cluttering the main description field. |
| Owned Inventory | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Distinguishes auction house-owned stock from consigned items. Critical for accurate P&L reporting — the settlement workflow for owned inventory differs from consignor payouts. |
| Artist Biography | TextArea | On Front End | Dedicated public tab for fine art houses. Bidders researching an artist get the biography in context on the lot page — increasing engagement and confidence without leaving the auction. |
| Insurance Required | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Flags high-value or fragile items needing specialist handling. Filter before packing day to brief the shipping team without manually reviewing every lot. |
| Terms & Conditions | TextArea | On Front End | Lot-specific legal terms as a dedicated public tab. |
| Sale Type | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Categorise how each lot will be sold: Live Auction, Online Timed, Buy Now, Private Sale. Enables cross-inventory reporting by sale channel. |
| Acquisition Source | Dropdown | On Filter | Tracks how items entered your inventory: Walk-In, Estate Referral, Dealer, Online Submission. Provides data for evaluating which channels produce your best-performing lots. |
👤 Custom Fields for Users
User Custom Fields extend bidder and buyer profiles with data your team needs for relationship management, segmentation, compliance, and targeted outreach. These fields are internal — they don't appear on the bidder-facing My Account area — and they persist across all auctions, not just a single sale.
| Field Name | Type | Display Options | Why it's useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer Category | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Classify bidders by type: Private Collector, Trade / Dealer, Institution, Interior Designer. Filter your user list to send category-specific email campaigns or inform consignors about who is buying their category of items. |
| VIP Buyer | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Flag your highest-value repeat buyers for white-glove service — personal phone calls before major sales, priority registration approval, dedicated account contact. Filter before every sale to ensure VIPs get proactive outreach. |
| Tax Exempt | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Flag buyers who have provided a valid tax exemption certificate. Reminds the finance team to verify exemption documentation before generating invoices for these buyers and to manually adjust tax calculations where required. |
| Account Manager | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Assigns a named staff member as the relationship owner for key buyers. Filter to a specific account manager to see their full book of accounts — essential for managing client portfolios in larger auction houses. |
| Preferred Contact Method | Dropdown | On Filter | Records how the buyer prefers to be contacted: Email, Phone, No Marketing. Informs outreach decisions and prevents contacting buyers in ways they've opted out of. |
| Geographic Region | Dropdown | On Filter | Segment your buyer database by region for targeted sale announcements, regional shipping promotions, or understanding where your bidder base is concentrated. |
| Referred By | Text | On Filter | Tracks the referral source when a new bidder is introduced through a specific person or channel. Helps identify which consignors or staff members are generating the most new buyer relationships. |
| Marketing Opt-In | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Records explicit marketing consent for buyers in jurisdictions where opt-in is legally required (e.g. GDPR). Filter before any email campaign to exclude non-consenting contacts. |
| Internal Notes | TextArea | Extended internal notes beyond the standard profile notes — dispute history, specific collecting interests, relationship context, past payment issues. Staff-only and invisible to the bidder. |
🧾 Custom Fields for Invoices
Invoice Custom Fields extend buyer invoice records with post-sale logistics and workflow data. They're particularly valuable for tracking the physical journey of sold items — from packing through to final delivery — and for flagging invoices that need special handling before they're closed out.
| Field Name | Type | Display Options | Why it's useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shipping Method | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Records how the buyer has elected to receive their items: Local Pickup, UPS Ground, FedEx, White Glove Delivery, Third-Party Shipper. Filter to "Local Pickup" to generate your collection list; filter to "White Glove" to brief the specialist team. |
| Shipping Quote Sent | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Tracks whether a shipping quote has been issued to the buyer. Filter to unchecked invoices in Sent status to find all buyers still waiting for a quote — prevents items sitting unpaid because the buyer is waiting on logistics information. |
| Customs Documentation Required | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Flags invoices shipping internationally that require export documentation, CITES certificates, or customs declarations. Filter before packing day to ensure compliance paperwork is prepared before items are released. |
| Collection Date | Text | On List | Records the confirmed or scheduled collection / delivery date agreed with the buyer. Surfaces in the invoice list view so warehouse staff can plan their week without opening individual records. |
| Third-Party Handler | Text | On List | Records the name of the shipper, freight company, or art handler the buyer has nominated. Helps the warehouse team identify who to hand items to on collection day and provides a reference if anything goes wrong in transit. |
| Storage Fee Applied | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Flags invoices where a storage charge has been added for items not collected within your standard holding period. Filter to unchecked invoices older than your policy period to identify buyers who should be charged. |
| Special Handling Notes | TextArea | Free-form instructions for the warehouse and packing team — fragility warnings, orientation requirements, humidity-sensitive materials, specific packaging requests from the buyer. Visible on the invoice but not to the buyer. | |
| Payment Method Preference | Dropdown | On Filter | Records how the buyer has indicated they intend to pay: Credit Card, Wire Transfer, Check, ACH. Helps the finance team prioritize follow-up — wire transfers and checks need active chasing; card payments can be batched. |
🤝 Custom Fields for Consignors
Consignor Custom Fields extend seller profiles beyond the standard contact and payment information. They're the foundation of a proper CRM layer within Bidsquare — capturing relationship context, account classification, and compliance data that informs how you manage each consignor over time.
| Field Name | Type | Display Options | Why it's useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account Type | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Classifies the consignor relationship: Private Individual, Estate, Dealer, Institution, Charity. Drives downstream decisions — different commission structures, settlement timing, and communication styles apply to each type. Filter for targeted reporting or communications. |
| Account Tier | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Segments your consignor base by relationship value: Standard, Preferred, VIP, Trade Partner. Filter to VIP before each sale to ensure key consignors receive personal pre-sale outreach, early results summaries, and priority settlement processing. |
| Relationship Manager | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Assigns a named staff member as the account owner. Filter by manager to see their full consignor portfolio — essential for workload management and ensuring continuity of relationship when staff change roles. |
| 1099 Required | Checkbox | On Filter, On List | Flags US-based consignors whose annual payouts exceed the IRS 1099 threshold. Filter at year-end to produce your 1099 issuance list without manually reviewing every consignor record. |
| Tax ID / EIN | Text | Stores the consignor's tax identification number for 1099 preparation and tax withholding compliance. Internal only — never displayed publicly. | |
| Acquisition Channel | Dropdown | On Filter | Records how this consignor came to you: Referral, Website Inquiry, Walk-In, Trade Show, Returning Client. Provides data for evaluating which sourcing channels produce the most valuable consignors over time. |
| Preferred Settlement Method | Dropdown | On Filter, On List | Records the consignor's preferred payout method: Check, Wire Transfer, ACH. Surfaces alongside each consignor in list views so the finance team can prepare batch payouts by method without opening individual profiles. |
| Marketing Opt-In | Checkbox | On Filter | Records explicit consent to receive marketing communications — upcoming sale announcements, category reports, consignment opportunity alerts. Filter before campaigns to exclude non-consenting contacts. |
| Relationship Notes | TextArea | Extended free-form notes for the account history — negotiated rate history, collection specialisms, family circumstances for estate clients, past disputes and resolutions. Date-stamp each entry manually. This is your institutional memory for long-standing relationships. |
Best Practices
1
Plan your fields across all four record types before creating any of them
It's tempting to add fields as you think of them. A better approach is to spend an hour mapping out what you need across Items, Users, Invoices, and Consignors together — you'll spot redundancies (tracking the same thing in two places) and gaps (things you need that you hadn't thought of). Fields can't be moved between record types once created, so a little planning saves a messy cleanup later.
2
Use Dropdowns for anything you'll filter by — never Text
Free-text fields accumulate variations:
Excellent, excellent, Exc, Exc. all mean the same thing but the filter treats them as different values. This applies to every record type — a User's Buyer Category field suffers from the same problem as an Item's Condition Grade. If you'll ever filter by it, make it a Dropdown.3
Enable On Filter when you create the field — not when you first need it
You can toggle On Filter at any time, but records created before you enabled it won't have the field populated. Enabling On Filter from day one means every record from that point forward contributes to your filter results. Enabling it six months later means six months of records are invisible to the filter until they're manually updated.
4
On Front End is exclusively for Items — and should be used sparingly
Only Item Custom Fields can be published on the public lot page. Each On Front End field adds a tab — too many tabs and bidders stop reading them. Reserve On Front End for content that genuinely increases bidder confidence: artist biography, extended provenance, lot-specific terms. Internal tracking fields (Insurance Required, Do Not Sell, Acquisition Source) must never be public-facing.
5
Use Checkbox for all yes/no tracking — not Dropdown with Yes/No options
A Checkbox field is faster (one click vs. two), always consistent (it can't be accidentally left blank the way a Dropdown can), and filters cleanly. This applies across all record types — whether flagging VIP buyers, marking shipping quotes sent, or recording 1099 compliance status.
6
Name fields the way they'll read in every context they appear
Field names appear on records, in list columns, in CSV exports, and (for Items) on public lot pages. A field called
Cond Grd confuses new staff and looks unprofessional on lot pages. A Consignor field called Rel Mgr means nothing in a CSV export six months later. Write it as you'd want to read it: Condition Grade, Relationship Manager, Customs Documentation Required.7
Set mandatory fields sparingly — and only at the right workflow stage
You can mark Custom Fields as mandatory in Settings → Field Settings. Do this only for fields that must be populated before a specific action — not at initial record creation. Making
Condition Grade mandatory at intake breaks your rapid barcode-and-catalog-later workflow. Making Shipping Method mandatory at invoice creation but not at invoice generation is more appropriate. Mandatory fields should protect against publishing incomplete data — not slow down data entry.Custom Fields appear in CSV exports — configure this using the ⚙ gear icon
Custom Fields for any record type can be added to your CSV export columns. Click the ⚙ gear icon in any list view, go to the CSV Columns tab, and add the fields you need. This lets you pull structured, custom data out of Bidsquare into any external system — reporting tools, CRM exports, accounting systems — without manual re-entry. Each staff member's column configuration is saved to their account and doesn't affect anyone else's view.
Inventory Statuses
Define the stages of your physical workflow and track exactly where every item is in the process at any given moment.
What are Inventory Statuses?
Inventory Statuses are the stages in your physical item workflow — from the moment a piece arrives at your premises to the moment it leaves. They exist to answer one question at any point: where is this item in the process, and what needs to happen to it next? They're filterable, bulk-updatable, and completely customisable to match how your team actually works.
Where to find this
Inventory Statuses are created and managed here. Once created, they're available on every item record and as a filter in all inventory list views.
Inventory › Inventory Statuses
A Worked Example — End-to-End Item Workflow
The following shows a complete set of Inventory Statuses mapped to a realistic auction house workflow, from intake through to post-sale resolution. Your own workflow may be simpler or more granular — this is a starting point, not a prescription.
Received
Item on premises, barcode printed, placeholder record created
›
Awaiting Photography
In queue for the photography team
›
Awaiting Cataloging
Photos done, ready for description writing
›
Pending Review
Catalog complete, awaiting manager sign-off
›
Approved for Auction
Green light — ready to assign a lot number
›
Sold — Awaiting Collection
Hammer has fallen, invoice sent
›
Released to Shipper
Handed off, settlement can be generated
Full Status Reference with Context
| Status | When to apply it | What it tells your team |
|---|---|---|
| Received | The moment the item arrives on premises and a record is created. | The item is in the building but not yet processed. Filter to this status to see your current intake queue and plan photography scheduling. |
| Awaiting Photography | Once the item has been catalogd with a placeholder title and barcode label. | Ready for the photographer. The photography team filters to this status each morning to build their shooting schedule for the day. |
| Awaiting Cataloging | Once photography is complete and images are uploaded. | Ready for a cataloger to write the full description, condition notes, and set estimates. Catalogers filter to this status to find their next items to work on. |
| Pending Review | Once the cataloger has completed their write-up. | Awaiting a manager or senior cataloger to sign off before the item is cleared for an auction. Managers filter here to run their daily review. |
| Approved for Auction | After manager sign-off on the catalog entry. | The item is fully catalogd and cleared. It can now be assigned a lot number and added to an upcoming auction. Filter here to find the pool of items ready to lot up. |
| Sold — Awaiting Collection | After the auction ends and the item has sold. | The invoice has been sent. The item is waiting for the buyer to arrange collection or shipping. The warehouse team knows not to release it without confirmation of payment. |
| Released to Shipper | Once the buyer has paid and the item has been handed to the carrier or collected in person. | The item has left the building. Safe to generate the consignor settlement — the auction house's physical responsibility has ended. |
| Returned to Consignor | For unsold lots or items withdrawn by the consignor. | The item is leaving without a sale. Update this before release so your inventory reflects reality. Helps track withdrawal patterns for consignor relationship management. |
| Available for Re-listing | For unsold lots that the consignor has agreed to re-offer. | Filter here after each sale to find all items eligible for your clearance event or next auction. Prevents unsold inventory from disappearing into the system. |
Best Practices
1
Design your full workflow on paper before creating a single status
Walk through your intake-to-handoff process end to end and write down every stage where an item might sit and wait. Once you've mapped it on paper, you'll spot redundancies and gaps before they become problems in the system. Creating statuses reactively leads to a messy list that doesn't reflect reality.
2
Name statuses after the state the item is in — not the action that was just performed
There's an important difference between "Photography Complete" (past action) and "Awaiting Cataloging" (current state). The current-state approach answers the question "what needs to happen next?" more clearly. When a team member filters to a status, they should know immediately what their job is with those items.
3
Fewer statuses work better than more — aim for 6 to 10
The temptation is to create a status for every nuance. Resist it. A list of 20 statuses is too granular to be useful — staff start skipping updates because it's too much overhead, and the data becomes unreliable. Six to ten well-defined stages that the whole team uses consistently is far more valuable than twenty that get used inconsistently.
4
Use Batch Actions to update statuses — never one at a time
After a photography session, the photographer should select all items they've shot, open Batch Actions, and update all of them to "Awaiting Cataloging" in a single operation. Updating one at a time creates the bottleneck that makes teams abandon status tracking. Batch updates take seconds and keep the data accurate.
5
Make status updates part of the hand-off, not an afterthought
Status data is only as good as the discipline with which it's maintained. Build the status update into the hand-off moment: the photographer doesn't hand an item to cataloging without updating the status first. The cataloger doesn't mark something done without advancing it. If status updates happen at the hand-off, they happen — if they're left for later, they don't.
6
Filter by status before every auction to catch items that fell through the cracks
Two days before publishing any auction, filter your inventory to "Awaiting Photography" and "Awaiting Cataloging". Any items still in those statuses that are assigned to that auction need immediate attention. This filter is your safety net — it surfaces the items that would otherwise be published with placeholder titles or missing images.
Using Them Together
Custom Fields and Inventory Statuses are each useful alone. Combined, they give you a complete picture of every item in your operation.
Inventory Statuses tell you where an item is in your workflow. Custom Fields tell you everything else about it. Used together, they let you slice your inventory in ways that would otherwise require a dedicated spreadsheet maintained outside the system.
Pre-publish quality check in one filter
Filter to Status =
Workflow
Approved for Auction AND Do Not Sell = unchecked AND Condition Grade = not empty. The result is your clean, publishable catalog with no manual review required. Any items that fail this filter need attention before the auction goes live.White-glove shipping brief in seconds
After an auction closes, filter to Status =
Workflow
Sold — Awaiting Collection AND Insurance Required = checked. This is your white-glove list — every sold item that needs specialist handling before release. Hand it to your warehouse team without a single manual sort.Estate tracking without a separate spreadsheet
Create a Dropdown Custom Field called Estate / Collection. Set the estate name on every item at intake. Then combine with any Status filter — "show me all Smith Estate items that are still Awaiting Photography" — to give estate consignors accurate progress reports without maintaining a parallel tracking system.
Workflow
CSV export with full context for reporting
Enable On List for your key Custom Fields, then export a filtered inventory list. Filter to Status =
Reporting
Available for Re-listing, add columns for Estate, Condition Grade, and Sale Type, and you have a decision-ready re-listing report — who to contact, what condition the items are in, and how they should be re-offered.Do Not Sell as a hard gate on publishing
A Checkbox Custom Field called Do Not Sell, combined with a habit of filtering to it before every publish, acts as a hard gate against accidentally publishing disputed or withdrawn items. The filter takes five seconds. The legal and consignor consequences of publishing an item under dispute can take months to resolve.
Risk Management
Vault-App + statuses in the field
When using the Vault mobile app for on-site pickup, set items to
Vault Add-On
Received as each record is created. Back at the warehouse, scan items off the truck and batch-update to Awaiting Photography. Your office team sees the live status in the desktop admin before the van returns — intake and office are always in sync.The daily dashboard habit that ties it all together
The most effective auction houses using these tools build a daily 5-minute status review into the morning routine. Filter the inventory list to each active status in turn — Received, Awaiting Photography, Awaiting Cataloging, Pending Review — and check the numbers. If "Awaiting Photography" is growing and "Awaiting Cataloging" is flat, your photography queue is backing up and you need to address it before sale day. If "Pending Review" is large and the auction publishes in three days, your manager needs to prioritize. Custom Fields and Inventory Statuses give you this visibility. The habit makes you act on it.
Status data is only as good as the team's discipline in maintaining it
No amount of smart configuration compensates for a team that skips status updates. The value of Inventory Statuses is entirely dependent on them reflecting reality in real time. Establish the hand-off update as a non-negotiable part of each team member's role — not an optional extra — from the day you roll them out.